US2900492A - Lighting appliance - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 18, 1959 F. BOSS! LIGHTING APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 21, 1958 INVENTOR -FuL.v \O BOSSA Wavy/2- ATTORNEYS ilnited States LIGHTING APPLIANCE Application February 21, 1958, Serial No. 716,783

1 Claim. (Cl. 240-) This invention relates to lighting appliances, more particularly of the type referred to as Christmas tree appliances although it is not specifically limited thereto.

It is an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive, safe and efficient mounting of small lamps or bulbs which are usually connected in series along a conductor to form a chain-like arrangement.

Another object of the invention is to enable the provision of ornamental elements such as corolliform bodies to be fixedly mounted in connection with the bulbs.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an insulating non-conductive protection for the entire part of the electrical connection of the bulbs with the conductors, thereby preventing and eliminating the possibility of electrical shock.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the structures and arrangements hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation in section of a lighting appliance constructed in accordance with the teaching of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an expanded view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the insulating cap taken in the direction of lines 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a top view of the corolliforrn cup as seen in Fig. 2 and taken along lines 44 thereof.

Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown a miniature baseless light bulb 10. The bulb 10 includes a filament structure 12 having the ends 14 and :16 thereof extending beyond the bottom of the bulb. The bulb 10 is completely enclosed to create a proper lighting chamber in which the filament 12 can operate. 7

An electrical circuit is closed to the filament of the bulb 10 by electrical conductor means comprising a pair of wires 18 and 20. The wire means 20 is adapted to be wound together with or otherwise securely connected to one end 14 and to the other end 16 of the filament 12 of each one of a plurality of light bulbs 10, in series or in serial arrangement. The wire conductor 20 thus connecting each of the filaments 12 of each one of a plurality of baseless miniature light bulbs 10, serves as one part of an electrical circuit that is to be closed to the plurality of bulbs. The conductor line 18 serves as the return circuit between the source of electrical energy and the serially connected bulbs 10. Line 18 is thus suitably secured to the series line 20 at the end of the lighting system.

The ends 14 and 16 of the filament 12, connected with the series line or conductor 20, are insulated by the use of a non-conductive cap generally indentified by the numeral 22. Cap 22 has an elongated body that may be made of any non-conductive insulating or dielectric material. It may be formed circular in outer configuration or of any other desired shape and includes a set of spaced conduits or openings 2.4 and 26 through which pass the 2 series wire or conductor 20. The spaced insulating conduits 24 and 26 provide a shield for the series conductor 20 thatis connected to the opposite ends 14 and 16 of the bulb filament; 12.

This simple arrangementof structure permits the insertion of the bare ends 28 and 30 of the conductor 20 of the conductor 20 into theconduits 26 and 24 respectively and'beyond the upper ends thereof for secure connection with the respective ends 14 and 16 of the filament 12. After the series conductor 20 is secured to the filament lines 14 and 16 in the manner shown in Fig. l, the insulating cap 22 is moved upwardly to cover the bare connection between the series conductor 20 and the filament ends 14 and 16 connected therewith. The cap 22 thereby serves as a secure, safe and efficient insulating covering for the bare connection between the bulb 10 and the electrical conductor wires 18 and 20.

However, in order to assure the proper insulation of the bare ends of the filament connected with the series conductor 20, the cap 22 is provided with an expanded seat 32 that is concave and rounded to the approximate contour of the bottom of the miniature baseless bulb 10. The seat 32 therefore provides a coinciding abutment for the bottom of the base 10 and may be thought of as a base therefor. Seat 32 hence is adapted to receive the bottom of the bulb 10 and to mount the same correctly in position while serving as a non-conductive insulating covering for the joint serially connected filament ends. The conduits 24 and 26 further prevent undue bending of the filament wires when the bulb 10 is thus in abutting seating relationship with the seat 3-2 of the cap 22.

In order to retain the cap 22 in this abutting seating relationship with the bottom of the bulb :10, the wires 18 and 20 are wound together in the manner shown in Fig. 1 whereby the leading ends 28 and 30 of the series conductor 20 are substantially at right angles to the conduits of the cap 22. The tighter the conductors 18 and 20- are wound together, the tighter will be the abutting relationship between the seat 3-2 of the cap 22 and the bottom of the bulb 10. Hence, the simple interwinding of the electrical conductors 18 and 20 will serve to retain the cap 22 in insulating position about the connected ends of the filament 12 of the bulb 10 and thereby provide a secure and proper insulation for the same.

The cap 22 is expanded at the upper end 34 thereof to form a seating collar 36 against which an ornamental member 38 may be mounted. In the instant invention, the ornamental member 38 is cup-shaped or corolliformed. The ornamental member 38 is provided with a central opening 40 through which the elongated body of the cap 22 may be received. The cup-shaped corolliform member 38 thus is moved upwardly into secure wedging engagement with the collar 36 and is retained thereagainst to provide a petal-like appearance. It is to be recognized, however, that the shape of the member 36 may be varied in accordance with any desired design. The use of such a member is therefore optional.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novelfeatures of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claim appended hereto.

I claim:

A lighting appliance comprising in combination, a plurality of baseless miniature bulbs, each having a rounded bottom and containing a filament, the ends of said filament extending through and beyond the bottom of the bulb in spaced relation, a plurality of cylindrical non-conductive members eachihaving a pair of spaced bores therethrough, and each of said members having a cup shaped seat adapted to receive the bottom of a rounded bulb and an annular outwardly flared rim, a .wire conductor extended intojeachvbore, each end of each filament being wound'around said conductor extending into each bore to establish electrical contact therewith, an electrical conductor connected in an electrical circuit with said first mentioned wire conductor and twisted thereabout to retain said non-conductive members in abutting relation with the bottoms of said bulbs, and a corolliform ornamental and reflecting body surrounding each non-con- 4 ductive member and seating against said outwardly flared References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,286,514 Bobe Dec. 3, 1918 1,725,048 Black Aug. 20, 1929 2,079,801 Grant May 11, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 558,874 Germany Sept. 14, 1932 484,968 Canada July 15, 1952

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