Year-round decorative lights with selectable holiday color schemes and associated methods

• US 20050168983A1
• Filed: 04/05/2005
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Year-Round Creations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Year-Round Creations, LLC
• Inventors: Oskorep, Frank Joseph, Oskorep, John Jeffery
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/10 with light sources attached to loose electric cables, e.g. Christmas tree lights
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/22 flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2121/00 Use or application of lighting devices or systems for decorative purposes, not provided for in codes F21W2102/00 – F21W2107/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/806 Ornamental or decorative

Abstract

A decorative light strand has user-selectable color schemes corresponding to each holiday for year-round use. In one illustrative embodiment, the light strand has a plurality of lights; a decorating selector comprising a switch which provides a plurality of user-selectable settings; and logic coupled to the switch and the plurality of lights to provide different holiday color schemes in response to the user-selectable settings. A method of advertising the same includes the steps of providing a set of packaged year-round holiday lighting products for sale; providing a first displayed advertisement for the packaged year-round holiday lighting products during a first holiday season which corresponds to a first one of the holiday color schemes, the first displayed advertisement including first indicia representative of the first holiday season; providing a second displayed advertisement for the packaged year-round holiday lighting products during a second holiday season which corresponds to a second one of the holiday color schemes, the second displayed advertisement including second indicia representative of the second holiday season; and providing a third displayed advertisement for the packaged year-round holiday lighting products during a third holiday season which corresponds to a third one of the holiday color schemes, the third displayed advertisement including third indicia representative of the third holiday season. This approach is more efficient and economical for stores which sell and advertise holiday decorations.

Claims

1. A decorative lighting apparatus, comprising:

at least three independently-controlled wires;

an alternating current (AC) plug for supplying electrical power to the at least three independently-controlled wires;

the at least three independently-controlled wires including;

a first independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a first plurality of lights with a red color;

a second independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a second plurality of lights with a green color;

a third independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a third plurality of lights with a white color;

a housing which carries a decorating selector to provide a plurality of user-selectable switch settings;

a controller to control the illumination of a different color scheme in the lights for each user-selectable switch setting;

the different color schemes comprising;

a first color scheme consisting of the color white;

a second color scheme comprising the colors red and green which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus;

a third color scheme comprising the colors red and white which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus;

a fourth color scheme comprising the colors green and white which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus.

2. The decorative lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a fourth plurality of lights with an orange color; and

wherein a fifth color scheme comprises the color orange.

3. The decorative lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a fourth plurality of lights with a blue color; and

wherein a fifth color scheme comprises the color blue.

4. The decorative lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a fourth plurality of lights with a blue color; and

wherein a fifth color scheme consists of the colors red, white, and blue which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus.

5. The decorative lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a fourth plurality of lights with a blue color;

wherein a fifth color scheme consists of the colors red, white, and blue which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus; and

wherein a sixth color scheme consists of the colors red, white, and green which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus.

6. The decorative lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein a fifth color scheme comprises the colors red, white, and green which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus.

7. The decorative lighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible translucent rope; and

the at least three independently-controlled wires being disposed within the flexible translucent rope.

8. A year-round decorative lighting apparatus, comprising:

at least three independently-controlled wires of the skeletal structure including;

a first independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a first plurality of lights with a first color;

a second independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a second plurality of lights with a second color;

a third independently-controlled wire which provides for an illumination of a third plurality of lights with a third color;

a housing which carries a decorating selector to provide a plurality of user-selectable switch settings;

a controller to control the illumination of a different holiday color scheme in the lights for each user-selectable switch setting;

the different holiday color schemes comprising;

a New Year'"'"'s holiday color scheme consisting of the color white;

a Christmas holiday color scheme comprising the colors red and green which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus;

a Valentine'"'"'s holiday color scheme comprising the color red; and

a St. Patrick'"'"'s Day holiday color scheme comprising the color green.

9. The year round decorative lighting apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein the Valentine'"'"'s holiday color scheme comprises the colors red and white which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus; and

wherein the St. Patrick'"'"'s Day holiday color scheme comprises the colors green and white which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus.

10. The year-round decorative lighting apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a color scheme consisting of the colors red, white, and green which are simultaneously illuminated in the decorative lighting apparatus.

11. The year-round decorative lighting apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a decorative holiday ball which includes:

a skeletal structure of metal or plastic on which the lights are carried.

12. The year-round decorative lighting apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a two or three dimensional structure which includes:

a skeletal structure of metal or plastic on which the lights are carried; and

wherein the first color comprises red, the second color comprises green, and the third color comprises blue.

13. The year-round decorative lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first color comprises red, the second color comprises green, and the third color comprises blue.

14. The year-round decorative lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first color comprises red, the second color comprises green, and the third color comprises white.

15. A method of advertising a set of packaged year-round holiday lighting products comprising the acts of:

providing a set of packaged year-round holiday lighting products, each year-round holiday lighting product contained within packaging of the product and illuminating a plurality of different holiday color schemes in response to a corresponding plurality of user-settable switch settings;

providing a first displayed advertisement for the packaged year-round holiday lighting products during a first holiday season which corresponds to a first one of the different holiday color schemes of the year-round holiday lighting product, the first displayed advertisement including first indicia representative of the first holiday season;

providing a second displayed advertisement for the packaged year-round holiday lighting products during a second holiday season which corresponds to a second one of the different holiday color schemes of the year-round holiday lighting product, the second displayed advertisement including second indicia representative of the second holiday season; and

providing a third displayed advertisement for the packaged year-round holiday lighting products during a third holiday season which corresponds to a third one of the different holiday color schemes of the year-round holiday lighting product, the third displayed advertisement including third indicia representative of the second holiday season.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of providing the set of packaged year-round holiday lighting products comprises the further act of providing the set of packaged year-round holiday lighting products on store shelving.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of providing the set of packaged year-round holiday lighting products comprises the further act of providing the set of packaged year-round holiday lighting products in inventory for Internet sales.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the acts of providing the displayed advertisements is performed at least in part by a server of a computer network.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first holiday season corresponds to Christmas and the second holiday season corresponds to Halloween.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first holiday season corresponds to Christmas and the second holiday season corresponds to Independence Day.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the displayed advertisements comprise a sign.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein each year-round holiday lighting product being of the same type and construction.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the displayed advertisements are positioned adjacent the set of year-round holiday lighting products.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein each packaged product has the same product identification code.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein each year-round holiday lighting product comprises a decorative light strand.