Sculpted ornamental arrangement for chandeliers

• US 5,921,668 A
• Filed: 03/13/1997
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Swarovski Lighting, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Schonbek Worldwide Lighting Incorporated (Swarovski International Trading Corp.)
• Inventors: Bayer, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, LAURA K
• Application Number:
  US08/816,543
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 362/404, 362/405, 362/806
• US Class Current: 362/404
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/065 multi-branched, e.g. a chandelier
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/06 Hanging lustres for chandeliers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/806 Ornamental or decorative

Abstract

An ornamental sculpted arrangement having a plurality of ornaments interconnected by a plurality of elongated frame members. The frame members have a backbone extending the length of the frame member and include a series of prearranged attachment arts each of which couples an ornament to the frame member. Ornaments are interposed between and connected to adjacent frame members to form a mesh or net of ornaments. The mesh of ornaments may be sculpted, the shape of which is determined by the distance between neighboring attachment arts, the dimension of the ornaments and the shape of the backbone. This enables the resulting sculpture to take on any desired configuration or shape, and the resulting sculpture is not influenced by gravity. The frame members are preferably formed of a material that enables the backbone to be shape to form a desired sculpted appearance. The attachment arts may be positioned in any desire arrangement on the backbone. This arrangement of alternating frame members and ornaments may be of any length and width, and may include ornaments of any dimensions spaced relative to each other at predetermined distances by the attachment arts, resulting in a desired sculpted arrangement.

Claims

1. A lighting fixture comprising:

a plurality of frame members, each having an elongate backbone defining a lengthwise axis and attachment arms extending laterally from said backbone; and

a plurality of rows of ornaments, each said row comprising a plurality of ornaments,

wherein each said row of ornaments is positioned between adjacent frame members, two of said attachment arms attached to each ornament, one attachment arm extending from one of said adjacent frame members and the other attachment arm extending from the other of said adjacent frame members, thereby forming a mesh of ornaments held together by said plurality of frame members.

2. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein said plurality of ornaments comprise ornaments having a plurality of sizes.

3. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein said plurality of ornaments comprise a plurality of ornaments having a size that is substantially equal.

4. The lighting fixture of claim 2, wherein said plurality of adjacent frame members are separated by a distance, wherein said distance is differentially altered along said lengthwise axis of said adjacent frame members.

5. The lighting fixture of claim 3, wherein said adjacent frame members are separated by a distance, wherein said distance is substantially constant along the lengthwise axis of said adjacent frame members.

6. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein an outwardly facing surface of one of said plurality of rows of ornaments and an outwardly facing surface of said adjacent frame members between which said one of said plurality of rows of ornaments are substantially parallel.

7. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein one or more of said frame members are curved along said lengthwise axis.

8. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein said frame members are flexed out of a plane to form a sculpted fixture.

9. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein an outwardly facing surface of said ornaments and an outwardly-facing surface of said frame member form a contiguous outer shape of the lighting fixture.

10. The lighting fixture of claim 2, wherein said adjacent frame members are separated by a distance, wherein said distance is differentially altered along said lengthwise axis of said adjacent frame members.

11. A mesh of interconnected ornaments forming a desired ornamental sculpture, said mesh comprising:

a plurality of elongate frame members having a plurality of attachment arms each attached to an ornament, wherein said plurality of attachment arms include one or more pairs of first and second attachment arms each connected to an ornament, thereby interconnecting one of more ornaments to two or more frame members to form the mesh of interconnected ornaments,

wherein each of said plurality of frame members are substantially flexible, thereby enabling said mesh to be shaped to form the ornamental sculpture.

12. The lighting fixture of claim 11, wherein said shape of said sculpture is determined by a size of the ornaments.

13. The lighting fixture of claim 11, wherein said shape of said sculpture is determined by a size of said attachment arms.

14. The lighting fixture of claim 11, wherein said shape of said sculpture is determined by locations on each of said plurality of ornaments at which said attachment arms are attached.

15. A mesh of interconnected ornaments comprising a plurality of elongate frame members having a plurality of attachment arms each attached to one ornament of a row of ornaments such that each ornament of said row of ornaments is connected to adjacent frame members to form a sculpted arrangement of alternating ornament rows and frame members wherein a planar face of said frame members and an outwardly-facing surface of said ornaments define a contiguous shape of said arrangement.

16. A chandelier component comprising:

frame members, each having an elongate backbone defining a lengthwise axis and attachment arms extending laterally from said backbone,

a plurality of rows of ornaments, each said row comprising a plurality of ornaments,

wherein each of said plurality of rows of ornaments is positioned between adjacent frame members, two of said attachment arms attached to each ornament, one attachment arm extending from one of said adjacent frame members and the other attachment arm extending from the other of said adjacent frame members, thereby forming a mesh of ornaments held together by said plurality of frame members.

17. The chandelier of claim 16, wherein said plurality of ornaments comprise ornaments having a plurality of sizes.

18. The chandelier of claim 16, wherein said adjacent frame members are separated by a distance, wherein said distance is differentially altered along said lengthwise axis of said adjacent frame members.

19. The chandelier of claim 16, wherein one or more of said frame members are curved along said lengthwise axis.

20. The chandelier of claim 16, wherein an outwardly facing surface of said ornaments and an outwardly-facing surface of said frame member form a contiguous outer shape of the chandelier component.

21. A chandelier comprising:

a plurality of frame members each having an elongate backbone and attachment arms extending laterally from said backbone, said backbone defining a lengthwise axis of said frame members,

a plurality of rows of ornaments each positioned between substantially parallel adjacent frame members, two of said attachment arms attached to each ornament, one attachment arm extending from one of said adjacent frame members and the other attachment arm extending from the other of said adjacent frame members, thereby forming a mesh of ornaments held together by said plurality of frame members.

22. The chandelier of claim 21, wherein said ornaments comprise ornaments having a plurality of sizes.

23. The chandelier of claim 21, wherein said adjacent frame members are separated by a distance, wherein said distance is differentially altered along said lengthwise axis of said adjacent frame members.

24. The chandelier of claim 21, wherein an outwardly facing surface of said ornaments and an outwardly-facing surface of said frame member form a contiguous outer shape of the lighting fixture.

25. A method for constructing a lighting fixture comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a first frame member with a first elongate backbone defining a first lengthwise axis and having first and second opposing sides, and a plurality of first attachment arms extending from each of said opposing sides of said first frame member;

(b) providing a second frame member with a second elongate backbone defining a second lengthwise axis and having first and second opposing sides, and a plurality of second attachment arms extending from each of said opposing sides of said second frame member;

(c) attaching an ornament to each of said attachment arms extending from said first opposing side of said first frame member to form a first row of ornaments; and

(d) attaching said ornaments of said first row of ornaments to each of said attachment arms extending from said second opposing side of said second frame member.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of:

(e) repeating said steps (a)-(d) to form a mesh of interconnected ornaments.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said ornaments are loosely secured to said frame members.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

(f) flexing said mesh of ornaments to form a desired sculpted appearance.