Decorative lighting system

• US 6,183,104 B1
• Filed: 02/18/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis Ferrara
• Original Assignee: Dennis Ferrara
• Inventors: Ferrara, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Cariaso, Alan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZEADE, BERTRAND
• Application Number:
  US09/025,669
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 362/145, 362/152, 362/351, 362/353, 362/355, 362/248, 362/249, 362/252, 362/375, 340/332, 361/403
• US Class Current: 362/145
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/20 with light sources held by or within elongate supports
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/037 for mounting in a corner, i.e. between adjacent walls or wall and ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/005 for several lighting devices in an end-to-end arrangement, i.e. light tracks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/02 Wall, ceiling, or floor bases; Fixing pendants or arms to the bases F21V21/08 takes precedence; bases for movable standing lamps F21V21/06
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/06 the elements being coupling devices , e.g. connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/00 Globes; Bowls; Cover glasses with refracting properties F21V5/00; with reflecting properties F21V7/00; characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/506
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2121/004 mounted on the exterior of houses or other buildings to illuminate parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/162 Electrical connections between or with rails or bus-bars rails having primarily a non electrical function H01R4/64
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0431 Wall trunking

Abstract

A decorative lighting system which may be readily user-installed for surface-mounted display on a support structure includes a set of interconnectable modular component elements. The set of modular elements includes one or more pre-sized and formed light strip modules, and various other modules optionally employed as needed, including routing modules for effecting a multiple branching or angular change in course, and a power module for electrifying the lighting course. All modules are structurally suited for arrangement end-to-end, to create a continuous lightable track system which may be user-installed to follow a user determined lighting course, for example, in a manner accentuating architectural highlights. The light strip modules each includes a set electrically conductive pathways and a plurality of lights arranged along the length, variously connected in parallel across selected pairs of the set of conductive pathways. Connector modules electrically connect adjacently paired and abutted modules such that each of the electrical pathways form a contiguous and discrete electrical track. A simplified mounting feature is provided as well as optional module configurations suited to various structurally dictated routing applications. A module is also provided which permits facilitated alteration of length for user customization of a length of a linear track path.

Claims

1. A modular lighting system for permitting user selectable mountable arrangement of a lightable course on a support structure, the system comprising:

modular elements, each including discrete electrically conductive pathways;

said modular elements being comprised of at least one light strip module including an elongated base member and a cover receivable in mounted engagement to said base member, at least a portion of said cover demonstrating impaired optical transparency sufficient to obscure external viewing of elements disposed within said light strip module while permitting passage outward of internally generated visible light, thereby permitting said cover to be maintained in said mounted engagement during periods of disuse in which the elements disposed within the housing are visually obscured, and also during active illuminated use without requiring removal of the cover to permit viewing of the internally generated visible light;

said light strip module further comprising light sources disposed within said light strip module, said light sources being connected across a selected two of said discrete electrically conductive pathways; and

said discrete electrically conductive pathways of light strip module being interconnectable to corresponding ones of and a adjacent one of said modular elements.

2. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of said modular elements includes means for mounting said at least one of said modular elements to the support structure;

said means for mounting including structure in a surface attachment side of said at least one of said modular elements defining a channel running a distance in a direction of the lightable course; and

at least one clip member fixable to the support surface in selected positions along a path defining the lightable track course, said at least one clip member being receivable in shouldered engagement within said channel in a position along said distance.

3. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein:

at least a portion of said discrete electrically conductive pathways are printed circuit lands formed on an insulated substrate.

4. A modular lighting system according to claim 3, wherein:

said insulated substrate includes a portion of said elongated base member.

5. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, further comprising means for interconnecting said discrete electrically conductive pathways of light strip module to the corresponding ones of said adjacent one of said modular elements said means for interconnecting including a connector module for bridging terminal ends of said at least one light strip module and said adjacent one of said modular elements.

6. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein:

said at least one light strip includes at least a first and a second light strip; and

said modular elements further include at least one routing module configured for achieving an angular course change when interposed between said first and second light strips.

7. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one routing module is selected from the group consisting of a right angle corner module, a three-way comer module, a four-way corner module and a flexible power coupling module.

8. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said modular elements further include at least one end cap module for reception to a terminal end of a branched portion of the lightable course.

9. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said discrete electrically conductive pathways include at least three conductive pathways.

10. A modular lighting system according to claim 9, wherein one of said at least three conductive pathways serves as a dedicated ground.

11. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein:

said base member includes receiving channels formed therein; and

said cover includes a pair of flanges for lockingly engaging said receiving channels.

12. A modular lighting system according to claim 11, further comprising an elastomeric seal disposed in a position interposed between engaged surfaces of structure defining each of said receiving channel and each of said pair of flanges.

13. A modular lighting system according to claim 2, wherein reception of said at least one clip member in said channel permits slidable adjustment of a mounted position of said at least one of said modular elements.

14. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein a surface of said base member impinged by light from said light sources has light-absorbing characteristics.

15. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, further comprising selectively colored lens caps receivable over said light sources and engageable with structure of said base member.

16. A modular lighting system according to claim 9, further comprising a controller for selectively energizing a pair of said at least three conductive pathways to thereby light desired ones of said light sources connected thereacross.

17. A modular lighting system according to claim 16, wherein said controller initiates said energizing in a time-dependent manner.

18. A modular lighting system according to claim 4, wherein said base member includes break lines formed at spaced apart longitudinal locations for permitting user-separation therealong for adjustment of a length of length of said base member as desired.

19. A modular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one light strip module is in a form of an edge light strip module cross-sectionally configured at a right angle along a length thereof to permit conformable edgewise reception on a corner of the support structure defined by two intersecting planar surfaces thereof.

20. A modular lighting system according to claim 19, wherein said modular elements further include at least one three-way angle module for interconnecting said edge light strip module with a light strip module mounted on each of said two intersecting planes.