String light assembly with a control panel for illumination of particularly colored bulbs upon a decorative light string

• US 6,686,701 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robin Fullarton
• Original Assignee: Robin Fullarton
• Inventors: Fullarton, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US10/425,433
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 315/185.S, 362/249-252, 362/806
• US Class Current: 315/185.00S
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/10 with light sources attached to loose electric cables, e.g. Christmas tree lights
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/806 Ornamental or decorative

Abstract

A string light assembly having a control panel and at least one decorative light string. The control panel has a plurality of color enabling switches for selectively illuminating only light bulbs of a particular color located upon the decorative light strings. In use, a user strings the decorative light strings with a plurality of light bulbs having an assortment of colors. The user chooses which of those colors will be illuminated on a particular occasion by activating only those switches which correspond to the desired colors. The control panel has a timer for automatically turning on and turning off the light bulbs on the decorative light strings at times which are predetermined by the user. The control panel may be powered by standard alternating current or by solar power.

Claims

1. A string light assembly, for decorative use on a variety of occasions, comprising:

at least one decorative light string having a plurality of bulbs, each bulb having a color being one of a plurality of pre-selected particular colors, such that the decorative light string contains groups of bulbs, each group being of a particular color; and

a control panel in electrical communication with the at least one decorative light string, said control panel for controlling the illumination of the at least one decorative light string, said control panel having a plurality of color enabling switches, wherein each color enabling switch allows a user to separately enable or disable illumination of each group of particularly colored light bulbs, said control panel having a plurality of wires in communication with the color enabling switches, wherein each wire selectively supplies an electric current to the group of light bulbs of one of the particular colors.

2. The string light assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the control panel contains a timer for illuminating the light bulbs at predetermined times of the day as selected by a user.

3. The string light assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the timer has two time displays which are located on the upper surface of the control panel, one time display indicating the time when the light bulbs will be turned on, and the other time display for indicating the time when the light bulbs will be turned off, wherein each display has associated buttons for setting the time at which the light bulbs will be turned on or off.

4. A method of using a string light assembly, said string light assembly having at least one decorative light string having a plurality of differently colored light bulbs arranged in groups of light bulbs having-a particular color, said string light assembly also having a control panel in electrical communication with the at least one decorative light string, said control panel for controlling the illumination of the at least one decorative light string, said control panel having a plurality of color enabling switches, wherein each color enabling switch selectively illuminates light bulbs of one group of bulbs of a particular color, said control panel having a plurality of wires connecting the color enabling switches with light bulbs of a particular color, said method comprising the steps of:

a) stringing the at least one decorative light string with variously colored light bulbs;

b) positioning the decorative light strings upon a surface to be decorated;

c) enabling a desired color scheme for the string light assembly by turning on the color enabling switches by the user which correspond to particularly colored light bulbs suitable for a particular occasion;

d) powering the string light assembly by a power source chosen from the group consisting of an alternating current power source and a solar power source; and

e) illuminating only those light bulbs which are among the particularly colored light bulbs enabled by the color enabling switches.

5. The method of using a string light assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein said control panel further has a timer for illuminating the light bulbs only at predetermined times of the day as selected by the user, wherein the step of powering the string light assembly is followed by the step of setting the timer to automatically turn on and off the light bulbs at a particular time of the day, and the step of illuminating the light bulbs occurs at the time of day set by the user.

6. The method of using a string light assembly as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of illuminating occurs after the turn on time of day has been reached and is discontinued when the turn off time of day has been reached.