ELECTRICAL DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

• US 3,755,663 A
• Filed: 11/17/1971
• Issued: 08/28/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ben B. George Jr
• Original Assignee: Ben B. George Jr
• Inventors: George, Ben B. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
• Application Number:
  US05/199,489
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 240/9,10,52,2R,2B 313/315,317,318
• US Class Current: 362/249.01
• 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: G09F 13/28 Signs formed by filament-type lamp by selective lighting G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/806 Ornamental or decorative

Abstract

The display device has a plurality of low voltage unbased miniature lamps connected in series at spaced intervals to form substrings which are coupled in parallel between a pair of elongated parallel wire conductors at spaced intervals corresponding to the length of the substrings. The assembly is collapsed in parallelogram fashion by bringing the parallel wire conductors together so that the substrings extend lengthwise to be slidably inserted into a transparent flexible tube. The ends of the wire conductors are coupled to suitable end plugs for connection to an appropriate low voltage power source. The tubes can be cut to desired lengths, and be bent and shaped in patterns to, for example, outline different structures for attractive decorative effects.

Claims

1. An improved electrical display device comprising:

a pair of parallel spaced electrical wire conductors;

a plurality of unbased electrical lamp substrings connected in parallel between said wire conductors at spaced intervals along the length thereof, each substring comprising a plurality of spaced series connected lamps joined by flexible leads to each other between said wire conductors at points axially displaced from the connection to the other respective wire conductor and wherein said substrings are folded down adjacent said wire conductors to form a compact, elongated folded assembly;

an electrically insulative light transmitting tube enclosing said folded assembly; and

, means secured to said assembly for connecting said wire conductors to a power source for actuation of said electrical display means.

2. The improved electrical display device of claim 1 wherein:

said wire conductors comprise a pair of stiff, electrically insulated wires;

said tube is a transparent plastic tubing; and

, wherein said electrical display means comprises a plurality of low voltage unbased miniature lamps having flexible leads forming said lamp substrings.

3. The improved electrical display device of claim 2 wherein:

said tube is heat deformable into a permanent shape; and

, said means for connecting said assembly to a power source includes means for a low voltage power source.

4. A method of making an electrical display device which comprises:

electrically connecting in parallel a plurality of electrical lamp substrings at spaced intervals along the length of a plurality of spaced parallel electrical conductor wires, each said substring being connected to a plurality of said conductor wires and comprising a plurality of spaced series connected lamps;

axially displacing said conductors so as to fold down the resulting assembly of conductors and substrings into an elongated compact form;

inserting the compact assembly into an electrically insulative light transmitting tube; and

, securing to said assembly means for connecting it to a power source for actuation of said electrical device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

said conductors comprise a pair of stiff, electrically insulated lead wires;

said tube is flexible and heat deformable and, said substrings for the electrical display device comprise a plurality of low voltage lamps with flexible wire leads.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

said tube comprises a thermoplastic material; and

, said substrings are connected to said pair of stiff lead wires at spaced intervals at least slightly exceeding the length of said substrings so that in the folded position of said assembly, said substrings closely approximate but do not overlap each other, so as to facilitate cutting therebetween to trim said dEvice to a desired length whereby said substrings form a substantially continuous non-overlapping display lighting string.