US3582641A - Decorative light holders - Google Patents

Abstract

A holder for Christmas light sockets is made from a pressing or stamping thus providing four upstanding legs which embrace the light socket. A band surrounds the upper ends of these legs and holds the socket firmly in position and the two remaining legs of the stamping can be utilized to engage the wire feeding the sockets or can have a wrap around device substituted therefor which engages the branch of a tree or the like.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Ronald M. Choquette Box 100, Wawota, Saskatchewan, Canada [21] Appl. No. 754,940 [22] Filed Aug. 23, 1968 [45] Patented June 1, 1971 [54] DECORATIVE LIGHT HOLDERS 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 240/10, 24/73, 240/52.1 [51] Int. Cl. A44b 21/00 [50] field of Search 240/10, 10 (T), 52.1; 24/73 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,641 4/1893 Schlueter 24/73.2

1,765,940 6/1930 Rudges 240/10 2,059,653 1 1/1936 Pretzfelder.. 240/10 2,123,231 7/1938 Clemence.... 240/52.l(X) 2,636,069 4/1953 Gilbert 240/1OT(X) 2,689,909 9/1954 Dazley 240/52. 1 (X) Primary ExaminerSamuel S. Matthews Assistant Examiner-Robert P. Greiner Attorney-Kent and Ade DECORATIVE uour HOLDERS This invention relates to a new and useful improvements in holders for electrical bulb sockets such as commonly used for Christmas lighting on homes and for display purposes commercially.

Although the device is designed primarily for use externally of the building, nevertheless it will be appreciated that it can be used internally.

Conventional display or Christmas lights usually consist of a plurality of colored bulbs held in sockets strung along a flexible electrical cable, said sockets normally being wired in parallel so that of one bulb extinguishes, the remainder still remain illuminated.

These strings of lights as they are called, are often used externally of houses at Christmas time for decorative purposes and it is normal to utilize cup hooks or the like to hang the electrical cable around windows or doors or similar parts of the structure.

Alternatively, nails are hammered into the trim and the double conduit is wedged over the nail.

All of these suffer from obvious disadvantages, the principal one being that it is difficult to orient the individual sockets with the weight of the bulb therein, in a direction desired for the best decorative purpose as the weight of the bulb usually causes the socket to swing around the flexible cable. Furthermore, during windy or stormy weather, conventional methods of supporting such sockets usually result in the sockets and the bulbs striking the surrounding structure with considerable breakage of the bulbs.

I have overcome all of these disadvantages by providing a holder for the socket which can be attached to a supporting member so that the socket can be held firmly in the desired position. Furthermore, I provide means to hold the electrical cables upon each side of the socket once again supplying support for the socket and the associated bulb.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is easily adaptable for securement on tree branches as well as upon window frames or associated house structure.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes means to adapt the use of same to various makes of sockets.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, and otherwise well suited to the purpose of which it is designed.

With the foregoing considerations in view, and such other objects, purposes or advantages as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept which embraces or includes the method, process, construction, arrangement of parts, or new use of any of the foregoing, as herein particularly exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying FIGS. in which:

FIG. I is a plan view of a blank stamped from sheet metal from which one embodiment of my device may be formed.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device per se.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the device showing a bulb socket in place.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing the holder upon a tree branch.

FIG. 6 is a substantially a section along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different FIGS.

Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, the preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 and is stamped from a sheet of metal such as sheet steel or the like.

It is fonned with a base 10 and four resilient fingers II extending outwardly at right angles from one another. A pair of strips 12 are formed diametrically opposite one another, said strips being formed with right angle extensions 13 at the extremities thereof.

Also a central aperture 14 may be provided in the base 10.

The fingers II are then bent upwardly at right angles to the base I0 and the ends 13 are turned over substantially through thus forming clips 13' as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The upper ends 15 of the fingers are curved inwardly as shown and form a holder to receive a conventional bulb socket 16 with the indented portions 17 of the upper ends of the fingers engaging over the upper rim 18 of the socket within which the bulb 19 may be screwed.

The electrical cable 20 extending from each side of the socket I6 is slipped under the clips 13' formed on the ends of the strips I2 and is held firmly thereby.

In order to accommodate various makes of sockets, it is necessary to ensure that the upper rim 18 of the socket is engaged by the indented portions 17 of the fingers and in this connection I provide a piece of resilient material such as rubber or the like indicated at 21 and placed upon the base 10. Alternatively, a relatively small spring 22 may be used as shown in FIG. 4. Either the material 21 or the spring 22 urges the socket upwardly so that the rim 18 is engaged by the indented portions I7. If desired, a rubber band or band of similar material 23 may be slipped over the outer upper ends of the fingers 11 to clamp them firmly into position as shown in FIG. 4.

The holders may either be screwed to supporting structure by means of screws 24 extending through the base aperture 14 or through apertures 25 formed in the strips 12, or alternatively, the device may be used in conjunction with a tree branch 26, the cutout portion 14 permitting the holder to seat upon the upper surface of the branch. A resilient rubber strip 27 may be engaged over the base and around the branch, one end being slipped through the apertured other end in the conventional manner to hold the holder firmly around the branch 26.

The device holds the sockets firmly yet enables them to be detached when it is desired to remove the lighting system from the structure, leaving the holders in place for future use.

Although the holders can be made of stamped sheet metal, it will, of course, be appreciated that they can be moulded of plastic. Alternatively, spring steel can be used under which circumstances the rubber band 23 can be eliminated.

Various modifications can be made within the scope of the inventive concept disclosed. Accordingly, it is intended that what is described herein should be regarded as illustrative of such concept and not for the purpose of limiting protection to any particular embodiment thereof, but that only such limitations should be placed upon the scope of protection to which the inventor hereof is entitled, as justice dictates.

What I claim to be the present invention is:

l. A holder for the socket of a decorative lamp which socket has an open upper end, a closed bottom end and electrical cables extending laterally from opposite sides of its bottom end portion; said holder comprising a flat base, a plurality of resilient fingers formed integrally at the perimeter of said base and extending upwardly therefrom for reception of a lamp socket therebetween, said fingers having indented upper ends engageable with the upper end edge of a socket, an elastomeric band extending circumferentially around the indented upper ends of said fingers and biasing the same radially inwardly, a resilient element mounted centrally on said base for urging a socket upwardly into engagement with said indented upper ends of said fingers, a pair of fiat strips formed integrally at the perimeter of said base and extending laterally outwardly to opposite sides thereof, and keeper clips provided integrally at the outer ends of said strips for supporting engagement with cables of the socket.

2. The device as defined in claim I which is further characterized in that said resilient element comprises a block or rubberlike material.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 which is further characterized in that said resilient element comprises a compression spring.

Claims (3)

1. A holder for the socket of a decorative lamp which socket has an open upper end, a closed bottom end and electrical cables extending laterally from opposite sides of its bottom end portion; said holder compRising a flat base, a plurality of resilient fingers formed integrally at the perimeter of said base and extending upwardly therefrom for reception of a lamp socket therebetween, said fingers having indented upper ends engageable with the upper end edge of a socket, an elastomeric band extending circumferentially around the indented upper ends of said fingers and biasing the same radially inwardly, a resilient element mounted centrally on said base for urging a socket upwardly into engagement with said indented upper ends of said fingers, a pair of flat strips formed integrally at the perimeter of said base and extending laterally outwardly to opposite sides thereof, and keeper clips provided integrally at the outer ends of said strips for supporting engagement with cables of the socket.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 which is further characterized in that said resilient element comprises a block or rubberlike material.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 which is further characterized in that said resilient element comprises a compression spring.

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