US3204090A - Christmas light holder - Google Patents

Description

31, 1905 c. KVARDA, JR 3,204,090

CHRISTMAS LIGHT HOLDER Filed July 11, 1962 INVENTOR.

A01; 4 ion/g7 United States Patent 3,204,090 CHRISTMAS LIGHT HOLDER Charles Kvarda, Jr., 104'37 King 'Coe Lane, Strongsville, Ohio Filed July 11, 1962, Ser. No. 209,129 1 Claim. (Cl. 240-) shaped holder for a group of lights wherein the wiring I and sockets are retained in the channel and the lamps are exposed in a line exteriorly of the channel.

It has become common practice to decorate homes during the Christmas holiday season by attaching strings of lights to various parts of the house structure to achieve decorative effects. In most instances, architectural features of the house are outlined in groups of multi-colore-d lights. These lights are carried by sockets attached to electrical conductors which have been affixed to the building structure in various ways. Certain hazards result both in the application of the lights to the structure as well as in the mounting means which may lead to electrical shorts under the adverse weather conditions which many times prevail during the winter season.

The apparatus which forms the preferred embodiment of my invention retains the lamps and the associated wiring in such a way that the aforementioned hazards are eliminated. An elongated channel-shaped holder perforated to receive the lights is assembled with the string of lights so that the electrical conductors are within the channel and the lamps are external of the channel. This assembly may then be readily installed on the house either by hooking the channel over the eaves trough or by other suitable attachment means.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which may be assembled with a group of lights with the assembly being quickly and easily mountable as a unit.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for receiving and displaying a group of lights as a unit, which unit having a generally channel shape with at least one rebent section engageable with a structural member of the house for readily installing the apparatus in a display position on the house.

Other objects and advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a house showing the preferred embodiment of my invention installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the light holder mounted in place;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the light holder.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of my invention is shown therein as it is installed on ahouse 10. The lamp holder units are disposed to outline architectural features of thehouse 10 and are particularly adapted for mounting on the eaves trough 12 as shown in FIG. 3.

The lamp holder of my invention includes an elon- 3,204,090 Patented Aug. 31, 1965gated channel 14 having aweb 16 andlegs 18 at right angles thereto. Each of thelegs 18 has arebent hook 20 formed at right angles to theleg 18. Thehooks 20 are in confronting relation and the opening therebetween is opposite toweb 16.

A plurality of openings 22 are spaced longitudinally in theweb 16 are are disposed to one side of the longitudinal center line of theweb 16. The openings are located below the center line to utilize the additional clearance available in that area. I have found that the openings 22 are most suitable for use when they have a diameter of three-fourths of an inch and that a spacing of sixteen inches functions best with commercial strings of Christmas lights.

Each of openings 22 receives alamp 24 which has the bulb on the outside of thechannel 14 and screws into asocket 26 located on the inside of thechannel 14.Electrical wiring 28 connects thesockets 26 for energizing thelamps 24 and is provided withstandard plugs 30 andreceptacles 32 to facilitate the supply of current to the assembly and connection in series where a number of units are installed. Thewiring 28 is retained in the trough formed by the web '16,leg 18, and hook 20.

In theupper leg 18 of the channel 1.4,openings 34 are provided for use in securing the lamp holder when there are no gutters available for installation. Theopenings 34 receive awire fitting 36 which provides a loop above theleg 18 and hooks into the lower side of theleg 18 and has sufficient strength to carry the weight of the holder and associated electrical apparatus. Thefitting 36 is available for engagement by hooks 38 as best illustrated in FIG. 2, the hooks being affixed to the building structure for carrying thechannel 14 when there is no eaves trough 12 available.

The lamp holder is assembled with the string of lights by first removing the bulbs from thesockets 26, inserting thelamps 24 through the openings 22, and turning them into thesockets 26 in the usual manner. In this Way, the margin of the openings 22 is engaged between the bulb and the end of thesocket 26. The string of lights is installed with theelectrical plug 30 at one end of thechannel 14 and thereceptacle 32 at the opposite end of thechannel 14. The lights and thechannel 14 are now assembled as a unit and may be installed with other similar units quickly and easily at. some elevated location.

Thechannel 14 with thelamps 24 and associated electrical equipment installed is taken to the location of the use. In this position, thehook 20 on thelegs 18 of thechannel 14 is placed over and to rearward of the outer edge of the eaves trough 12. Thelower leg 18 is allowed to bear against the eaves trough, thus holding thechannel 14 with theweb 16 in a substantially vertical position. By installing the unit with the openings 22 below the center line, sufiicient space is obtained between theweb 16 and the eaves trough 12 for theelectrical sockets 26. Appropriate electrical connections are made to theplug 30 to supply electrical power for energizing thelamps 24, and if more than one unit is installed, thereceptacle 32 is connected to theplug 30 of the next succeeding unit.

If the channels '14 are installed on portions of the structure that does not include an eaves trough 12,hooks 38 afiixed to thebuilding 10 engage thefittings 36 to hold the units in place as is best illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein the units outline the dormer portion of the house '10.

Thechannel 14 may be formed of any rigid sheet material, but it is preferable to utilize a non-conducting plastic to enhance the safety of the device. This also would provide an easier material to cut to length as required to fit the particular dimensions of the structure to which the lamp holder is being fitted.

Having thus described this invention in such full, clear,

concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention, I state that the subject which I regard as being my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in what is claimed, it being under-,

stood that equivalents or modifications of, or substitutions for, parts of the above specifically described embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

An apparatus for holding a string of decorative lights spaced apart in a line and connected by a wiring circuit comprising an elongated thin-wall channel, said channel having a web and a pair of legs, a bent portion formed on the end of said legs throughout their length and parallel to the Web, said bent portions confronting each other respectively to provide hooks for use in supporting said apparatus, said web being perforated to provide spaced openings throughout its length intermediate said legs, said perforations receiving electrical lamps secured in sockets,

one of said legs being perforated proximate to each end respectively, fittings in engagement with said perforations in the leg, and hooks in engagement with the fittings, said hooks supporting the apparatus, said lamps being exterior of said channel and said wiring and sockets being retained in said channel means on the opposite side of said Web from said lamps.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, EVON C. BLUNK,

Examiners.

Images