US2889451A - Mounting device for strand supported elements - Google Patents

Description

Junel z, 1959 G. w. LONGO 2,889,451

MOUNTING DEVICE FOR STRAND SUPPORTED ELEMENTS Filed March 14, 1958 F/a/ F/Gfe Gafaafy uf. aA/6a ATTORNEY United States Patent MOUNTING DEVICE FOR STRAND SUPPORTED ELEMENTS Gregory W. Longo, Brooklyn, N.Y. y

Application March 14, 1958, Serial No. 721,501

Claims. (Cl. 240-52) This invention relates to an improved mounting means for ornamental lamp devices normally arranged at spaced intervals on strand members as is the case for example, with strings of Christmas tree lights, and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved mounting device for individual strand supported elements 1ncluding a rst part associated with said element, and a second co-acting part adapted for pre-positioning 011 a mounting support or structure.

In the positioning and arrangement of ornamental lamp devices normally spaced on strand members, a problem frequently arises in providing suitable means for anchoring the ornamental devices in desired locations. This is particularly true with strings of ornamental lights, such as Christmas tree lights, which are frequently used to outline door-Ways, windows, and other parts of houses and buildings. The common practice has been to staple the supporting strands or wires to the particular door frame, window frame, or other building part, but this is generally unsatisfactory since repeated racking up of ornamental strands tends to disgure the building part. Also at times when placement of decorative lights or other ornamental strands is to be accomplished, the weather may be such that working with staples or similar fasteners is inconvenient and uncomfortable. In some instances, these diiculties are overcome by mounting a string of lights, or the like, on rigid supports which are secured to the building part to be decorated. This, however, is an added storage problem, and has the further disadvantage of tending to disgure the part or parts being decorated.

An object of my invention is to provide practical means for quickly and easily attaching and detaching ornamental lights, and the like, in a predetermined pattern arrangement without experiencing the inconveniences heretofore encountered. A further object of the invention is to provide practical and inconspicuous mounting members which can be permanently mounted at convenient times and positioned in la desired pattern arrangement, and which provides quick and easy snap engagement for coupling and mounting ornamental lights, or similar devices, in a. predetermined pattern arrangement.

In accomplishing these and other objects, I employ a two part device which may be generally described as having one part intimately associated and positioned with respect to an ornamental light or similar device, and a second part having snap engagement therewith which is adapted to be nailed, screwed, or otherwise permanently mounted on a part of the structure to be decorated. Details concerning my invention will be readily understood from a consideration of the following description taken together with the accompanying drawing which show preferred adaptations of the invention in which the various parts are identied by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

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Fig. l is a side elevation view of a Christmas tree bulb with a sectional view of one form of my improved mounting means illustrated in association therewith;

Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the device as shown in Fig. l, taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 and showing the parts of the mounting device relatively detached;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. l showing a slightly modified form of light socket and also illustrating a modified form of mounting device; and

Fig. 4 is a view generally similar to Fig. 3 wherein the light socket is of modified construction to form per se one part of my improved mounting device.

As shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawing, a light socket 10, carrying a bulb 11, and mounted on wires 12, is intended to illustrate a single unit in a strand of ornamental or Christmas tree lights, which may contain any desired number of sockets 10 on a strand of wires 12. The mounting device 13 associated with the bulb socket and wire assemblage is shown as an essentially cylindrical socket 14 having at opposed sides thereof, elongated grooves 15 terminating in lateral bayonet offsets 16 for receiving the wires 12. lt will be evident that the socket part 14 can be attached to the lamp socket 10 by sliding upwardly with the wires moving in the grooves 15 until the wires reach the bottom of the grooves 15, and then slightly rotating the socket 14 to engage the wires 12 in the offsets 16, thereby locking the same against displacement.

The lower extremity of the cylindrical socket part 14 is provided with an inwardly beaded edge 17 having a snap engagement with an outwardly beaded edge 18 on a relatively at mounting part 19. The mounting part 19 is suitably provided with a central aperture 20 to receive a screw, nail, `or other fastener when securing the same to the surface 21 which may be a door fname, window frame, or any structural part to be decorated.

inwardly ofthe beaded edge 17 and spaced closely with respect to the bayonet groove 16, l preferably employ a transverse wall member 22 which lends an element of rigidity to the lower mounting end of the socket part 14. It is to be understood, however, that the wall part 22 is not essential, and could be completely eliminated without seriously impairing the use and effectiveness of the device.

While the socket part 14 and mounting part 19 can` be fashioned from various materials, they are particularly adapted for molding from suitable plastics such as polyethylene, which provides a suicient degree of rigidity with a flexibility suitable for engagement and disengagement of the interlitting beaded portions 17 and 18. A further advantage in the use of plastics such as polyethylene, is the relative stability and non-staining character thereof as compared with ferrous metals, and the like. It will also be practical, however, to fashion the mounting part 19 from certain metals such as aluminum, which are resistant to the elements. In this connection, it should be borne in mind that the part 19, once mounted in the desired location in association with the other members 19 to form a decorative pattern for the arrangement of lights or other ornamental devices, will remain permanently in place so that when the light strands or other ornamental devices are to be arranged for decorative purposes, a socket part 14 is merely engaged with each lamp socket l@ and associated wires 12, and the assemblage is snapped into engagement with the mounting part 19. In the mounting operation, the socket part 14 is given a nal twist to insure that the offsets 16 of the bayonet grooves are in proper engagement with the 'will be noted that the space between the wires emerging from the bottom of the socket and the transverse wall 22, are such as to rreceive the type of bottom piate rin shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. In this connection, it should be understood that the socket part 14 as shown in Fig. l and the corresponding socket part 23 as shown in Fig. 3, should be of a suitable size to receive the various types of ornamental lampl sockets commercially available for a particular bulb size,=whether the lamp sockets are the open ended type shown in Fig. l, or have the bottom plate 19a as shown in Fig. 3. It will also be apparent that my improved mounting device can be made up in diierent sizes for use with basic electric lamp sockets, as for example indoor Christmas tree lights, outdoor Christmas tree lights, and larger lights as are sometimes used in commercial ornamentation.

The socket part 23 as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing is provided with elongated grooves 24 with bayonet olfsets 25 similar to the ygrooves i5 and 16 as shown in Figs. l and 2, for enabling attachment and detachment with respect to the sock it) and wires l2. The socket part 23 terminates in a bottom wall 26 corresponding with the wall 22 as shown in Fig. 1, and has downwardly projecting therefrom, a male coupling part 27 having a terminal beaded edge 28 adapted for snap engagement with a female coupling and mounting part 29 having an inwardly extending beaded edge 3G. The part 29 is provided with a central aperture 3l to receive a nail screw or other fastener in securing the device to a supporting surface 32.

With respect to the end wall 26 of the socket part 23, it should be understood that the portion thereof within theboundaries of the protruding portion 2-7, while tending to lend rigidity to the device, is not essential, and can be eliminated if desired.

The use and operation of the assemblage as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing corresponds directly with the use and operation of the assemblage previously described in connection with Figs. l and 2. rThe mounting members 29 are permanently mounted or positioned on a suitable support 32, and thelamp socket and wires assembled with the socket part 23 are quickly and easily positioned by merely inserting the projecting portion 27 of the socket part 23 into themountingpalt 29. Here again the device may be Vfashioned from various materials, but is particularly adapted for molding from resilient plastic material such as polyethylene.

A modication of the invention as shown in Fig, 4 of the drawing bears a certain relationship to the modified lamp socket 19, ltia as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 4, a socket part 33 carrying a lamp bulb 11, and mounted on wires 12, has a bottom plate 33a which is of cylindrical contour, and terminates in an outwardly extending bead 34. The bead 34 is adapted for snap engagement with the inwardly extending bead 35 of mounting part 36 which is generally similar to the mounting part 2) shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The mounting part 36 is provided with a central aperture 37 for receiving a nail screw or other attachment device for securing the same to a supporting surface 38.

While a modification or adaptation of .the invention as shown in Fig.' 4 of the drawing requires a special type of bulb. socket assemblage 33, 33a, it will be apparent that anyone commercially distributing. ornamental .light strands, or the like, specifically for pre-positioned mounting in accordance with the present invention, will find it more economical to provide the special bottom plate 33a on Ythe socket 33 than to provide the much larger plastic unit required in the socket parts 14 and 23 as previously described. In other words, Fig. 4 represents an adaptation of the invention to an initial article of manufacture, whereas thefv devices shown in Figs. l to 3 of the drawing are adaptations in the nature of supplemental devices or attachments for use with existing equipment. It will, of course, be understood that in the modification as shown in Fig. 4, the location of the male and female parts can be reversed. In such event, the bottom plate 33a asshown in Fig. 4, will have a crosssectional contour similar to the bottom portion of the device asshown in Fig. 1, and the mounting part 36 will be similar to the mounting part 19.

In the various 'figures of the drawing, the size and contour of the beaded edges of the intertting stud and socket parts have been somewhat exaggerated for the sake of clarity of showing. It will be recognized that the relative size of the beaded portions of the stud and socket parts are factors which in production should be specially adapted to the particular resilient plastic or other construction material employed so as to provide free insertion and removal of the stud part with respect to the socket part while at the same time providing a suiciently close engagement therebetween to prevent inadvertent detachment of the parts.

In any of the forms of construction shown, it will be apparent that the mounting parts adapted for permanent .positioning on structural parts of buildings, and the like,

can be supplied in excess numbers so that these parts can be mounted in a number of dilerent patterns and locations. ln this way, a single strand of ornamental lights, or the like, can be quickly and easily put up and taken down in various pre-arranged patterns desired for different festive occasions.

Various changes and modifications in the invention as herein described will occur to those skilled in the art,

and to the extent that such changes and modifications are embraced by the appended claims, it is to be understood that they constitute part of my invention.

I claim:

1. A mounting device for use in the prearranged attachment and detachment of ornamental light strands, including a plurality of light sockets spaced apart by lengths of conductive wire with respect to supporting structures. for ornamental purposes, said device comprising a first part having means for supporting engagement with said conductive wire in detachable coupling with an individual light socket, and a second part having snap engagement with said trst named part, and having a central aperture to receive anchoring means in the positioning thereof.

2. A mounting device as defined in claim l wherein the second named part is a flat stud part.

3. A mounting device as defined in claim l wherein the second named part comprises a flat socket part.

4. A.mounting device as dened in claim 1 wherein socket having bayonet grooves in opposed walls thereof, facilitating telescopic mounting around a lamp socket with said bayonet grooves receiving and interlocking with the conductive wire adjacent said lamp socket, and the end of said first named part remote from said bayonet grooves interfitting with said second named part.

5. A mounting device as defined in claim 4 wherein said first named part includes a transverse reinforcing wall adjacent the lower extremity of said bayonet grooves.

6. A mounting device as defined in claim 4 wherein the end of said first named part remote from said bayonet grooves comprises a socket portion receiving a stud forming said second named part.

7. A mounting device as defined in claim 4 wherein the end of said rst named part remotefrom said bayonet grooves comprises a stud part intertting with a socket forming said second named part.

References Cited in the le of this patent said base plate includes a socket part intertting with a 10 2,805,405

stud rforming said second named part.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Gale Sept. 4, 1928 Kidston et al. Apr. 10, 1934 Bartow Oct. 19, 1943 Duefrene Apr. 20, 1948 Morgenstern et a1. Nov. 3, 1953 Christenbery July 23, 1957 Batcheller Sept. 3, 1957

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