Abstract:
A lighting fixture has a plurality of coaxial round or other shaped rings on which a string of miniature lights is mounted. The rings are spaced apart when the fixture is in an active position and are stacked relatively close together when collapsed into a storage position. Slide links or the like interconnect the rings and limit expansion of the fixture into its active position.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a light fixture utilizing miniature light units mounted on a cord fitted on the fixture. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various lanterns and special lighting are popular for illuminating and decorating indoor and outdoor living areas, particularly for parties and special occasions. A need exists for improved lighting fixtures which incorporate miniature light strings in an eye-pleasing manner and which can be readily collapsed for compact storage or shipping without disassembling parts thereof. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention meets this need by providing a fixture having multiple mounting rings adjustably connected together, one above another, so that the rings can be easily collapsed toward one another to a storage position from an active position in which they are spread apart in coaxial relation. A light string with multiple miniature lights on a cord is mounted on the rings so that the lights radiate from the rings and the cord continues from ring to ring. The rings may be interconnected by flexible elements slidably mounted between adjacent rings to limit spreading apart of the rings without restricting collapsing of the fixture when desired. The rings can have various shapes and sizes so that the lights on the fixtures are arranged to provide a variety of attractive displays. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of one of the fixture rings of the invention with part of a light string mounted thereon; 
     FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the ring taken as indicated by lines  2 — 2  in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the hanger units; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the adjustable connection between two adjacent rings and indicating a collapsed fixture condition in phantom; 
     FIG. 5 is a detail side elevational view taken as indicated by line  5 — 5  in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a detail bottom view taken as indicated by line  6 — 6  in FIG. 5; 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 are elevational views showing a fixture in active and collapsed positions having a cylindrical configuration and without the light string and related details being shown; and 
     FIGS. 9,  10 ,  11 , and  12  are views like FIG. 7 showing examples of other shapes of fixtures. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings it is seen that the light fixtures of the present invention have a light supporting framework which is collapsible from an expanded active position to a collapsed inactive or storage position along a normally generally vertical axis. The primary structural members in the framework are mounting members for supporting light units, and these members are preferably in the form of circular rings, but may be other endless shapes such as polygonal, square or hexagonal for example, or can be open ended in the form of straight or curved members. In all instances the mounting members are interconnected by suitable expansion limiting elements so that they can expand apart from one another a predetermined distance from a collapsed or retracted position. These elements may take the form of slide links or folding links, or may be flexible links such as a cord tied to adjacent of the mounting members, for example. 
     In the preferred embodiment the mounting members are injection-molded circular plastic rings  20  having a channel-like cross-section providing inner and outer flanges  22 - 23  and a bottom wall  24 . The outer flange  23  has a series of generally rectangular, upwardly open cutouts  26  formed therein, and the inner flange  22  has a pair of upwardly open notches  28 - 28 ′ located circumferentially between each two adjacent cutouts  26 . The rings  20  are also formed with a plurality of retaining eyes  30  projecting radially inward from the base of the inner flange  22  to receive expansion limiting elements in the form of flexible links  31  having a pointed entry head  32  at one end and a stop eye  33  at the other end. The entry head  32  has a pair of flexible barbs  33  which can be pressed together sufficiently to permit the entry head to be passed through one of the retaining eyes  30 , and will then spread apart to prevent retraction of the entry head from the retaining eye. The stop eye  33  on each link  31  is large enough to preclude passing of the stop eye through a retaining eye  30 . Additional pairs  33 ′ of barbs can be provided on the links  31  to provide a shorter effective length for the links as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     The cutouts  26  in the outer flange of each ring  20  are sized to receive the housings  35  of miniature light units  36  positioned so that their bulbs  37  project radially outward. The light units  36  may be of the push-in type shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,829,865 or 6,079,848 and namely units in which the bulbs are mounted in plastic holders which plug into the housings  35  so that filament wires from the bulb engage a pair of contact elements mounted in the housings. These contact elements have pointed ends which pierce through the insulation on opposite sides of a cutout in one of two wires in an electric cord  38  passing through a wireway in the housing. Thus, when the cord is energized, current passes in each light unit to the respective bulb via the contact elements and the interrupted wire. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,829,865 and 6,079,848 the cord has three wires passing through the housings of the light units, whereas in the present instance only two wires are required, one serving as the ground and the other being the one with the cutouts between the contact elements. 
     The light units  36  are preferably equally spaced about each ring  20 , and the cord  38  loops radially inward between adjacent units by loops  38   a  which pass through the respective pair of notches  28  in the inner flange  22 . Preferably the cord  38  fits snugly in the notches  28 . 
     The outer flange  23  of each ring contain a notch  40  between two of the cutouts  26  which provides cord access to a bottom passage  42  through the bottom wall of the ring. This passage is utilized to position the cord  38  from one ring to a light unit in the next ring after the first ring has been fitted with light units around its circumference. In passing from passage  42  to a light unit in the next ring, the cord  38  preferably passes through an adjacent one of the notches  28  in the next ring  20 . The cord enters the ring at one end of the fixture and after it has been manipulated to position light units in all of the rings, the cord can be fed out the infeed end of the fixture or the opposite end. The cord feeds from a wall plug  50  or from a controller powered via a lead from a wall plug. At the opposite end of the cord the two wires in the cord are electrically connected together in an add-on plug or an end connector to complete a series circuit for all of the lights in the fixture. 
     At one or both ends of the fixture a mounting hook  52  is connected to the end ring by a set of four flexible legs  54  passing through eyes  30  in the end ring. These legs, like the connecting links  32 , have a pointed entry head  32  and pairs of flexible retaining barbs  33  for engaging the bottom of the ring eyes  30  to set the distance of the mounting hook  52  from the fixture. 
     The fixture may be collapsed for compact storage merely by pushing axially from opposite ends. As the rings responsively move axially toward one another as indicated in FIG. 4 the connecting links  32  slide through the ring eyes  30  the required distance to collapse the fixture. 
     By varying the relative sizes of the rings or other selected mounting members, the light fixture may take on a variety of shapes when expanded to its active position. For example, the fixture may have a cylindrical configuration (FIG.  7 ), various conical shapes (FIGS.  8 - 9 ), an hour-glass configuration (FIG.  11 ), or a ball shape (FIG.  12 ). As previously indicated the rings  20 , instead of being round, can be polygonal rings such, for example, as square rings or hexagonal rings. 
     From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.