Abstract:
An outdoor decoration, primarily intended for the holiday season, with a wire frame that is divided into segments, the segments having either the same size or with as many segments as possible having the same size, the segments not having the same size to be comparative in size, to permit fitting the segments together for convenient shipping. The segments are held together by clips and lights are placed on the frame.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to decorations and more particularly to outdoor lighted decorations constructed on a wire frame. 
     2. Prior Art and Objects 
     Outdoor decorations are well known. The use of lights on various objects, oftentimes trees, is particularly popular at holidays. Some outdoor decorations must be large such as would be used on a large building but are frequently used with even modest one family homes. Decorations having a large size pose the difficulty of transporting the decoration which, with a large decoration of substantial size, is certainly expensive and would require special handling. 
     An outdoor decoration is provided, primarily for holiday usage, which is constructed on a wire frame. Designs of the frame which exemplify the invention include a wreath and a candy cane. The decoration may be made in any size but this invention is most applicable when used for a comparatively large outdoor decoration which pose problems for shipping. Such decorations, as, for example, with a wreath, can have a diameter of four feet and could be eight feet in diameter or more. 
     The Erickson Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,731,752 pertains to an artificial tree where layers are placed upon wire strings in a tapered cone arrangement. Each layer has an irregular doughnut shape and has an internal opening and an external perimeter which creates a frame on which wrapping can be placed. A light at the base of the wire strings shines light on the layers. The wire frames form with the wire strings an outdoor decoration. The Erickson Patent does not teach the construction of a unitary wire frame using a plurality of segments of either the same size or of a sufficiently similar size to permit placing the segments in a compact stack for shipping. 
     Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a large outdoor lighted decoration that is constructed in parts, preferable parts that are either the same or reasonably similar to one another and which fit together into a stack that is a comparatively small package for shipping. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide an outdoor lighted decoration that can be easily assembled. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide lights that are prearranged to be readily placed upon the outdoor decoration and secured to it. 
     It is still another object to provide an outdoor decoration which is three dimensional and which provides a special three dimensional appearance. 
     These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art based upon the description of the preferred embodiment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An outdoor decoration is provided, primarily for holiday usage, which is constructed on a wire frame. The wire frame is three dimensional and has a generally rounded cross section. The frame is separated into a generally equal front section and a rear section, in essence along its center plane. The front section and the rear section are mirror images of one another. Both the front section and the rear section are divided into an equal number of segments, preferable which each segment either being the same size, which is feasible for a wreath or reasonably similar with a candy cane. With a candy cane, it is not possible for all the parts to have the same size and shape but the parts can be restricted to three different shapes at least having a similar size which do readily fit together for easy shipping. The various parts are readily clipped together into a strong structure. Lights may be placed upon the frame in any number of ways such as by wrapping a series of strands of lights about the frame. However, by constructing a preformed blanket of lights that can be placed separately on the front section and the rear section of the wire frame and then held together and to the wire frame by a retaining means, ease of installation of the lights is very much enhanced and a specific appearance is more readily assured. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is plan view of a wire frame for use as a decoration in the shape of a wreath. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the wire frame shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the wreath shown in FIG. 1 showing a half section of the wire frame separated along the central plane of the wire frame with the half section separated into two segments. 
     FIG. 4 is a pictorial view similar to FIG. 3 of one of the half sections divided into four equal segments. 
     FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of a wire frame used for a decoration as a wreath but with both halfs shown separated from one another. 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the wire frame for use as a decoration in the shape of a candy cane. 
     FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of the wire frame shown in FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of one of the two halves of the wire frame shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 which has been divided into four segments. 
     FIG. 8A is a pictorial view of the clip means and the retaineer means, the two means being identical, in the open position. 
     FIG. 8B is a pictorial view of the clip means and the retainer means in the closed position. 
     FIG. 9 is a pictorial view showing of the segments of a wreath depicted in FIG. 4 being stacked for packaging. 
     FIG. 10 is a pictorial view showing the segments depicted in FIG. 8 being stacked for packaging. 
     FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the electrical circuitry to be used in the lighting of the outdoor decorations. 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view of a mat of electrical wiring with lights used to cover a portion of the wire frame shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     FIG. 13 is a pictorial view of the wreath shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the lights installed. 
    
    
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NUMERAL 
                 DESCRIPTION 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 21 
                 Wire Frame 
               
               
                   
                 23 
                 Half Sections 
               
               
                   
                 25 
                 Semicircular Cross-Section 
               
               
                   
                 27 
                 Front Section 
               
               
                   
                 29 
                 Rear Section 
               
               
                   
                 31 
                 Segments 
               
               
                   
                 33 
                 Shaft - Candy Cane 
               
               
                   
                 35 
                 Handle - Candy Cane 
               
               
                   
                 37 
                 Inside Segment - Front Section - Handle 
               
               
                   
                 39 
                 Outside Segment - Rear Section - Handle 
               
               
                   
                 41 
                 Inside Segment - Rear Section - Handle 
               
               
                   
                 43 
                 Outside Segment - Front Section - Handle 
               
               
                   
                 45 
                 Longitudinal Wire Members 
               
               
                   
                 47 
                 Cross Wire Members 
               
               
                   
                 48 
                 Clip Means and Retainer Means 
               
               
                   
                 49 
                 Lights 
               
               
                   
                 51 
                 Mats 
               
               
                   
                 53 
                 Inner Circle 
               
               
                   
                 55 
                 Outer Circle 
               
               
                   
                 57 
                 Strands 
               
               
                   
                 59 
                 Structural Cords 
               
               
                   
                 61 
                 Electrical Leads 
               
               
                   
                 63 
                 Transformer 
               
               
                   
                 65 
                 Openings 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, a wire frame  21  is shown for a wreath to be used as an outdoor decoration. Such a wire frame  21  can be built as one piece but, outdoor decorations, have a substantial size. As a result, unless the wreath is being used where it is constructed, shipment of the wreath for any distance is difficult and most certainly expensive. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the wire frame  21  for the wreath is shown separated along its central plane resulting in two half sections  23 , each having a substantially semicircular cross section  25 . The two half sections  23 , namely a front section  27  and a rear section  29 , are mirror images of one another. Each half section  23  is then divided into equal segments. As best seen in FIG. 3, one half section  23  is divided into segments  31 , FIG. 3 showing two equal segments  31 . In FIG. 4, one half section  23  is divided into four equal segments  31 . When the two half sections  23  are each divided into four segments  31 , the entire wire frame  21  is broken down into eight equal segments  31 . The selection of four segments  31  for each half section  23  might be appropriate for a four foot wreath but the number of segments  31  may be increased, or as shown in FIG. 3, even decreased. The use of six or eight segments  31  is perfectly acceptable and is to be anticipated with larger decorations. 
     Since with a wreath, each segment  31  has the same shape and the same size, all eight segments  31  fit together readily, as is shown in FIG.  9 . This results in a compact package for shipping. If there were twelve or sixteen segments  31 , the result would be the same but with a reasonably larger and heavier package. 
     Since a wreath is symmetrical, it is easily capable of being divided into equal segments  31  but this is not possible with a irregularly shaped design such as a candy cane which is shown in FIG.  6 . However, with careful planning, the number of shapes can be kept to a minimum resulting in segments  31  that can be readily put together for shipment. The result with a candy cane, as shown in FIGS. 6,  7 ,  8  and  10 , is segmnet  31  with three different shapes and a total of eight segments  31 . As shown in FIG. 10, the eight segments  31 , readily fit together to form a reasonably compact package. Although the segments  31  shown in FIG. 10 have varying lengths, they are still capable of being readily stacked for easy shipment and storage. 
     A candy cane has two basic parts, namely a shaft  33 , which is straight and elongated, and the handle  35  which is bent around roughly in a U-shape. Actually a true U-shape does not provide the best appearance and the handle  35  is best a little over bent as can be seen in FIG.  6 . The shaft  33  can be divided into an equal number of segments  31 . In FIG. 8, the front section  27  of the shaft  33  is shown divided into two equal segments  31 . The rear section  29  is a mirror image of the front section  27 . This results in the shaft  33  having four equal segments  31 . The front section  27  and the rear section  29  of the handle  35  are both also separated into two segments  31  which results in a total of four segments  31  for the handle  35 . However, the inside segment  37  of the handle  35  in the front section  27 , which is connected to the shaft  33 , is the same as the outside segment  39  in the rear section  29  of the handle  35  remote from the shaft  33 . Similarly, the inside segment  41  of the rear section  29  which is connected to the shaft  35  is the same as the outside segment  43  of the front section  27 . As a result, the handle  35  has four segments  31  but with only two different shapes. The shaft  33  has four segments  31  each with the same shape but distinctive from the shape of the segments  31  in the handle  35 . The result is a total of eight segments  31  having three different shapes, as previously stated, for the entire wire frame  21  of a candy cane. 
     With both the wreath, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 and the candy cane as shown in FIGS. 6 through 8, each segment  31  has longitudinal wire members  45  extending longitudinally along the segments  31  and cross wire members  47  which cross the longitudinal wire members  45 . The longitudinal wire members  45  and the cross wire members  47  are fused to one another at the points at which they cross. 
     In assembling a wire frame  21  at the site where it is to be displayed, the segments  31  are secured by any form of suitable clip means  48 . Actually, even tying with string or thin wire would be satisfactory. The wire members  45 , 47  of the segments  31  is placed into the clip means  48  and thereby secured. By opening or cutting the clip means  48 , the segments  31  are readily separated and can be again stacked as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The clip means  48  is also the retainer means  48  as referred to hereinafter. 
     Once the wire frame  21  is assembled, lights  49  need to be placed on the wire frame  21  to produce the unusual and the highly attractive three dimensional appearance. As best seen in FIG. 12, the lights  49  for a wreath, are formed in a mat  51  about an inner circle  53  and an outer circle  55 , both the inner circle or inner electrical lead  53  and the outer circle or outer electrical lead  55  being electric lines. Strands  57  extend between and are connected to both the outer circle  55  and the inner circle  53 . A structural cord  59 , which does not carry electrical power, serves to space the strands  57 . Electrical power is supplied by electrical leads  61  to the inner circle  53  and to the outer circle  55 . Lights  49  are mounted on the strands  57  in electrical series with one another. The individual strands  57  are electrically in parallel to one another. 
     The details of the electrical circuitry are shown in FIG. 11 while the physical arrangement of the mat  51  is shown in FIG. 12. A transformer  63  is used to step down the usually available one hundred twenty volt power to twelve volts. Alternatively, five lights  49  and four lights  49  are placed on strands  57 , which strands  57  are electrically in parallel with one another. The lights  49  in any one strand  57  are in series with one another. In this way, the burning out of one light  49  will extinguish the strand in which that light  49  is located but at most only five lights  49  need be checked to correct the situation. The alternating pattern of five lights  49  and four lights  49  shown in FIG. 11 continues to a total of twenty eight strands with five lights  49  and twenty seven strands with four lights  49 . 
     By shaping the mat  51  (FIG. 12) to the size and shape of a half section  23  of a wire frame  21 , two mats  51  of lights  49  are needed to cover the entire wire frame  21  of a decoration. With a candy cane or any other shaped decoration, the same concept is used to form a mat  51  that covers a half section  23  of the decoration and with two mats  51  the entire wire frame  21  is covered. The inner circle  53  and the outer circle  55  are replaced by the inside and outside lines of the candy cane. 
     The mats  51  are connected to one another and to the wire frame  21  by retainer means  48  which are identical to the clip means  48  as previously mentioned. The clip means or retainer means  48 , depending upon how it is used is commercially available and is commercially used for retaining wires together in automobiles. As best seen in FIG.  8 A and FIG. 8B, the wire frame  21  and electrical leads  61  are secured in the openings  65 . The clip means or retaining means  48  may, however, be as simple as a piece of string or one of many other possible devices. 
     The decoration in the form of a wreath is shown in FIG. 14 with the lights installed. The three dimensional effect of the lights on the rear section shining through the lights on the front section creates a very unusual and attractive appearance not known in previous decorations. The use of half sections  23  and segments  31  illuminated by two mats  51  of lights  49  is equally as applicable to wire frames  21  having various configurations other than a wreath and a candy cane. 
     It is to be understood that the drawings and description matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, rather than as limiting the same in any way, since it is contemplated that various changes may be made in various elements to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.