Abstract:
A decorative trim light supporting apparatus is formed by an elongated resilient strip having a series of longitudinally spaced apertures therethrough. Strip fasteners projecting through selected apertures removably anchor the strip to a surface. Friction gripping bulb socket supports are removably received by other apertures.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to lighting and more particularly to a system for mounting decorative lighting on buildings or the like. 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     It is common practice for attaching decorative lights to a home or other structure by suspending the electric conductor for the lights on nails or hooks driven or screwed into the siding material of the structure. The light string is then placed on the nails or hooks by resting the same to hang by gravity thereon at spaced apart intervals. One drawback to such installation is the reluctance of some homeowners to mar the surface of their structure by driving nails at close intervals into a wall surface. Another drawback is that the lights so attached are easily dislodged as, for example, by wind gusts. It is therefore desirable that some means of providing a mounting strip for decorative lights, such as Christmas lights, which may remain attached to the structure, if desired, and the lamps and sockets may be readily removed therefrom. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,344 issued Nov. 21, 1995 to Kotsakis for SUPPORT FOR DECORATIVE LIGHT STRING ON A BUILDING. This patent discloses an elongated member which may be attached to a building and is provided to a series of longitudinally spaced openings having inwardly projecting prongs which removably grip and hold lamp containing sockets when placed therein. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,028 issued Aug. 6, 1996 to Carlin for LIGHT SYSTEM WITH LIGHT HOLDER. This patent discloses an elongated section of plastic material having a flat base and upwardly converging flexible side walls which resiliently grip a lamp bulb socket containing a lamp when interposed between the side walls. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,882 issued Nov. 10, 1992 to Garrett for CHRISTMAS LIGHTING ORGANIZER APPARATUS and U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,136 issued Jan. 13, 1998 to Byers for MULTIPLE LIGHT SYSTEMS are believed good examples of the further state-of-the-art. The Garrett patent discloses an elongated housing having mounting flanges for securing the housing to a surface, the housing including a plurality of spaced sockets in electrical communication with each other which receive a like series of lamps. The Byers patent disposes an elongated strip or track which holds a similarly elongated string of lights provided with snap fasteners which may be snap attached to the mounting strip. 
     This invention is believed distinctive over the above named prior patents by providing a strap-like transversely apertured support of construction and attaching its mounting strip, removably supporting decorative lamps and sockets. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An elongated strap-like length of material having a series of transverse apertures in longitudinally equally spaced relation, forms a lamp string support. The support is flatly attached to a structure by a series of cooperating equally spaced apart members attached to the structure which snap into the several apertures on the support. A series of lamp socket receiving members are similarly inserted at one end into other apertures on the support. A like series of lamp socket containing lamps, interconnected by elongated strands of electrical conductive wiring, are cooperatively received by the lamp socket members on the support, thus permitting the series of lamps and sockets to be removed as a unit or with the attached mounting strip for storage. 
     The principal objects of this invention are to provide a decorative Christmas tree lamp supporting apparatus including a lamp mounting strip which may be temporarily or permanently attached to a structure by a snap and socket arrangement, and which receives lamp socket holding members which may be snapped into the mounting strip and removably receive lamp sockets containing lamps and mounting strip to be removed as a unit, or separately. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a section of a string of lamps support with parts shown in exploded relation for clarity; and, 
     FIGS. 2,  3  and  4  are vertical cross sectional views, to a larger scale, taken respectively along the lines  2 — 2 ,  3 — 3  and  4 — 4  of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur. 
     In the drawings: 
     The reference numeral  10  indicates a fragment of an elongated mounting member having a forward surface  12 , a rearward surface  14  and preferably formed of vinyl plastic capable of being deflected and returning to a position of repose. 
     Mounting member  10  is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced step diameter apertures  16 , each aperture having a larger diameter  16 ′ open toward its rearward surface  14  and a smaller diameter  16 ″ open toward its forward surface  12 . The mounting member  10  is secured to a building or other structure with its rearward surface  14  facing the structure by a plurality of fastening means  18  herein referred to as “buttons”. 
     Each of the buttons  18  are characterized by opposite end flanges  19  and  20  and having a central neck portion  18 ′ peripherally nested by the small aperture diameter  16 ′. The periphery  18 ′ of the end flange  19  is nested by the aperture diameter  16 ″, the flange  19  being characterized by a substantially dome like end surface as illustrated by FIG.  4 . The opposite flange  20  is diametrically slightly larger than the aperture diameter  16 ′. One of the buttons  18  is inserted into selected mounting member apertures  16 , the button being axially provided with a through aperture for receiving a fastener such as a nail  22 . Alternatively, the button flanged end  19  may be secured to the structure surface as by bonding, not shown if preferred, rather than an object penetrating the structure wall. 
     The reference numeral  24  indicates a substantially cylindrical lamp supporting friction means having its major portion diametrically slightly greater than the respective aperture diameter  16 ′. A smaller diameter portion or neck  26 , substantially diametrically equal with the aperture diameter  16 ′, is integral with a terminal end flange  28 , having a diameter substantially equal with the aperture diameter  16 ″. 
     The end portion of the lamp mounting member  24  opposite its end flange  28  is bifurcated to define a pair of legs  30  which resiliently partially surround and grip the perimeter of a lamp base  32  having an ornamental Christmas tree style low voltage lamp  33  therein. The lamp base  32  is operatively connected with a source of electrical energy by conductors  34 . 
     OPERATION 
     A plurality of the lamp mounting members  24  are axially manually inserted into selected apertures  16 . A like plurality of lamps  33  are support by the legs  30  of the lamp holding member  24  by inserting the lamp base  32  between the legs  30 . Similarly, a second plurality of the buttons  18  are axially inserted into the respective available wall apertures  16 , as explained herein above. The buttons  18  are then secured to the structure, not shown, by the nails  22 , or bonding if desired. Thereafter, the wires  34  are connected with a source of electrical energy. 
     When it is desired to remove the lighting assembly, the entire assembled unit may be removed from the structure by separating the mounting strip  10  from the respective buttons  18  and placed in a suitable storage. Alternatively, only the lamps and sockets, with the wires  34 , may be removed from the lamp holders  24 , leaving the mounting member  10  and lamp holders secured to the structure by the buttons  18 . obviously the invention is susceptible to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability. Therefore, I do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment(s) shown in the drawing(s) and described herein.