Abstract:
A baluster lighting assembly and method using illuminated intermediate baluster members in which balusters or pickets can be adjustably spaced along a power cord. A plurality of light sources mounted in each of a plurality of balusters or pickets are electrically connected to a power cable through connector housings mounted in each of the balusters or pickets. Each connector housing includes pierce connectors for penetrating the insulation of the power cable and coming into electrical, non-shorting contact with the power cable&#39;s live and ground wires along any selected location of the power cable.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to balusters or pickets that support the railings of balconies, decks, stairs, and fences and more particularly, to lighting assemblies for use with balusters and picket caps and a method of lighting a baluster. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A baluster is a vertical picket (sometimes called a guard or spindle or picket) or molded shaft, typically made of stone, metal, plastic or wood, that supports the top rail of a balcony, deck, or fence, the handrail of a staircase, or even the coping of a parapet. Balusters are frequently made with decorative and ornamental features. The complete system of balusters and rails is often referred to as a “balustrade.” 
   Lighting has been used in connection with balusters. One known way of lighting balusters or pickets has been to illuminate them with a series of external lights at the top of exterior of the balusters or pickets. Another known way of lighting balusters or pickets has been to illuminate them with an external spot light. There is a need for baluster lighting assemblies with illuminated center baluster members. 
   There is also a need for an easy-to-assemble baluster or picket lighting assembly in which the balusters or pickets can be adjustably spaced along a power cable. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention is directed to, but not limited by, one or more of the following objects, separately or in combination: (1) baluster lighting assemblies with illuminated center baluster members; (2) a baluster or picket lighting assembly in which balusters or pickets can be adjustably spaced along a power cord; and a method of lighting a baluster or picket lighting assembly. The baluster or picket lighting assembly comprises a plurality of balusters or pickets; a plurality of light sources operable to be mounted in each of the balusters or pickets; an insulated power cable operable to be strung between the balusters or pickets to supply power to the light sources; a plurality of connector housings sized and shaped for attachment to or insertion into the balusters or pickets, each connector housing having pierce connectors for penetrating the insulation of a power cable and coming into electrical, non-shorting contact with the live and ground wires; and wires connecting the pierce connectors of each connector housing to a corresponding light source. 
   These and other features of the present invention will be better understood in conjunction with the drawings and the detailed description below. It should be noted that the invention is broad enough to encompass many different embodiments, including embodiments that do not appropriate all, some, or any of these cited objects. The summary set forth herein is not intended to limit the claims herein, the scope of which is set forth by the claim language itself. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a balustrade assembly designed according to the principles of this invention. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of a connector housing incorporating an LED and inserted into a baluster section, for connecting the baluster section to a rail. 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the connector housing of  FIG. 2 , but, unlike  FIG. 2 , showing the connector housing&#39;s flanged based portion and hingedly-connected cap member in an open position, and also depicting pierce connectors for piercing the hot and ground wires of an electrical cable protruding upwardly from the upper surface of the flanged base portion. 
       FIG. 4  is a rear-facing view of the connector housing of  FIG. 2 , with the cap member in a closed position. 
       FIG. 5  is a forward-facing view of the connector housing of  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the connector housing of  FIG. 2 , illustrating the cooperating relationship between the flanged base portion and the hingedly-connected cap member, with the cap member depicted in the open position. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the connector housing of  FIG. 2 , depicting the cap member in an open position and illustrating, especially, pierce connectors for piercing the hot and ground wires of an electrical cable. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a staircase embodiment of the balustrade assembly. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an embodiment of a connector housing adapted for an angled rail assembly, such as for the rail and baluster assembly of  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a baluster assembly that includes a detachable ornamental connector for connecting separable upper and lower baluster sections. 
       FIG. 11  depicts an exploded, perspective view of the baluster assembly of  FIG. 10 . 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an LED rod assembly adapted to be inserted into the passageway of a hollow baluster section and sized to extend along substantially the entire length of the passageway, from a connector housing inserted into the passageway to a lower end portion of the baluster section. 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the LED rod assembly and connector housing of  FIG. 12  inside the baluster assembly of  FIG. 11 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1  there is show an embodiment of the invention. The balustrade assembly  10  comprises a plurality of baluster assemblies  15 ,  16 ,  17  and  18  that connect a top rail  12  to a base rail or shoerail  28  (or alternatively to a floor or stair tread). 
   The plurality of baluster assemblies  15 ,  16 ,  17  and  18  are secured, at their upper ends  19 ,  20 ,  21  and  22 , to a lower flat baluster mounting surface  13  of the top rail  12 . The upper ends  19 ,  20 ,  21  and  22  are round in cross section but could be any desired decorative shape. The lower ends  23 ,  24 ,  25  and  26  of the baluster assemblies  15 ,  16 ,  17  and  18  are secured to an upper surface  27  of the base rail  28 . 
   The balustrade assembly  10  optionally includes a horizontal cap member  11  that is secured to and mounted on top of the horizontal top rail  12 . Cap member  11  and top rail  12  may be constructed of wood or other available construction materials, and may take any shape used for rails and banisters. Likewise, the base rail  28  may be constructed of wood or other available construction materials. 
   In one embodiment, all of the baluster assemblies  15 ,  16 ,  17  and  18  have identical shapes and sizes. The baluster assembly  15  includes a hollow upper baluster section  30 . The upper baluster section  30  includes upper end portion  31  and lower end portion  32 . A passageway  33  having a preferably reflective interior surface  34  ( FIG. 2 ) is formed in the upper baluster section  30  and extends the full length of the baluster section  30  for passage of light there through. The baluster section  30  may be made of extruded aluminum, thereby providing a reflective passageway  33  that facilitates the passage of light from one end of the baluster section  30  to the other end of the baluster section  30 . Alternatively the interior surface  34  may be coated with a reflective coating to facilitate the passage of light there through. The baluster section  30  may have a rounded exterior surface  35  beginning at the upper end  19  that changes to decorative portion  36  that changes to a spindle shaped round portion  37  at the lower end  32 . The embodiment shown is merely one of the many number of decorative shaped balusters that can be used. While the baluster section  30  is shown as round it could also be made square or some other decorative shape subject to manufacturing and economic limitations. 
   The baluster assembly  15  includes a lower baluster section  40  that may have the same construction as the upper baluster section  30  such that it is merely an inverted version of the upper baluster section  30 . The baluster section  40  includes lower end portion  41  and upper end portion  42 . A passageway  43  having a preferably reflective interior surface  44  is formed in the upper baluster section  40  and extends the full length of the baluster section  40  for passage of light there through. Like baluster section  30 , baluster section  40  may be made of extruded aluminum, thereby providing a reflective passageway  33  that facilitates the passage of light from one end of the baluster section  30  to the other end of the baluster section  30 . Alternatively, the interior surface  44  may be coated with a reflective coating to facilitate the passage of light there through. The baluster section  40  may have a rounded exterior surface  45  beginning at the lower end  23  that changes to decorative portion  46  that changes to a spindle shaped round portion  47  at the upper end  42 . The embodiment shown is merely one of the many number of decorative shaped balusters that can be used. While the baluster section  40  is shown as round it could also be made square or some other decorative shape subject to manufacturing and economic limitations. 
   Although shown as being oriented vertically, the balusters could also be mounted at an angle to the horizontal. Also, although the baluster assemblies are typically are mounted between two rails, they could be mounted in a wall that had the rails framing an opening in the wall, or they could be mounted between an upper rail and a floor, the treads of a staircase, or a concrete, brick, or rock footing. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2-7  there is shown the detailed construction of connector housings  50  that are used to connect the baluster sections  30  and  40  to the upper and lower rails  12  and  28 . Identical connector housings  50 , at least one of which includes an LED light member, are inserted into the end portions  31  and  41 . 
   Each housing  50  includes an insertion portion  51  which may be unthreaded and which inserts into the passageways  33  and  43  and tightly fits into the end of the baluster sections  30  and  40  for attaching the baluster sections to the upper rail  12  and base rail  28 . For round baluster passageways  33 , the insertion portion  51  is round and includes a generally flat end surface  52 . At the other end of the insertion portion  51  is a flanged base portion  53  that mates with a round cap member  56 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 6 , the round cap member  56 , having upper surface  66  and lower surface  67 , is connected to a hinge mount portion  54  on the flanged base portion  53  by a flexible hinge member  57  to allow the cap member  56  to be hinged away from the flanged base portion  53 . The hinge mount portion  54  extends above the upper surface  58  of the flanged base portion  53  and has a concave surface that mates with a convex surface portion  60  of the cap member  56  that extends below the lower surface  67  of the cap member  56 . The other side of the flanged base portion  53 , opposite the hinge mount portion  54 , has a connector portion  61  that has a concave surface  62  spaced above the surface  58  that mates with the convex surface portion  63  on the cap member  56  that also extends below the lower surface  67  of the cap member  56 . A recess or notch  64  is provided for releasably connecting with the L-shaped flexible catch  65  that locks with the notch  64 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   Attached to the upper surface  66  of the cap  56  is a screw member  67  that can be screwed into the upper rail  12  and base rail  28 . Alternatively, the screw member  67  could be replaced with any other suitable attaching means, including, for example, a pin member that can be inserted into a mating opening in the rails. 
   In one embodiment of a connector housing  50 , a LED light  70  is molded into the connector housing  50  and includes power supplying wires  71  and  72  that are connected to pierce connectors  73  and  74  that extend above the surface  58 . For simplicity, the drawings depict each pierce connector  73  and  74  as having a single triangular blade. But each pierce connector  73  and  74  may take the shape of a tiny contact jaw, as are typically found in insulation displacement connectors. The LED light is operable to be connected, as shown in  FIG. 2 , to an electrical supply cable  75  having wires  76  and  77 . In this manner, consumers can adjustably space the lighted baluster assemblies along the wire in a manner that meets their construction requirements. Furthermore, the cable  75  can be placed inconspicuously, and with minimal cable slack between balusters, along a bottom surface of (or, more preferably, recessed within a groove along the bottom surface of) the top rail  12 . 
   Preferably, the electrical supply cable  75  is a ribbon cable, with two untwisted insulated wires  76  and  77  running parallel together, that match the pierce connectors  73  and  74 . Surfaces  58  and  67  are sized, spaced, and configured to press-fit the cable  75  onto the pierce connectors  73  and  74  and to tightly enclose the cable  75 . Although not shown in the drawings, surface  67  may have scalloped grooves to further facilitate the press-fitting of the cable  75  onto the pierce connectors  73  and  74 . In this manner, the cable  75  is tightly held in place with the pierce connectors  73  and  74  piercing the cable  75  and making electrical connection with the wires  76  and  77  to supply electricity to light the LED bulb  70 . 
   In other embodiments of the connector housing  50 , the LED light  70 , power supplying wires  71  and  72 , and pierce connectors  73  and  74  are absent. In some embodiments of the balustrade assembly  10 , connector housings  50  with LEDs are provided for the upper baluster sections  30 , while connector housings  50  without LEDs are provided for the lower baluster sections  40 . Except for the LEDs  70 , wires  71  and  72 , and pierce connectors  73  and  74 , the connector housings  50  for the upper and lower baluster sections  30  and  40  may be the same. In other embodiments of the balustrade assembly  10 , identical connector housings  50  with LEDs are provided for both the upper and the lower baluster sections  30  and  40 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the light from the LED bulb  70  illuminates the hollow interior passageway  33  of the baluster section, which channels the light to illuminate the center baluster member  80  that connects the baluster sections  30  and  40  a shown in  FIG. 8 . 
   The embodiment shown in  FIG. 9  is the similar to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2-7  except the upper surfaces  80  and  81  are at an angle to the insertion portion for use with angled rail assemblies, such as used on stairs. Because the components are the same, like reference numbers from  FIGS. 2-7  are used on  FIG. 9 . 
     FIGS. 10 and 11  depict perspective and exploded views, respectively, of one embodiment of a baluster assembly  100  that includes a detachable ornamental member  101  connecting separable hollow upper and lower baluster sections  110  and  115 . Ornamental member  101  comprises two mating semi-spherical cage portions  102  and  103  sized and shaped to enclose a decorative translucent, light-diffusing piece, such as a glass or plastic sphere  104 . Although a smooth round light-diffusing piece is shown, other shapes and designs can be used to give a desired appearance. For instance prisms could be used on the outer surface of the light-diffusing piece. Or if a different shaped light-diffusing piece was desired, this could be accomplished by making the cage portions of the same desired shape as the light-diffusing piece when the light-diffusing piece is a different shape. This way the light-diffusing piece might be oval, square, rectangular or have other multiple flat surfaces. The light-diffusing piece may have portions that are different colors to give another desired appearance. The light-diffusing piece may have objects, symbols or designs embedded in the interior to give another desired appearance. 
   Externally male connecting portions  105 - 108  may be threaded and extend upwardly from opposite ends of the cage portions  102  and  103 . The upper and lower baluster sections  110  and  115  may be internally threaded at their lower and upper ends  111  and  116 , respectively, where they are operable to mate with the outer surface of male connection portions  105 - 108  which may be externally threaded. Other suitable attaching means may be used for the threaded portions such as glue or adhesive or bonding depending on the type of materials used. When assembled, the upper baluster section  110  holds male connecting portions  105 - 106  together and the lower baluster section  115  holds male connecting portions  107 - 108  together, thereby securing the glass sphere  104  between the mated cage portions  102 - 103 . 
   Male connecting portions  105 - 108  each take the shape of a hollow cylinder severed along a plane intersecting the cylindrical axis. When assembled, the hollow interior of each male connecting pair  105 - 106  and  107 - 108  allows light (or, as explained further below, a portion of a light assembly) to pass therethrough to the glass sphere  104 . 
     FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a light rod assembly  120  adapted to be inserted into the passageway  112  or  117  ( FIG. 13 ) of a hollow baluster section  110  or  115 . Light rod assembly  120  comprises a long rod  121 , a flared end section  122 , a light mount  125 , and a light  124 . Flared end section  122  increases in diameter from its narrow end  126 , where it is joined to the long rod  121 , to its wide end  123 . A light mount  125  seating a light source  124 , preferably a light emitting diode, protrudes out from under the wide end  123  of the flared section  122 . Rod  121  is preferably hollow and encloses two power supply wires  127 ,  128  for supplying power to the light  124 . 
     FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the light rod assembly  120  of  FIG. 12  connected to another embodiment of a connector housing  130 . Connector housing  130  is like the connector housing  50  of  FIGS. 2-7 , except that instead of enclosing an LED, connector housing  130  encloses lead wires  131 ,  132  electrically connected to pierce connectors  73  and  74 . Means for connecting lead wires  131 ,  132  to supply wires  127 ,  128 —such as cable connectors, edge connectors, pin and socket connectors, snap connectors, or alligator clips—are provided on the connector housing  130  and/or rod assembly  120 . 
     FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the light rod assembly  120  and connector housing  130  of  FIG. 12  inside the baluster or picket assembly  100  of  FIGS. 10-11 . As seen in  FIG. 13 , light rod assembly  120  is sized to extend along substantially the entire length of the passageway  112 , from the connector housing  130  (which is also inserted into passageway  112 ) to a lower end portion  111  of the baluster or picket section  110 . When assembled, the wide end  123  of the flared section  122  of the light rod assembly  120  comes into contact with a top edge  109  of the male connecting portions  105 - 106 . The protruding light mount  125  and light source  124  protrude into the hollow interior of male connecting pair, in close proximity to the glass sphere  104  being illuminated. 
   The method comprises positioning a baluster including an intermediate baluster diffuser member located in a midsection of the baluster between the lower and upper rails. When attached to a power source the light source is projected in each baluster in a manner that directs light toward an intermediate baluster diffuser member so that each intermediate baluster diffuser member widely scatters or diffuses the channeled light away from the baluster. The light may be projected though the baluster to diffuser member between an upper baluster section and a lower baluster section by channeling light through a channel in the baluster from a light source mounted inside the baluster to the light-diffusing member. When the light is projected through the length of one of the hollow baluster section the light is channeled through a reflective surface of a hollow passageway inside the baluster section from a light source mounted inside the baluster to the light-diffusing glass sphere. 
   Or the light source is positioned adjacent the diffuser to project the light source adjacent the illuminating glass sphere baluster diffuser member. This is accomplished by positioning a light rod assembly that includes the light source that is operable to be inserted into either or both of the upper or lower baluster sections. The light rod assembly is connected to a corresponding connector housing mounted at one end of either the upper or lower baluster section. The light rod assembly is then extended substantially all the way from the connector housing to an opposite end of one of the baluster sections in close proximity to the light-diffusing piece. The connector housing is attached to each baluster to each baluster and the insulation of the insulated power cable is pierced to establish an electrical connection along any selected location of the insulated power cable with pierce connectors in the connector housing to connect the power source to a corresponding light source. Each baluster is preferably illuminated with a light emitting diode light source that gives better illumination than a standard light source. 
   The connector housings and light rod assemblies shown above can also be inserted into hollow fence pickets and adapted to illuminate decorative pieces, such as a cast glass piece, mounted on the top ends of a row of fence pickets. When the connector housings and light rod assemblies are inserted into balusters or pickets they will provide light at the center of the baluster or picket. 
   Before concluding, it is to be understood that the terminology employed in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments. Unless the context clearly demonstrates otherwise, it is not intended to be limiting. In this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Conversely, it is contemplated that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element or be further limited using exclusive terminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements or by use of a “negative” limitation. It is also contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variations described herein may be set forth and claimed independently, or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein. 
   Although the foregoing specific details describe various embodiments of the invention, persons reasonably skilled in the art will recognize that various changes may be made in the details of the apparatus of this invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, it should be understood that, unless otherwise specified, this invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described herein.