Abstract:
An electric candle light assembly for use in window displays. The electric candle light has an elongated shaft that appears as the stick of a wax candle, The elongated shaft has both a top end and a bottom end. A light source is disposed at the top end of the elongated shaft. A photoelectric cell is supported at an elevated position by the elongated shaft, wherein the photoelectric cell is disposed along the length of the elongated shaft. A rechargeable battery is coupled to both the light source and the photoelectric cell. The rechargeable battery supplies electricity to the light source and is recharged by the photoelectric cell.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    In general, the present invention relates to battery powered illumination lights. More particularly, the present invention relates to battery powered illumination lights that contain photoelectric cells so that the batteries of the lights can recharge during daylight conditions when the light is not in use.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Since Edison&#39;s invention of the light bulb, electric lights have been used to illuminate countless objects. However, until recently, most electric lights were limited to applications where there was a steady supply of alternating current. This is mostly due to the fact that prolonged illumination of any object with a sufficient amount of light energy requires a substantial supply of electricity. Portable, direct current electric lights, such as flash lights, produce bright light for only short periods of time. Consequently, battery powered lights are generally used only when needed and are typically not relied upon to illuminate any object for a prolonged period of time.  
           [0005]    Recently, however, there have been many advancements in the technologies that effect battery powered illumination. Those technological advancements include improvements in batteries, light sources and photoelectric cells that can be used to recharge batteries. For one, batteries now exist that can produce high current flows for prolonged periods of time and are rechargeable. Some of the more advanced rechargeable batteries have a better than 1:3 use/recharge ratio. That is, for every three hours of recharging the battery experiences at a set amperage, the battery can produce more than one hour of uninterrupted charge at that set amperage.  
           [0006]    Another improvement is that light emitting diodes (LEDs) now exist that can produce light just as bright as incandescent light bulbs but use less than a third of the power required by incandescent light bulbs.  
           [0007]    Lastly, advancements exist in photoelectric cell technologies that enable small photoelectric cells to produce enough electricity to recharge a rechargeable battery.  
           [0008]    Rechargeable batteries, modern LEDs and photoelectric cells have recently been combined in many different types of rechargeable light assemblies to provide illumination at night. Such lights are used in applications where AC electrical power is not present, such as cemeteries, roadsides, and walkways. In each application, the batteries of the light charge during daylight hours and are used to illuminate lights at night. For a day with twelve hours of sunlight, many of these self-charging battery powered lights can generate light for up to five hours after dark.  
           [0009]    Applications of self-charging battery powered lights are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,816 to Arcadia, entitled Illuminated Memorial Assembly, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,668 to Tanner entitled Solar Powered Lamp Utilizing Cold Cathode Fluorescent Illumination And Method Of Facilitating Same.  
           [0010]    Of the prior art battery operated lights that recharge with solar power, they all share one common characteristic. That common characteristic is that the lights are intended to be placed outside. This exposes the photoelectric cells to sunlight during the day so that the batteries of the light can recharge. For lights that are used indoors, solar rechargeable lights are rarely used. This is because AC power is commonly available indoors and there typically is not enough ambient light indoors to provide the power needed to fully recharge a set of rechargeable batteries.  
           [0011]    Indoor lights that do rely upon solar cells to recharge typically have very large areas of photoelectric cells to collect as much light energy as possible. The photoelectric cells are typically positioned near the light source so that when the light source is illuminated, some of the light energy produced can be received by the photoelectric cells and reused in the production of power. Such prior art lights are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,970 to Garcia, entitled Solar Powered Light.  
           [0012]    In an indoor environment, there exist many applications for a light in places where there is no readily available AC power. It would be beneficial to provide a battery powered light in such applications, provided the battery powered light can be self-charging and thus not require a constant supply of fresh batteries. The object of this invention is therefore to create an improved self-charging light for indoor use.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0013]    The present invention is an electric candle light assembly for use in window displays. The electric candle light has the same overall appearance as a wax candle but produces light electrically. The electric candle light has an elongated shaft that appears as the stick of a candle. The elongated shaft has both a top end and a bottom end. A light source is disposed at the top end of the elongated shaft. When lit, the light source appears to be the flame of a candle. A photoelectric cell is supported at an elevated position by the elongated shaft, wherein the photoelectric cell is disposed along the length of the elongated shaft. A rechargeable battery is coupled to both the light source and the photoelectric cell. The rechargeable battery supplies electricity to the light source and is recharged by the photoelectric cell.  
           [0014]    Control features are provided that can be used to adjust when the electric candle light turns on and when the electric candle light turns off. Various other features are provided that make the electric candle light specifically well adapted for use in a window display. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention electric candle light displayed in a window;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a partially fragmented view of the electric candle light shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a partially fragmented view of a second embodiment of the present invention electric candle light; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is an exemplary embodiment of an alternate embodiment of the present invention system.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    Many people like to decorate their homes by placing a candle or candles in each of the windows of the home. This is especially true during the Christian and Jewish winter holidays. Although real burning wax candles are no longer commonly used, electric lights shaped like candles are used to provide the same visual impression. However, there is seldom an available power outlet in the house near all of the windows. As such, homeowners run extension cords under the windows that are not close to power outlets. This provides each window with the ability to display an electric candle light. However, the tangle of extension cords causes the inside of the house to be cluttered with wires running along the floors. This also leaves fewer power outlets available within the home for other uses.  
         [0021]    The present invention is an electric candle light that is battery powered and self-charging. The electric candle light charges during the day and illuminates after dark. The electric candle light therefore requires no power cord.  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 1 an exemplary embodiment of an electric candle light  10  is shown. In this embodiment, the electric candle light  10  has a narrow base  12 . The base  12  is preferably no wider than three inches so that the base  12  can rest on a narrow window sill  13  of a house window  15 . A shaft  14  extends upwardly from the base  12 . The shaft  14  has the appearance of the body of a wax candle. At the top end of the shaft  14  is positioned a light source  16 . The light source  16  can have a tapered shape so as to look like a flame when illuminated. A collar  20  is disposed between the light source  16  and the shaft  14 , thereby presenting the electric candle light  10  with a formal holiday appearance.  
         [0023]    As can be seen from FIG. 1, the electric candle light  10  is placed on the sill  13  of a window  15  so that the electric candle light  10  can be observed from the outside of the window  15 . Most all windows have some type of lower sash frame  17  that extends upwardly from the sill  13 . The sash frame  17  is higher than the sill  13  and thus obstructs at least part of the candle&#39;s base  12  that is sitting on the sill  13 .  
         [0024]    As has been previously mentioned, the present invention electric candle light  10  is self-charging using solar power. Since the base  12  of the electric candle light  10  is partially blocked by the sash frame  17 , the base  12  of the electric candle light  10  is not a good surface to place a photoelectric cell. Rather, the present invention uses the structure of the electric candle light  10  itself to support a photoelectric cell in an elevated position above the sill  13  so that the photoelectric cell gets full exposure to light passing through the window  15 .  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that within the base  12  of the electric candle light  10  are rechargeable batteries  22 . The rechargeable batteries  22  are heavy. Thus, by placing the rechargeable batteries  22  in the base  12  of the electric light candle  10 , the electric light candle  10  is provided with a low center of gravity that makes the electric light candle  10  easy to balance on a narrow window sill.  
         [0026]    The rechargeable batteries  22  are connected with wires to both the light source  16  and at least one photoelectric cell  24 . The light source  16  is positioned at the top of the electric candle light  10 . The light source  16  can be a conventional light bulb. However, the use of at least one high output LED is preferred because the LED uses less electricity to produce a comparable amount of light. Light bulbs and LEDs are both manufactured to produce light in different colors. Accordingly, the light source  16  can produce white light, yellow light, red light or any other colored light desired by varying the type of light source used. The light source  16  is connected to the rechargeable batteries  22  with wires  26  that pass through the center of the candle shaft  14 .  
         [0027]    Most commercially available photoelectric cells have a black or otherwise dark appearance. This enables the photoelectric cell to efficiently absorb light energy. By molding the collar  20  of the electric candle light out of black plastic or another dark colored plastic, the presence of the photoelectric cell  24  on the collar  20  is unperceivable to a person who views the electric candle light  10  through the window. Accordingly, although the photoelectric cell  24  is on the exterior of the electric candle light  10 , the photoelectric cell  24  is unperceivable due to the camouflage of its location.  
         [0028]    The material of the photoelectric cell  24  can encircle the collar  20 . However, only half of the collar  20  faces the window when the electric candle light  10  is placed in the window. Consequently, the photoelectric cell  24  need only be present on the half of the electric candle light  10  that faces the window. Since the present invention electric candle light  10  is most likely to be used by a homeowner in the winter months, it can be assumed that the photoelectric cell  24  on the collar  20  will be exposed to ambient daylight for no more than nine hours out of the day. Given this amount of ambient daylight, the size of the photoelectric cell  24  and the capacity of the rechargeable batteries  22  are calculated so that the rechargeable batteries  22  can be fully recharged by the photoelectric cell  24  in the period of the average available sunlight. For the size of the rechargeable batteries  22  selected, the light source  16  is selected to provide at least three hours of continuous illumination provided the power is available in the rechargeable batteries  22 . If less bright light sources are used that draw less current, the light source  16  can remain dimly illuminated throughout the night.  
         [0029]    To help reserve and prolong the amount of time the light source  16  can remain illuminated, the electric candle light has power saving features. First, an on/off switch  30  is provided that selectively connects and disconnects the light source  16  from the rechargeable batteries  22 . If the on/off switch  30  is “off” the rechargeable batteries  22  can still be recharged by the photoelectric cell  24 . However, the rechargeable batteries  22  are isolated from the light source  16  and cannot be drained by the light source  16 . A homeowner may therefore elect to turn the electric candle light  10  on only at a selected hour of the evening. The use of the electric candle light  10  can therefore be reserved for a late night event.  
         [0030]    The second power saving feature is an ambient light detector  32 . The ambient light detector  32  faces the window and detects the level of ambient light. When the level of ambient light surpasses a predetermined minimum value, it can be assumed that it is during daylight hours. The ambient light detector  32  is attached to a small circuit board  33  within the base  12  that automatically disconnects the light source  16  from the rechargeable batteries  22 . The electric candle light  10  therefore automatically turns “off” during daylight hours. This enables the batteries  22  to recharge without having to the experience the drain from the light source  16 . However, once the ambient light detector  32  detects that the level of light has dropped below a threshold level, the control circuit automatically turns the electric candle light  10  “on”. This connects the light source  16  to the rechargeable batteries  22  and causes the light source  16  to illuminate.  
         [0031]    A control  34  may be provided so that a homeowner can selectively adjust the sensitivity of the control circuit. In this way the electric candle light  10  can be adjusted to the ambient light cycles of a specific home in a specific window. This prevents the electric candle light  10  from accidentally being activated by a passing cloud that momentarily dulls the light of the sun.  
         [0032]    As is well known, it is possible for poor weather to block the sun for a few days. In such a scenario, the photoelectric cell  24  will not recharge the batteries  22 . In this instance, a charge port  38  is provided that enables the rechargeable batteries  22  to be recharged by being plugged into an electrical outlet with a plug-in adaptor.  
         [0033]    Referring to FIG. 3, an alternate embodiment of the present invention electric candle light  40  is shown. In this embodiment, the electric candle light  40  does not have a base and does not have a collar. Rather, the electric candle light  40  is comprised of a shaft  42  and a light source  44  at the top of the shaft  42 . The electric candle light  40  therefore has the same body shape as a traditional wax candle. The electric candle light  40  can therefore be placed in any existing candle holder or menorah that is designed to receive traditional wax candles.  
         [0034]    Since the electric candle light  40  does not have a base, the rechargeable batteries  46  are positioned within the shaft  42  of the electric candle light  40 . Furthermore, since no collar is present, a photoelectric cell must be placed on the exterior of the candle shaft  42 . People often prefer white or lightly colored candles. Photoelectric cells tend to be dark. Accordingly the placement of the photoelectric cells on the candle shaft does produce an observable contrast. To preserve aesthetics, a photoelectric cell  48  can be formed as a band on the exterior of the shaft  42 . Alternatively, a photoelectric cell  48  can be made into a design such as a Cross or the Star of David.  
         [0035]    Referring to FIG. 4, yet another embodiment of the present invention electric candle light  60  is shown. In this embodiment, the electric candle light  60  includes a candle holder  62 . The candle holder  62  can be shaped as a single candle holder, a candelabra or a menorah. Since the electric candle light  60  has the added space of the candle holder  62 , larger batteries can be used. This is particularly useful if multiple light sources are to be illuminated simultaneously. Furthermore, the control circuit within the electric candle light can be made to include a timer. The various light sources  64  can therefore be preprogrammed to turn on and off at different times of the night. In the case of a menorah, the menorah can be programmed to light one extra light source each night during the eight day Chanukah celebration.  
         [0036]    It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention electric candle light that are described and illustrated herein are merely exemplary and a person skilled in the art can make many variations to the embodiments shown without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, there are many different styles of candles, candle holders and candle collars. Any prior art style candle, candle holder and/or candle collar can be adapted for use with the present invention. All such variations, modifications and alternate embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.