Abstract:
A display unit includes a number of connectors for attaching and powering electrically powered devices, such as illuminated jewelry items, each including a battery and an end cap which is removed when the item is placed on the display connector. Each of the connectors includes a threaded mounting surface engaging a threaded mounting surface of one of the devices. The orientation of each device is adjusted by its rotation in engagement with the connector as a resiliently mounted electrical contact surface of the connector is held in contact with a contact surface of the device so that electrical power is retained within the device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to the attachment of one or more electrically operated devices to a display panel, more particularly, to a connector attaching one of such devices to provide electrical power to the device in a manner allowing for adjustment of the orientation of the device on the panel, and additionally to apparatus for displaying electrically illuminated jewelry. 
   2. Summary of the Background Art 
   The patent literature includes a number of descriptions of jewelry items including LEDs (light emitting diodes) illuminated by one or more miniature batteries held within the jewelry items or attached thereto. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,630 describes a decorative article for wearing on clothing, having LEDs that alternately flash on and off. U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,976 describes an assembly including a battery and a pair of connectors that causes an LED mounted on a piece of jewelry to emit a flashing light when a pair of pins extending from the jewelry is pressed into the connectors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,261 describes a charm carrying a battery operated light that may be turned on and off. U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,784 describes an intermittently illuminated article of apparel that includes a light source and a flasher connected to the light source. U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,435 describes a small portable light including a battery and a flexible wire that can be twisted around a terminal to energize an LED. 
     FIG. 1  is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of a currently available electrically operated jewelry item  10 , which is understood to be a device to be worn for display or ornamental purposes. The jewelry item  10  includes a placard  12 , which is visible outwardly when the jewelry item  10  is worn, and a battery housing  14 , which extends in the rearward direction of arrow  16  from the placard  12 . The placard  12  includes a number of LEDs  18 , each visible through a window  20  in a front surface  22 , that are flashed on and off by a circuit (not shown) within the placard  12  electrically connected to a pair of batteries  24 , such as CR927 round batteries, within the battery housing  14 . The batteries  24  are held within the battery housing  14  by means of a battery cap  26 . The jewelry item  10  further includes an internal magnet  28  and an external magnet  30 , which together hold the jewelry item  10  in place when it is worn with a clothing layer, such as a shirt pocket or collar disposed between the rear surface  32  of the battery cap  26  and the external magnet  30 . 
   The battery cap  26  is removably attached to the battery housing  14  by means of external threads  34  of the battery cap  26  engaging a threaded mounting surface  36  of the battery housing  14 . Electrical power to the circuit within the placard  12  is provided from an outer surface  38  of the batteries  24  through the conductive inner magnet  28 , through the conductive battery cap  26  and through the conductive battery housing  14 , with an inner surface  40  of the batteries  24  being held against a central contact surface  42  of the placard  12 . The central contact surface  42  is disposed coaxially with the threaded mounting surface  36  of the battery housing  14 . When the inner surface  40  of the batteries  24  is held away from the central contact surface  42 , as it is in the example of  FIG. 1 , electrical current does not flow from the batteries  24  into the circuit within the placard  12  to illuminate the LEDs  18 , which are then turned on by turning the battery cap  26  as a knob to bring the inner surface  40  into contact with the central contact surface  42 . A nonconductive resilient ring  44  may be additionally installed between the batteries  24  and the placard  12  to hold the inner surface  40  out of contact with the central contact surface  42  when the battery cap  26  has not been screwed inward to turn the LEDs  18  on. 
   While the jewelry item  10  is being worn on a user&#39;s clothing, the batteries  24  provide sufficient power to illuminate low-power devices, such as the LEDs  18 . However, it is additionally desirable to provide a display unit in which one or more of the jewelry items  10  may be displayed for sale, with the LEDs  18  being illuminated with power from an external source, so that the LEDs can remain on and flashing for extended periods within a store displaying the jewelry items  10  for sale. 
   Connectors have been devised and used for attaching and powering devices having internally threaded housings and contact surfaces coaxial with the internal housing threads. For example, European Patent Application 0588279A3 describes a cylindrical battery having a retaining and mounting device in the form of an externally threaded cylinder with a contact terminal disposed at an external end of the externally threaded cylinder. However, when a display panel including a number of connectors of this kind is used for the attachment of the jewelry item  10 , it becomes apparent that, when the jewelry item  10  is rotated into a position on the connector in which power is provided through the connector to the jewelry item  10 , the placard  12  is disposed at a random angle that cannot be adequately adjusted without turning off electrical power to the jewelry item  10 . In general, the placard  12  includes indicia, in the form of printed markings, an external shape, and/or the placement of the LEDs  18 , providing a preferred orientation of the jewelry item  10  on a display unit. Therefore, what is needed is a connector for mounting an electrically powered device having a threaded mounting surface, such as the jewelry item  10 , in a preferred orientation, with power being supplied to the electrically powered device through the connector. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a connector, including a housing and an electrical contact surface, is provided for mounting an electrically operated device having a threaded mounting surface to be disposed in a preferred orientation. The housing has a cylindrical mounting surface extending outward around an axis, with the cylindrical mounting surface in turn including threads for engaging the threaded mounting surface of the electrically operated device. The threads of the cylindrical mounting surface are configured to move the electrically operated device along the axis of the cylindrical mounting surface through a first distance with each revolution of the electrically operated device around the axis of the cylindrical mounting surface in engagement with the threads of the cylindrical mounting surface. The electrical contact surface, which is coaxially disposed with the threaded and electrically conductive cylindrical surface, is resiliently mounted to be held outward and to move inward along the axis of the cylindrical mounting surface through an engagement distance exceeding the first distance. 
   The electrical contact surface may be formed at an end of a probe mounted to slide against a compression spring within a probe mounting cylinder forming a part of the connector, with a first wire attached to the housing and with a second wire attached to the probe mounting cylinder. 
   One or more such connectors may be provided within display apparatus additionally including a display panel to which the connectors are attached and a power supply, with the first wire from each connector being electrically connected to a first terminal of the power supply and with the second wire from each connector being electrically connected to a second terminal of the power supply. One or more electrically operated devices may be included with such display apparatus, with an orientation of each of the electrically operated devices being adjusted by rotating the electrically operated device with a threaded mounting surface of the electrically operated device engaged by the threads of the cylindrical mounting surface of a connector, and with the contact surface of the connector remaining in engagement with a contact surface of the electrically operated device. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of a currently available electrically operated device in the form of a jewelry item; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a display panel built in accordance with the invention to hold a number of the devices of  FIG. 1 , which are shown in an exploded relationship with the display panel; 
       FIG. 3  is an electrical schematic view of the a display device including the display panel of  FIG. 2 ; and 
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation of the display device of  FIG. 3 , showing the electrically operated device of  FIG. 1  installed on a connector within the display panel of  FIG. 2 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a display panel  50  built in accordance with the invention to hold a number of the electrically operated devices  10 , an example of which, in the form of a jewelry item, has been explained above in reference to  FIG. 1 . Each of the devices  10 , which are shown in an exploded relationship with the display panel  50 , includes a placard  12  including windows  20  through which LEDs flash, with electrical power being provided through a connector  52  attached to the display panel  50 . The connector  52  includes a housing  54  having a cylindrical mounting surface  56  extending around an axis  57  for engaging the threaded mounting surface  36  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) of one of the electrically operated devices  10 . The connector  52  additionally includes an electrical contact surface  58 , extending outward from the housing  54 , in the direction of arrow  60 . 
     FIG. 3  is an electrical schematic view of a display device  62  including the display panel  50  of  FIG. 2 . The display device  62  includes a power supply  64  converting a line voltage provided as an input through a plug  66  in a line cord  68  to a DC voltage suitable for driving the circuits within the electrically operated devices  10 . For example, the power supply  64  includes a transformer  70  and a rectifier  72 . The power supply  64  may further include additional elements, such as filters and voltage regulation circuits, well known to those skilled in the art of power supply design. The housing  54  within each of the connectors  52  is electrically connected to a first output terminal  74  of the power supply  64  by a first wire  76 . The electrical contact surface  58  of each of the connectors  52  is electrically connected to a second output terminal  78  of the power supply  64  by a second wire  80 . 
     FIG. 4  is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation of the display device  63 , showing one of the electrically operated devices  10  installed on one of the connectors  52  mounted in the display panel  50 . 
   Before the electrically operated device  10  is installed on the connector  52 , various elements of the device  10 , as described above in reference to  FIG. 1 , are removed. These removed elements include the batteries  24 , the magnets  28 ,  30 , and the battery cap  26 . The electrically operated device  10  is then installed on one of the connectors  52  by rotating the device  10  in the direction of arrow  84  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) about the axis  57  of the cylindrical mounting surface  56  of the connector  52 , with the threads of the threaded mounting surface  36  of the device  10  in engagement with the threads of the cylindrical mounting surface  56  of the connector  52 . 
   The electrical contact surface  58  of the connector  52  is disposed at an outer end of a probe  86 , which is mounted to slide in the outward direction of arrow  60  and opposite thereto, in a probe mounting cylinder  88 . The probe  86  is held against an outer end of a compression spring  90  within the probe mounting cylinder  88 . In this way, the electrical contact surface  58  is slidably mounted to be held outward from the front end  92  of the housing  54  by the compression spring  90  and to move inward, opposite the direction of arrow  60 , along the axis  57  of the cylindrical mounting surface  56 . Features within the probe mounting cylinder  88  limit the outward movement of the probe  86  to movement through an engagement distance, so that the probe  86  is not ejected from the probe mounting cylinder  88  when the device  10  is removed from the connector  52 . 
   The mating threaded surfaces  36 ,  56  of the device  10  and the connector  52  are configured so that the device  10  is moved through a first distance, in or opposite the direction of arrow  60 , for each revolution of the device  10  in or opposite the direction of arrow  84  with the threaded surfaces  35 ,  56  in engagement with one another. For example, if the threads of the surfaces  36 ,  56  are single pitch, the first distance is equal to the pitch distance between adjacent threads on either of the surfaces  36 ,  56 . In accordance with the invention, the engagement distance, through which the electrical contact surface  58  can be moved, is greater than the first distance, through which the device  10  is moved along the axis  57 . In this way, movement of the device  10  through the engagement distance can always be used to rotate the device  10 , in or opposite the direction of arrow  84 , to align the device  10  in a preferred orientation, with the contact surface  58  remaining in contact with the central contact surface  42  of the device  10  to assure continued electrical operation of the device  10 . 
   The rear end  94  of the housing  54 , which is disposed opposite the front end  92  thereof, includes a cavity  96 . The first wire  76  is soldered to a surface of the cavity  96 , while the second wire  80  is soldered to an outer surface of the probe mounting cylinder  88  within the cavity  96 . In this way, an electrical connection is made between the second wire  80  and the electrical contact surface  58  through the conductive probe mounting cylinder  88 , the compression spring  90 , and the probe  86 . Preferably, the cavity  96  is filled with a polymeric resin  98  after the attachment of the wires  76 ,  80  to the surface of the cavity  96  and to the probe mounting cylinder  88 , respectively, to hold the wires  76 ,  80  and the probe mounting cylinder  88  in place. An insulating tube  100  may also be installed around the probe mounting cylinder  88  to ensure that electrical contact does not occur between this cylinder  88  and the housing  54 . Preferably, the connector  54  additionally includes a cap  102 , which is screwed onto the rear end  94  of the housing  54  at a threaded connection  104  to cover the cavity  96 . The wires  76 ,  80  extend rearward, opposite the direction of arrow  60  from the cavity  96  within a tubular cover  106  through a hole  108  within the cap  96 . 
   Conventional means are used to attach each of the connectors  52  to the panel  50 , for example, the connector  52  may be pressed into the panel  50  until a flange  110  of the connector rests against a surface  112  of the panel  50 . Alternately, an adhesive may be used to hold the connector  52  in place within the panel  50 , or an additional clamping nut engaging an outer threaded surface (not shown) of the housing  57  may be used. There is no need to adjust the rotational position of the connector  52  within the panel  50 , since each of the electrically operated devices  10  may be adjusted by rotation in or opposite the direction of arrow  84  with the contact surface  58  remaining in contact with the central contact surface  42  in accordance with the invention, so that the device  10  is held at a preferred orientation determined by the indicia, shape, and lighted windows  20  of the placard  12  of the device  10 . 
   While the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment with some degree of particularity, it is understood that this description has been given only by way of example, and that many variations in the arrangement of parts may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined within the appended claims.