Abstract:
A hollow illuminated ornament housing a plurality of light strings controlled by electronics providing lighting effects communicated to the light bulbs which extend through the exterior surface of the shell. The ornament, in any configured shape, displays steady or electronically sequenced light patterns creating brilliant visual effects. The use of an electronic controller for the light effects allows for other pre-programmed features to be included in the invention such as timers, motion sensors and audio sensors to allow the ornament to react to the installation environment. The illuminated ornament can be used for ornamental installations, such as holiday decoration, or as general and mood lighting installations.

Description:
[0001]    This non-provisional patent claims reference to the provisional application No. 61/613,010, entitled “Illuminated Light Effect Ornament”, filed on Mar. 20, 2012. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to decorative holiday and mood lighting. The invention is suitable for hanging installations as well as for display atop a stand or surface. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Illuminated ornaments have classically been used for seasonal decoration. Commonly ornaments are displayed hanging from a support structure in order to allow improved visibility. The addition of lights to ornaments increases their visibility in low light conditions while adding to the visual appeal. 
         [0004]    Traditional illuminated ornaments employ steady state lighting techniques wherein the lights are typically on at all times. Thus, a substantial need exists for adding visual effects to illuminated ornaments, allowing the user to select between lighting displays with electronically controlled options such as light function, light color and light display timers. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention relates to an electronically controlled ornament which employs multiple light strings and an electronic controller in order to display lighting effects and other interactive light display features. More particularly, an ornament shell houses a plurality of light strings, each containing at least one light source, that are operatively coupled to an electronic controller. Power is supplied to the electronic controller via a power source which therein transmits preprogrammed lighting display signals to the light strings, illuminating the ornament. A user interface, which would commonly be a keypad or remote control, allows for selection between different lighting features. The light sources are preferably coupled to the exterior surface of the ornament by which at least a portion of the light sources extend outside the ornament. 
         [0006]    Preferably, the ornament is spherical in shape, but any size or shape can be designed to suit the requirements of the installation. The ornament is preferably made in sections allowing simple assembly of the device and enclosure of the light strings and electronics. The requirement of the electronic controller allows for further interactive lighting effects which could be accomplished by integrating sensors into the electronics. Reaction to sound by means of an acoustic sensor and light by means of a photo sensor allow for numerous features and advantages over illuminated ornaments which are not electronically controllable. 
         [0007]    Further, the preferred lighting elements on the light strings are light emitting diodes or “LEDs”. LEDs provide low energy consumption as well as design flexibility allowing for variable light brightness as well as multicolor capabilities. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illuminated ornament assembly; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the illuminated ornament assembly; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the illuminated ornament assembly; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the preferred assembly features of the illuminated ornament assembly; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the illuminated ornament housings containing secondary decorative members; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a secondary decorative member; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an LED housing assembly; 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  depicts the use of a stand to display the illuminated ornament; 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the illuminated ornament assembly containing an internal power source; 
           [0020]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly shown in  FIG. 12 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]      FIG. 1  depicts an illuminated ornament assembly  100 . The illuminated ornament assembly  100  is comprised of two shell housings  102  and  103  that contain a plurality of lighting elements  104  which protrude at least partially through the exterior shell surface  109 . The lighting elements  104  are preferably light emitting diodes (LEDs). 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . The LEDs  104  are connected in series on a plurality of light strings  205 ,  206  and  207  which enter the illuminated ornament assembly through an aperture  110 . For purposes of illustration clarity, only a portion of the light string wires are shown, however the plurality of light strings  205 ,  206  and  207  continue from ornament shell housing  102  to the other ornament shell housing  103 . 
         [0023]    Power is supplied from an external source to the ornament through supply wires  108  into an electronic control interface assembly  105  referred to from this point on as a keypad. The keypad assembly  105  consists of selector buttons  106  and internal electronics, such as a printed circuit board (PCB), which is omitted from illustration for brevity as this circuitry is well known to those of ordinary skill. The selector buttons  106  allow for selection between preprogrammed lighting features controlled by the circuitry and software in the keypad assembly  105 . A wiring bundle  107  exits the keypad assembly  105  and enters the shell housing  102  of the illuminated ornament assembly  100 . The wiring bundle  107  consists of the wires required to supply power and electronic signals to the plurality of light strings  205 ,  206  and  207  contained inside the illuminated ornament assembly  100 . 
         [0024]    The LEDs  104  contained on the light strings  205 ,  206  and  207  are assembled to the shell housings  102  and  103  from the inside by operatively coupling to bulb apertures  111  which are spaced apart on the exterior shell surface  109  of the illuminated ornament assembly  100 . Each of the light strings  205 ,  206  and  207  can be arranged randomly or in a specified pattern such that the LEDs  104  contained on the light strings protrude at least partially through the exterior shell surface  109 . 
         [0025]    Shell housings  102  and  103  are assembled using integrated features. Shell housing  103  contains hardware recesses  112  to receive screws while shell housing  102  contains screw bosses  208  to engage the screws and retain the two shell housings  102  and  103  together. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  depicts an illuminated ornament assembly  300 . The&#39;illuminated ornament assembly  300  is comprised of two shell housings  302  and  303  that contain a plurality of LEDs  304  which protrude at least partially through the exterior shell surface  309 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly  300  shown in  FIG. 3 . The LEDs  304  are connected in series on a plurality of light strings  410 ,  411  and  412  which are operatively coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB)  405 . The PCB  405  is part of the integrated keypad assembly  305  which is operatively coupled to the shell housing  302 . Power supply wires  307  enter the illuminated ornament  300  through the integrated keypad assembly  305  and are operatively coupled to the PCB  405 . For purposes of illustration clarity only a portion of the light string wires are shown, however the plurality of light strings  410 ,  411  and  412  continue to the other ornament shell housing  303 . 
         [0028]    The keypad assembly  305  consists of a keypad housing  310 , selector buttons  306  and the PCB  405 . The selector buttons  306  allow for selection between preprogrammed lighting features controlled by the circuitry and software on the PCB and are accessible on the exterior of the illuminated ornament assembly  300 . Light string terminals  407  electronically isolate the plurality of light strings  410 ,  411  and  412  from each other on the PCB  405  allowing for independent control and sequencing of each light string. 
         [0029]    An additional hanging wire  308  is integrated and anchored into the keypad assembly  305 . The hanging wire  308  relieves strain from the power supply wires  307  when the illuminated ornament  300  is displayed hanging from a structure. 
         [0030]    The LEDs  304  contained on the light strings  410 ,  411  and  412  are assembled to the shell housings  302  and  303  from the inside by operatively coupling to bulb apertures  311  which are spaced apart on the exterior shell surface  309  of the illuminated ornament assembly  300 . Each of the light strings  410 ,  411  and  412  can be arranged randomly or in a specified pattern such that the LEDs  304  contained on the light strings protrude at least partially through the exterior shell surface  309 . 
         [0031]    Shell housings  302  and  303  are assembled using integrated features. Shell housing  303  contains hardware recesses  312  to receive screws while shell housing  302  contains screw bosses  413  to engage the screws and retain the two shell housings  302  and  303  together. 
         [0032]      FIG. 5  depicts an illuminated ornament assembly  500 . The illuminated ornament assembly  500  is comprised of two shell housings  502  and  503  that contain a plurality of LEDs  504  which protrude at least partially through the exterior shell surface  509 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly  500  shown in  FIG. 5 . The LEDs  504  are connected in series on a plurality of light strings  610 ,  611  and  612  which are operatively coupled to a PCB  605 . The PCB  605  is part of the integrated electronics assembly  505  which is operatively coupled to the shell housing  502 . Power supply wires  506  enter the illuminated ornament assembly  500  through the integrated electronics assembly  505  and are operatively coupled to the PCB  605 . For purposes of illustration clarity only a portion of the light string wires are shown, however the plurality of light strings  610 ,  611  and  612  continue to the other ornament shell housing  503 . 
         [0034]    The electronics assembly  505  consists of a main housing  510  and a PCB  605 . In this embodiment the PCB contains a plurality of light string terminals  607 , a main power terminal  606  and a remote electronic receiver component  608 . The remote receiver component  608  is capable of receiving and distributing commands to the light strings  610 ,  611  and  612  from an external remote control by means of the circuitry and software in the PCB. The remote control itself is not illustrated for brevity as this type of device is well known to those of ordinary skill. Light string terminals  607  electronically isolate the plurality of light strings  610 ,  611  and  612  from each other allowing for independent control and sequencing of each light string. 
         [0035]    An additional hanging wire  507  is integrated and anchored into the electronics assembly  505 . The hanging wire  507  relieves strain from the power supply wires  506  when the illuminated ornament  500  is displayed hanging from a structure. 
         [0036]    The LEDs  504  contained on the light strings  610 ,  611  and  612  are assembled to the shell housings  502  and  503  from the inside by operatively coupling to bulb apertures  511  which are spaced apart on the exterior shell surface  509  of the illuminated ornament assembly  500 . Each of the light strings  610 ,  611  and  612  can be arranged randomly or in a specified pattern such that the LEDs  504  contained on the light strings protrude at least partially through the exterior shell surface  509 . 
         [0037]    Shell housings  502  and  503  are assembled using integrated features. Shell housing  503  contains hardware recesses  512  to receive screws while shell housing  502  contains screw bosses  613  to engage the screws and retain the two shell housings  502  and  503  together. 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view depicting the preferred assembly features of the shell housings  702  and  703 . Light bulb apertures  704  allow for installation of LEDs. The preferred method of LED retention is a snap-fit design wherein the LEDs are simply pressed into the interior shell surface  708 . Hardware recesses  706  on shell housing  702  allow for screws  707  to be installed within the constraints of the exterior shell surface  709 . The screws  707  are then advanced and retained in the screw bosses  705  found on shell housing  703  securing the assembly. 
         [0039]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the illuminated ornament assembly  800 . The ornament is comprised of two shell housings  802  and  803  that contain a plurality of at least partially light transmissive secondary decorative members  805  operatively coupled to the outside of the shell housings  802  and  803 . LEDs  804  operatively couple to the secondary decorative members  805  from the inside of the shell housings  802  and  803  wherein the LEDs  804  are at least partially visible on the outside of the ornament assembly  800  or light emitted from the LEDs  804  is visible through the at least partially light transmissive secondary decorative members  805 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 9  depicts a preferred design for the secondary decorative member  902 . The secondary decorative member contains a recessed ring  904  in the design to allow snap fit retention onto a shell housing. 
         [0041]      FIG. 10  depicts a preferred LED housing assembly  1000 . The LED housing assembly  1000  is comprised of an LED  1002  captured inside an LED housing  1004 . The LED housing contains a recessed ring suitable for snap-fit retention to the aforementioned shell housings or secondary decorative members. 
         [0042]      FIG. 11  depicts an illuminated ornament assembly  1100  wherein the illuminated ornament assembly  1100  sits atop a stand  1104 . The stand  1104  houses the electrical supply cord  1106  and can be of many alternate designs. 
         [0043]      FIG. 12  depicts an illuminated ornament assembly  1200 . The illuminated ornament assembly  1200  is comprised of two shell housings  1202  and  1203  that contain a plurality of LEDs  1204  which protrude at least partially through the exterior shell surface  1208 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the illuminated ornament assembly  1200  shown in  FIG. 12 . The LEDs  1204  are connected in series on a plurality of light strings  1302 ,  1304  and  1306  which are operatively coupled to a PCB  1308 . The PCB  1308  is operatively coupled to an internal power supply  1310  referred to from this point as a battery pack. The battery pack  1310  and electronics are operatively coupled to the shell housing  1202 . For purposes of illustration clarity only a portion of the light string wires are shown, however the plurality of light strings  1302 ,  1304  and  1306  continue to the other ornament shell housing  1203 . A hanging wire  1212  is anchored into a battery pack housing  1210  for use when the illuminated ornament assembly  1200  is displayed hanging from a structure. 
         [0045]    This illuminated ornament assembly  1200  design embodiment is assumed to be operated by remote control. Aforementioned functionality of remote electronics applies to this design, but is omitted for brevity. An illuminated ornament containing an internal power supply is easily adaptable to any user interface previously mentioned either integrated or remote operated. 
         [0046]    Internal power supplies such as the battery pack  1310  in  FIG. 13  are well known to those of ordinary skill. Specifics of the design details are omitted for brevity, but any type whether custom rechargeable batteries or standard disposable batteries of any type can be adapted to power the illuminated ornament assembly, 
         [0047]    Assembly of any of the aforementioned components can be accomplished by other numerous methods employing integrated mechanical features or by use of adhesives, solder, potting processes, etc. It is assumed that shell housings are secured together with hardware and other components are operatively coupled to the shell housings by means of integrated snap-fit features. Electrical connections are assumed to be made by standard electrical connectors or by use of solder. 
         [0048]    The foregoing description is for purposes of illustration. The true scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims.