Abstract:
A hanger or bracket for hanging light strings. The hanger or bracket holds a light bulb of the light string and the adjoining conductor. The light bulb and conductor can be quickly and easily placed within the hanger, and the hanger mounted to a building, or other structure, or to a plant, such as a tree.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention is a hanger or bracket for strings of lights.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Strings of lights (“light strings”) are used for decorative purposes. Strings of lights are typically characterized by relatively small light bulbs that are connected by conductive wires that deliver electricity to the individual light bulbs. The bulbs may be wired in series or parallel. The light strings may be monochromatic, or they may be multi-colored.  
         [0003]     Light strings are frequently used for decoration. In particular, light strings are used during holiday seasons to decorate both residences and commercial buildings. Light strings may also be used to call attention to a building for commercial purposes during any season.  
         [0004]     Particularly when lights are used during the holiday season, light strings are used for a short period of time, then taken down. There is a need for a convenient way to easily hang light strings on buildings, and to take the light strings down for storage.  
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is a hanger or bracket for hanging light strings. The hanger or bracket provides a hanger which will hold one of the light bulbs of the light string and the adjoining conductor. The light bulb and conductor can be quickly and easily placed within the hanger, and the hanger mounted to a building, or other structure, or to a plant, such as a tree. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of hangers according to the present invention, with the hangers used to hold a light string.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  shows a series of hangers for light strings in use on a building.  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  shows an alternate use of a series of the hangers for light strings according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0009]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , two hangers  2  according to the preferred embodiment are shown. The individual hanger is preferred to have an overall shape that is generally like the letter “J.” The hanger has a blade  4  that is an elongated flat plane. A first leg  6  extends generally at a right angle from the blade, and a second leg  8  extends generally at a right angle from the first leg, and toward the blade, to form a “J” shape. The second leg is preferred to be shorter than the blade.  
         [0010]     The second leg is preferred to have an arcuate or complex shape as shown by the ghost lines in  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the first leg joins the blade at a slightly acute angle that is just less than 90 degrees. The second leg and the blade are generally parallel, but the second leg is displaced somewhat toward the blade, due to the slightly acute angle where the first leg joins the blade, and the arcuate shape of the second blade. The hanger is preferred to be made of resilient material so that the second leg can be forced away from the blade for hanging the hanger on an object, with spring tension from the resilient property of the material pushing the second leg back toward the blade when the pressure is released. The spring tension or biasing assists in holding the hanger in position on the object.  
         [0011]     The first leg is preferred to join the blade at one end of the blade. On the opposite end of the blade, a slot  10  is present. The slot is generally parallel to the sides of the blade, and one end of the slot intersects the end  16  of the blade that is opposite the end from which the first leg extends. Adjacent to the slot is an annular void  12 . In the preferred embodiment, the annular void does not intersect the slot or the end of the blade. The annular void may be round in shape. In the preferred embodiment, an additional slot  14  is provided in the blade. The additional slot is parallel to the first slot and intersects the end  16  of the blade as shown in the drawing figures. The slots are generally parallel to each other, and are positioned on either side of the annular void, and extend from one end of the blade and past the annular void.  
         [0012]     The device is preferred to be formed of plastic, such as an ABS plastic or plexiglass. However, the device could be formed of any suitable material, including metal or fiberglass. In preferred embodiment the hangers are substantially transparent, so that they are not easily noticed.  
         [0013]     In use, a light bulb  18  from the light string may be inserted through the annular void, with the annular void receiving the light bulb, so that the light emitting part of the light bulb is above the blade. The adjoining conductor  20  is routed through the first slot  10  so that a portion of the conductor is above the blade, and the portion of the conductor that intersects the light bulb is below the blade. The portion of the conductor that is on the opposite side of the bulb extends through the second slot, and is above the blade. As shown in  FIG. 1 , it is not necessary for every bulb to be placed within a hanger. It is only necessary to place sufficient bulbs through the hangers to hold light string in place as desired, which usually means that sufficient hangers are used so that the light string will not materially sag.  
         [0014]     The light bulb may be any light emitting device such as an incandescent bulb or light emitting diode. Most commonly, the light bulb will be a small incandescent bulb as used in common light strings.  
         [0015]     It is not always necessary to insert a bulb through the annular void, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The hanger may be used to hold sections of the conductor, without a bulb, by routing a portion of the conductor over the blade, and an adjoining portion under the blade and through the second slot, and then over the blade. The length of the slots as shown adequately hold the conductor.  
         [0016]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a series of hangers may be used to hold the light string  22  in a gutter  24  or similar structure on a house. The light string is intermittently inserted into a hanger as described, with the hangers in an inverted J position and hanging in the gutters.  
         [0017]     It is shown in  FIG. 3 , the hangers may be placed in an inverted J position, and used to hang the lights on a structure such as a fence  26 . As shown, the hangers used intermittently with the lights, and hung so that a gap is left for the gate in the fence.