Patent Publication Number: US-2015068407-A1

Title: Spheroidal Popcorn Cooker

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/732,799 filed Jan. 2, 2013 which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application 61/582,640 filed Jan. 3, 2012 all hereby incorporated by reference. 
     I. ULTRA LOW-PROFILE SPICE RACK 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE FIRST INVENTION 
     This invention relates to spice racks and in particular to a spice rack providing improved kitchen space utilization. 
     Convenient access to cooking spices can greatly simplify the preparation of many recipes. Countertop spice racks can display multiple spice containers within easy reach, but suffer from the drawback of using scarce counter space and exposing the spices to light and heat which may decrease their life. For this reason, many cooks store spices within the kitchen cabinets above the counters. Such cabinets provide ample storage space but can make it difficult to view and access spice containers to the extent that the frontmost spice containers block those at the rear. Alternatively, positioning the spices all to the front of the shelves, in front of other kitchen sundries, risks dislodging the spice containers when the larger objects are removed. 
     For these reasons, it is known to mount spice racks on the interior face of the cabinet doors themselves. When the doors are opened, the spices are readily visible in the single plane of the door. Spice racks of this kind are taught, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,122,336 to Barry issued Jun. 28, 1938. 
     The space available on the inside of a cabinet door is limited by the need to prevent interference between the spice rack on the door and the shelves and items on the shelves. For this reason the spice racks must be generally positioned in areas away from the shelves and the items on the shelves must be positioned away from the shelf edges to provide room for the spice rack when the door closes. 
     Retaining the spice containers in the door-mounted spice racks when the cabinet door is opened is normally provided by “guardrails” on the shelves attached to the cabinet door. These guardrails can obscure the spice containers and their labels and require a lifting of the spices out of the shelves necessitating ample spacing between the spice racks for this movement. 
     Such shelf systems practically have limited storage capability and require the use of multiple cabinet doors if large numbers of spices are to be stored, an approach which reduces the ability to access the spices easily. 
     SUMMARY OF THE FIRST INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a spice rack that utilizes the unused volume between the shelves and the cabinet door defined by the thickness of the face frame against which the cabinet door fits. By employing extremely low-profile spice containers and a thin spice container supporting structure, a hitherto unused portion of the cabinet and kitchen are rendered usable for the spice storage. 
     One embodiment of the present invention provides a spice holding system including a cabinet having a cabinet volume accessible through a face frame defining a cabinet opening, the cabinet providing a door hingeably covering the cabinet opening by moving between an opened position allowing access through the cabinet opening and a closed position overlaying the face frame with an inner surface of the door proximate to an outer face of the face frame, the face frame having a first thickness measured perpendicularly to a plane of the outer face of the face frame between the outer face of the face frame and an inner face of the face frame, the cabinet further providing at least one shelf supported horizontally within the cabinet volume and having a front edge displaced rearward from the inner face of the face frame by a clearance distance allowing insertion and removal of the shelf into and from the cabinet volume by a tipping of the shelf away from a horizontal plane. A spice container support is attached at a rear surface to the inner surface of the door to be positioned within the face frame when the door is closed, the spice container support having a second thickness measured perpendicularly to a plane of the inner surface of the door and between the rear surface of the spice container support and an exposed first attachment surface of the spice container support. A plurality of spice containers each having a second attachment surface are releasably attached to the first attachment surface of the spice container support, the spice containers providing a third thickness measured between the second attachment surface and an opposed front surface of the spice containers wherein the sum of the second and third thickness is substantially less than a sum of the first thickness and the clearance distance. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to take advantage of conveniently located and generally unused space within a cabinet. Unlike conventional shelves, existing shelf storage space is not encroached upon. 
     The sum of the first and second thickness may be substantially less than 1 inch or substantially less than 15/16 of an inch. In addition to or alternatively the third thickness may be substantially no greater than ⅞ of an inch. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a spice rack which works with standard cabinets. 
     The spice containers may be rectangular prisms having transparent front surfaces. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a space efficient form factor dense packing that nevertheless allows ready visual inspection of the package contents. 
     The spice holding system may include spice containers which provide an opening in a wall extending between the second attachment surface and the front surface that may be positioned upward when the spice container is positioned on the first attachment surface. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to position the lid of the spice containers upward during storage to prevent spillage. 
     The opening is a living hinge. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a quickly openable lid that is readily manufactured without a need to be constructed of transparent material. 
     The spice containers are a moldable transparent thermoplastic. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide ready visual inspection of the interiors of the spice containers when stored on the door. 
     The spice containers may further include a spice label positioned on the front surface and having an aperture revealing a content of the spice container through the transparent front wall. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide additional information about the spices using a label while allowing inspection of the spices within the container. 
     The aperture may be positioned approximately midway along the height of the front surface. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a visual display of the spices augmenting spice selection during most of the use of the spice container. 
     The aperture may be fully blocked by spices when the container is two thirds full or more. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to eliminate consumer confusion caused by settling of spices during shipment. 
     The aperture may be fully unblocked by spices when the container is ⅙ full or less. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide an indication of when new spices should be ordered. 
     The first and second attachment surfaces may be magnetically attracted materials. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a low profile attachment method that allows complete flexibility in arranging of the spices within the storage volume. 
     The first attachment material may span an intersection of the plane of the shelves and the inner surface of the door so that the spice containers may be attached at this intersection. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to fully utilize unused space in the cabinet including adjacent to shelves. 
     The spice containers may be mountable to provide opposed services perpendicular to the attachment surface that may be grasped by a user&#39;s opposed thumb and fingers. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide ready access to individual spice containers. 
     The first and second attachment surfaces may be releasable by movement solely in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the inner surface of the door. 
     It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to allow removal of the spice containers without awkward upward movement and without the need to preserve clearance rooms for upward movement. 
     These particular features and advantages may apply to only some embodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE FIRST INVENTION 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a typical kitchen cabinet positioned above a cooking area and showing an open cabinet door providing high density support of spice containers per the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed fragmentary view of the cabinet door of  FIG. 1  showing a first embodiment of a spice container support surface with spice containers in partial cutaway positioned on that surface; 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational side cross-sectional view of the cabinets of  FIGS. 1 and 2  showing the space between the rear surface of the cabinet door when the cabinet door is closed, and a front edge of the shelf of the cabinet such as may receive the spice containers of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an elevational side cross-section in partial fragment of the shelves of  FIG. 3  as fit between a rear wall of the cabinet and the inner surface of the cabinet door showing a necessary clearance when the shelf is in the horizontal position resulting from a need to remove the shelves without camming during upward tipping of the shelves; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the cabinet door of  FIG. 2  showing a spacing of the spice containers for easy removal in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the cabinet door; 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of a spice container showing a window revealing the spice within the container; 
         FIG. 7  is a rear perspective view of the spice container of  FIG. 6  showing an attachment surface including a magnetic square; 
         FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of two spice containers of  FIG. 6  showing positioning of the window to reveal a supply of spice after typical settling during shipment of the spice container; and 
         FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of the door of  FIGS. 1 and 2  for an alternative embodiment using a polymeric attachment surface providing a snap fit of the spice containers to the support surface. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE FIRST INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a kitchen  10  may provide a working counter surface  12  having kitchen cabinets  14 , for example, positioned beneath the working counter surface  12  or on the wall above the counter surface  12 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 2 , the cabinets  14  provide cabinet volumes  16  partitioned by one or more horizontally extending and mutually parallel shelves  18  spaced at various heights within the cabinet volume  16  providing storage surfaces for kitchen sundries (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) within the cabinet volume  16  as is generally understood in the art. 
     The cabinet volume  16  is accessible through a cabinet opening  20  bounded by inner edges of a face frame  22  typically comprising vertically extending styles  24  extending between upper and lower horizontally extending rails  25 . Generally the shelves  18  extend in the cabinet volume  16  to the left and right of the inner edges of the face frame  22  reflecting the fact that the cabinet volume  16  is greater in cross-sectional area than the cabinet opening  20 . A front edge of the shelves  18  abuts a rear surface of the face frame  22  and extends behind the face frame  22  in order to provide the maximum storage surface and to eliminate the risk of materials falling down from the sides of the shelves  18  within the cabinet volume  16 . 
     Cabinet doors  26  may be attached to the cabinets  14 , for example, by hinges  28  extending between an edge of the cabinet door  26  and one side of the cabinet opening  20  (typically the face frame  22 ), allowing the cabinet doors  26  to pivot about a vertical axis  29  to swing between an opened position providing access to the cabinet volume  16  (as shown in the upper cabinets of  FIG. 1 ) and a closed position (shown in the lower cabinets of  FIG. 1 ) covering the opening  20  and blocking access to the cabinet volume  16 . In the closed position, an inner face  30  of the cabinet door abuts an outer surface  32  of the face frame  22 , while in the opened position the inner face  30  of cabinet door  26  extends away from a plane of the face frame presenting a generally planar vertical inner face  30  accessible to a person using the counter surface  12 . 
     Referring still to  FIG. 2 , a ferromagnetic sheet  34  may be attached to the inner face  30  of the cabinet door  26  within a periphery  36 , the latter describing a projection of the inner edges of the face frame and hence the cabinet opening  20  against the inner face  30  when the cabinet door  26  is in the closed position. Thus, the ferromagnetic sheet  34  does not interfere with the face frame  22  when the cabinet door  26  is closed. 
     The ferromagnetic sheet  34  provides a spice container support to which multiple spice containers  38  may be attached by means of attachment surfaces (for example, magnets) on the rear of the spice containers  38  as will be described below. In a preferred embodiment, the spice containers  38  are generally rectangular parallelepipeds that may be arranged in multiple horizontal rows  40  and vertical columns  42  within a plane parallel to the inner face  30  with either the rows  40  or the columns  42  spaced by finger gaps  44  as will be described below. 
     In one nonlimiting example, the spice containers  38  may have a horizontal width of 2 inches measured along the plane of the inner face  30 , a vertical height of 2¾ inches also measured along the plane of the inner face  30  and a thickness measured perpendicular to a plane in the inner face  30  of ⅞″, all being measurements when the spice containers  38  are attached to the ferromagnetic sheet  34 . A standard size cabinet door  26  may hold as many as ten rows and seven columns or seventy spice containers for a total storage area of as much as 336 cubic inches or approximately 6 quarts. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , when the cabinet door  26  is closed and abutting a front surface of the face frame  22 , a rear surface  50  of the spice containers  38  will be spaced from the inner face  30  of the cabinet door  26  by a support thickness  52  being a thickness of the ferromagnetic sheet  34  and the attachment element on the spice container  38  (the latter to be described below). This support thickness  52  separates a rear surface of the spice container  38  from the inner face  30  of the cabinet door  26  and may be practically negligible and less than 1/16 of an inch. 
     The thickness  54  of the spice container  38  of up to ⅞ inches then provides a total projection of the spice containers  38  from the inner face  30  of approximately ⅞ inches. The bulk of this projection is within a thickness  56  of the face frame  22 , a space which is generally unused as will be explained below. Approximately ¼ of an inch of the spice containers  38  projects inward beyond a rear surface of the face frame  22  into a clearance zone  58  being a gap between a front edge  60  of the shelves  18  and the rear surface of the face frame  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the clearance zone  58  is enforced in most cabinets  14  by a desire to allow the cabinet shelves  18  to be adjusted by tipping the cabinet shelves  18  upward at an angle (shown by shelf  18 ′) which increases the horizontal extent of the shelf  18 ′ caused by the general principle that the diagonal of a rectangular cross-section of the shelf  18  is longer than any one side of the shelf  18  measured along a plane of the shelf  18 . To prevent jamming of the shelf  18  between a rear surface  61  of the face frame  22  and a front surface  63  of a cabinet backwall  71 , the length of the shelf  18  with respect to a separation between a rear surface  61  of the face frame  22  and a front surface  63  of a cabinet backwall  71  is reduced by about ¼ inch for standard size shelf. This reduction in length may include tolerance allowances  62  (in addition to the nominal amount allowed to prevent jamming) to accommodate reasonable manufacturing tolerances for shrinkage and warpage. Accordingly, the present inventor has determined that a clearance zone  58  of approximately ¼ inch or more is provided in most cabinet shelves  18 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , fitting the spice containers  38  and the ferromagnetic sheet  34  within the sum of the clearance zone  58  and the thickness of the face frame  22  allows the spice containers  38  be positioned freely over the inner face  30  of the cabinet door  26  including in positions of the inner face  30  intersecting zones  64  defined by horizontal projections of the shelves  18  toward the inner face  30  of the cabinet door  26  where there might be interference between the spice container  38  and the front edge of the shelf  18 . It should be noted that the extent of the shelf  18  serves as a proxy for limits to the forward location of kitchen sundries  66  which are normally placed on the shelves  18  to be fully supported thereby. 
     Accordingly by dimensioning the sum of the thicknesses  52  and  54  to be less than a sum of the thickness  54  of the face frame  22  and the clearance zone  58 , a substantial volume of unused space may be reclaimed without loss of other cabinet space. Generally, the total thickness  52  plus thickness  54  will be less than 1 inch, or less than 15/16 of an inch and the thickness  54  will be substantially no greater than ⅞ of an inch. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , as noted, the spice containers  38  may be arranged in rows  40  to provide for finger gaps  44  of approximately ½ inch to ¾ inches allowing removal of the spice containers  38  in a direction  70  generally perpendicular to the inner face  30  of the cabinet door  26  by grasping the top and bottom surface of the spice containers between the thumb and fingers. This eliminates wasted space in the storage area of the inner face  30  that would be required if it were necessary to lift the spice container  38  vertically, for example, to remove it from a conventional shelf having a pocket or retention rail intended to hold the spice container  38  from dislodgment during opening of the cabinet door  26 . This perpendicular direction  70  of removal of the spice containers  38  allows the finger gaps  44  to be relatively small increasing the storage area. It will be appreciated that finger gaps  44  may alternatively or in addition be between columns  42  of the spice containers  38 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , in one embodiment of the invention, the spice containers  38  may have their bodies  72  (comprising side and bottom wails) constructed of the transparent thermoplastic material to provide a generally rectangular container open at the top. A lid assembly  74  may be constructed of a flexible thermoplastic material and attached to the body  72  providing one or more lid elements  76  hinging about one edge of the upper opening, for example, using a living hinge construction to provide selective access to the interior of the spice container  38 , for example, through different size openings. The lid assembly  74  may also include sifting elements (not shown) to meter the dispensing of spices contained within the spice container  38 . 
     In one embodiment, a paper or polymeric label  78  may be attached to the front wall exposed to a user when the cabinet door  26  is open and optionally side walls providing a labeling of the contained spice  80 , a brand-name  82 , and a window  84  through which the contained spices may be visible as will be described further below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , a rear surface of the body  72  may provide for a magnet strip  73  providing an attachment surface having negligible thickness for attaching the spice container  38  to the ferromagnetic sheet  34  of  FIG. 2 . It will be appreciated that this construction which permits of visibility of the spices through a non-lid surface in a rectangular container greatly increases the storage efficiency of the system. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , in one embodiment, the window  84  may be positioned approximately midway along the height of the front surface of the spice container  38 . Desirably, the window  84  is sized and positioned to be visually fully filled by spices  91  when the spice container  38  is filled to a level  90  of two thirds or more. This ensures that customers of prepackaged spice containers  38  are not unduly concerned by normal settling of the spices during shipping. Similarly, the window  84  is sized and positioned to reveal no contained spices when the container is less than ⅙ full so as to indicate that a new purchase of spices should be planned. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , other systems of attaching the spice containers  38  to the inner face  30  of the cabinet door  26  are contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention including, for example, a support surface  100  functionally replacing the ferromagnetic sheet  34  and being, for example, a molded thermoplastic material having collars  102  for receiving the periphery of the spice containers  38 . The retention of the spice containers  38  may be provided by inter-engaging teeth and grooves, with the periphery having inwardly extending teeth  104  engaging with corresponding grooves  106  in the upper and lower walls of the body  72  providing a snap fit releasable in direction  70  as before. 
     In yet another embodiment, the attachment between the spice containers  38  and the cabinet door  26  may comprise hook and loop fastener-type material, for example, similar to or that sold under the Velcro tradename. 
     It will be appreciated that the support surface provided by the ferromagnetic sheet  34  or the support surface  100  need not extend over the entire inner surface of the cabinet door  26  but may be sold in portions that cover only a portion of the inner surface of the cabinet door  26  to provide for more compact transportation and convenient installation. The portions may be as small as one row  40  of spice containers  38 , for example. In this case, or in the other embodiments described above, the attachment surface attached to the cabinet door  26  may in fact be a magnetic strip, for example a flexible polymeric magnetic material, that may be adhered to the inner surface  30  of the cabinet door  26  and the attachment element on the spice containers  38  may be a ferromagnetic material such as a strip of iron or iron containing material. 
     II. CONTAINER FOR GAME PROVIDING GAMEBOARD 
     BACKGROUND OF THE SECOND INVENTION 
     This invention relates to games and toys and in particular to a container for a board game in which a portion of the container provides the gameboard. 
     Board games are games typically using tokens or pieces located or moved over a printed board surface. Board games include ancient games such as chess and checkers as well as more modern counterparts such as Monopoly® and the like. 
     Modern implementations of the board game often use a paper or cardboard board surface that may be folded to fit within a shallow box receiving the flat folded board and having a periphery substantially equal to the dimensions of the flat folded board. The box provides a height of several inches to hold game play pieces such as cards tokens and the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE SECOND INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a gameboard that, rather than folding flat, folds into an upwardly open container having a bottom wall and upstanding sidewalls to receive and retain cards, tokens, and the like. A lid providing a top wall and downwardly extending sidewalls fits around the folded gameboard to provide an enclosed container where the bottom wall of the folded gameboard forms the bottom wall of the container and the sidewalls of the container are provided by the overlapping sidewalls of the folded gameboard and the lid sidewalls. 
     The present inventor has recognized that this configuration may in fact reduce the cubic dimensions or volume of the container for standard sized board games thereby reducing a substantial component of the freight cost. The compact configuration further provides for an improved number and size of the game facings on the shelf incident to the greater height of the sidewalls and narrower footprint. In addition, eliminating the need for a separate box bottom reduces packaging costs and environmental impact. 
     These particular features and advantages may apply to only some embodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scope of the invention 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OF THE SECOND INVENTION 
       FIG. 10  is a top plan view in partial cutaway of the gameboard of the present invention showing reinforcing cardboard interior panels spaced to provide for fold or hinge lines in the gameboard; 
       FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  are fragmentary cross-sections through the fold lines of  FIG. 1  showing a spacing of the reinforcing cardboard panels to permit hinging without tearing of an outer paper surface of the gameboard; 
       FIG. 12  is a simplified perspective view of the initial steps of a folding of the gameboard of  FIG. 10  into a container bottom and upstanding sidewalls; 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the gameboard as fully folded showing the ability to receive game tokens and pieces in the container formed by the gameboard before being covered by an outer complementary sliding lid; and 
       FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the gameboard and lid fully assembled and shrink-wrapped for retail merchandising. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE SECOND INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a gameboard  210  per the teachings of the present invention may provide for an upper planar paper, vinyl or similar flexible sheet layer  212 , for example, having a square perimeter and having printed game-play indicia  214  on its upper surface upon which tokens or similar pieces may be moved per the rules of the particular game. The present invention is not limited to a particular set of game rules or pieces. 
     Underlying the upper planar layer  212  are a set of substantially stiff panels  216 , for example, of cardboard fitting together to tile the area covered by the upper layer  212  and yet to be separated by narrow channels or gutters  218  as will be described further below. In a preferred embodiment, the panel  216  provides five square panels  216  arranged in a cross about a central square panel  216 ′, each square panel  216  and  216 ′ having a height and width being approximately ⅓ the height and width of the layer  212  minus the width of the gutters  218 . 
     Between the arms of the cross formed by the square panels  216  and  216 ′, providing areas substantially equal to the area of one square panel  216 , are positioned two right isosceles triangular panels  216 ″ fitting together to fill this space with a gutter  218  and together to occupy substantially the area of one square panel  216 . An interface between the right isosceles triangular panels  216 ″ provides a gutter oriented along an axis intersecting the center of the center panel  216 ′. 
     A second layer  220  of paper or vinyl may be placed below the panels  216  substantially equal in size to the layer  212  to be seamed to the layer  212  to sandwich the panel  216  between layers  212  and  220 . Typically the panels  216 ,  216 ′ and  216 ″ will be glued or otherwise affixed to the layers  220  and  212  to provide a smooth and substantially rigid board playing system when the gameboard  210  is in its planar unfolded configuration as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b,  the gutters  218  between the panels  216  are bridged by the upper layer  212  and the lower layer  220  so that a folding of the gameboard  210  moves the panels  216  from a coplanar position to a respectively angled position which will allow the layers  212  and  220  to provide a living hinge between the panels  216  without the risk of tearing. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 12 , the gameboard  210  may be folded so that a central square base portion  222  of the gameboard overlying the central panel  216 ′ may provide a base portion  222  about which the remainder of the gameboard  210  may fold upward to provide upwardly extending sidewalls  224  and inwardly folding gusset portions  226 , where the sidewalk  224  are formed from portions of the gameboard  210  attached to the panels  216  and the gussets are formed by portions of the gameboard  210  about the panels  216 ″. 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , when fully folded, the gameboard  210  provides an upwardly open box structure having sidewalls  224  extending substantially perpendicularly to the base portion  222  and the gusset portions  226  foldable against the inner surface of the sidewalls  224  to present an open cavity  230  into which game pieces  232  may be inserted for shipping and storage. Such game pieces  232  may include cards, instruction materials, tokens, spinners, and dice and other elements well known in the art of board games. 
     In this fully folded configuration, a lid  236  may fit down over the gameboard  210  to retain it in the folded position, the lid providing an upper panel  238  substantially equal to the area of the base portion  222  and downwardly extending sidewalls  240  that may fit parallel to and outwardly adjacent to the sidewalls  224  holding the gameboard  210  in its folded configuration. As assembled, the lid  236  and the folded gameboard  210  provide a box whose outer walls are comprised of upper panel  238 , sidewalls  240  and a lower surface of the base portion  222 . The sidewalls  240  may be imprinted with merchandising information  242  as may be the bottom surface of the base portion  222  which provides a lower surface of the gameboard  210  not normally visible during gameplay. 
     It will be appreciated that the central panel  216 ′ may, in fact, be any rectangular shape to permit the invention to be used with rectangular prism as well as cubic boxes with appropriate adjustments of the dimensions of other panels  216 . 
     The invention may generally provide a gameboard comprising: a rectangular upper flexible and lower flexible sheet, the upper flexible sheet providing a printed gameplay surface; a set of substantially rigid rectangular panels sandwiched between the upper flexible and lower flexible sheet, the panels arranged in three rectilinear rows and columns, with corner panels subdivided along diagonal lines passing between opposite corners of the upper flexible and lower flexible sheets; whereby the gameboard may fold into a substantially rectangular box open at a top. 
     III. MINI-PIZZA PAN 
     BACKGROUND OF THE THIRD INVENTION 
     This invention relates to cookware and in particular to a baking pan having multiple depressions for mini-pizzas. 
     Pizza is a baked flatbread typically topped with a tomato sauce and cheese. Pizza may be enjoyed in the home setting through a variety of options including carry out, delivery, frozen pizza, and partially baked pizza crusts that may be topped by the consumer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE THIRD INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a baking pan and method for convenient preparation of mini pizzas in a conventional oven. The baking pan provides a set of shallow pans sized to convert a single biscuit from commercially refrigerated biscuit dough into a properly sized mini pizza crust that may be topped as desired by the home chef. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OF THE THIRD INVENTION 
       FIG. 15  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the baking pan of the present invention showing multiple shallow circular pans attached together to conform to a standard baking sheet form factor; and 
       FIG. 16  is a cross-section along line  16 - 16  of  FIG. 15  of the pan holding assembled mini-pizzas. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE THIRD INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 15 , a mini-pizza baking pan  300  per the present invention may provide a series of individual pans  302  arranged into two columns and three rows. Each pan  302  provides a substantially circular and flat base surrounded by an upstanding sidewall terminating at a radially outwardly extending flange  303 . Preferably, the pans  302  are drawn sheet steel that may be plated to resist corrosion although aluminum which may be anodized may also be used. The upper surface of the pans  302  may be coated with a nonstick surface such as a polytetrafluoroethylene material. 
     The columns of pans  302  may be joined together by a metallic support bar  304  passing horizontally between the columns to which the flange  303  of each pan  302  may be spot welded at a tangent point or attached by other well-known means. Outer support bars  306  may flank the columns and be attached at their ends along with the ends of the metallic support bar  304  to upper and lower support bars  308  to form a genetically rectangular frame supporting the pans  302 . Overlapping portions of the flanges  303  of the pans  302  may be welded to these outer support bars  306  and upper and lower support bars  308  as well. In addition, overlapping flanges  303  of adjacent pans  302  in each column may also be attached to each other by spot welding or other means to provide an integrated assembly having dimensions of approximately 12 by 18 inches comporting with a standard cookie sheet size to permit use in most ovens and ready storage. The bars  304 ,  306 , and  308  may be, for example 3/16 steel rods formed and welded together. 
     Each pan  302  presents an upwardly open shallow cylindrical vessel having a dimension of substantially six inches in diameter and one half inch in depth although the depth may be readily varied to be as much as one inch and as little as one quarter inch. The area of the base of the pan will be approximately 28 square inches. Desirably, the volume of each pan  302  is such as to receive a single serving or biscuit  310  from a can  312  of refrigerated biscuits such as Pillsbury Grands®, commercially available from General Mills, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn. Each biscuit  310  is approximately 58 grams by weight and provides a heat acting leavening ingredient, flour, and shortening as is understood in the art. 
     Referring to  FIG. 16 , the biscuit  310  may be pressed by hand into the trays  306  to flatten the biscuit, the firm factor of the biscuit  310  expanding its diameter as guided by the dimensions of the pan  302 , and to provide a slightly depressed center section  314  and upper rimming crust  316  that may receive toppings  318  therein such as tomato sauce and cheese. 
     It will be appreciated that the pans  302  need not be circular but may, for example, be square and that they may be arranged in any tiling pattern not necessarily comprising rectilinear rows and columns of the preferred embodiment. Further, it will be appreciated that the pans may be formed in an alternative embodiment from a single sheet of metal shallow drawn to form the pans  302 . In this case, the pans are attached together by the common material of the sheet. The pans may be constructed of a 13-18 gauge aluminum or 19-12 gauge steel. In one embodiment, the bottom of the pans  302  may be perforated with holes to allow the escape of water vapor and to produce a crisper crust. 
     The invention may generally provide for a mini-pizza cookware pan comprising: a set of at least four shallow dishes having substantially planar bottoms with upstanding sidewalls with a height less than one inch, the dishes arranged and attached to each other in columns and rows to provide an integrated cooking unit receivable on an oven shelf each dish having a bottom surface area of substantially 28 square inches. 
     IV. BLANKET BUDDY 
     BACKGROUND OF THE FOURTH INVENTION 
     It is common for children to collect multiple stuffed animals including small sized stuffed animals such as Beanie Babies®. For children who also actively play with their stuffed animals, the stuffed animals can present a storage problem. It is not untypical for the child to want to sleep with one or more stuffed animals (perhaps all of the stuffed animals) such as can interfere with a bedtime routine or sleep. 
     SUMMARY OF THE FOURTH INVENTION 
     The fifth invention provides a stuffed animal storage system that incorporates the stuffed animals into the fabric of a cover or blanket so that the child can literally sleep under a blanket of stuffed animals. The stuffed animals are releasably attached to the blanket so that they can be taken off and played with or rearranged. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE FOURTH INVENTION 
       FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the child&#39;s bed covered with the blanket of the present invention incorporating the child&#39;s stuffed animals; and 
       FIG. 18  is a detailed fragmentary view of the blanket showing a network of elastic straps serving to retain and position the stuffed animals on the blanket surface. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE FOURTH INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 17 , a blanket or coverlet  410  may present a sheet of material, typically of cloth and possibly quilted with other layers as is known in the art, extending over an area sufficient to cover a standard children&#39;s mattress. The coverlet  410  may have an upper surface  412  printed with a printed pattern  414  such as a jungle, playground or kingdom scene or other environmental scene in which stuffed animals might naturally or supernaturally exist. The printed pattern  414  may alternatively provide, for example, a town with houses or areas in which the stuffed animals might live or a game board with spots that would allow a game to be played with the stuffed animals. Similar printed patterns may be provided on the under surface of the coverlet  410 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 18 , the upper surface  412  is crisscrossed, in one embodiment, with a network of rectilinearly extending elastic ribbons  416  crossing each other in a regular grid pattern having intersections separated, for example, by interstices with six-inch spacings. The intersections are attached by stitching  418  through the intersecting elastic ribbons  416  to the coverlet  410 . As is understood in the art, the elastic ribbon  416  may be composed of woven synthetic rubber cores bound or wrapped in polyester cotton nylon or a blend of fiber threads and will stretch up to twice its relaxed length and return to its original shape. One half-inch wide elastic ribbon is suitable for this purpose. 
     Portions of the elastic ribbons  416  between the stitching  418  may be pulled up away from the upper surface  412  to produce elastic loops that may capture a stuffed animal  420  thereunder, for example, about the animal&#39;s torso to releasably retain the stuffed animal against the upper surface  412 . The limbs of larger stuffed animals  420  may be captured in multiple such loops. 
     The coverlet  410  and the elastic ribbons  416  may be freely washed and present no projecting metal or sharp elements. 
     Optional stitched eyelets  422  may be placed in the corners of the coverlet  410  to allow it to be hung from a wall or the like for display or storage purposes. 
     V. DECORATIVE TRAY 
     BACKGROUND OF THE FIFTH INVENTION 
     TV trays provide for lightweight foldable tables that can support a plate or tray in front of a seated user, for example, for watching TV while eating. Typically such trays provide lightweight dependant legs that cross at pivot points below the tray for extra stability. One set of legs may detach from the under surface of the tray and the legs be scissored together so that the legs may fold together and the tray top may fold flat against the legs. A location must be found for storage of the compacted trays, typically a closet where the height of the folded tray may interfere with coats or other items in the closet. 
     SUMMARY OF THE FIFTH INVENTION 
     The sixth invention provides a TV tray that compacts in a manner that allows the legs to be fully retracted under the tray surface and the tray surface hung on a wall as a decorative element. In this way additional closet storage space is not required. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE FIFTH INVENTION 
       FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a TV tray of the present invention in unfolded form; 
       FIGS. 20   a - 20   d  are side elevational views of the inverted tray of  FIG. 19  in various steps as it is folded into a compact form; 
       FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional side view of the top of the tray showing features for hanging the tray on a wall; and 
       FIG. 22  is a front elevational view of a wall with two TV trays hanging thereon. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE FIFTH INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 19 , a tray  510  may provide a generally square upper surface  512  having a decorative image  514  or photograph attached thereto of the type that might be displayed on a wall  532 . The tray, for example, may have 12 to 18 inch sides so as to be able to support a meal including a plate and glass without undue crowding. Extending downward from the periphery of the upper surface  512  is a frame  516  that provides rigidity to the upper surface  512  and a storage area for the legs as will be discussed. The frame  6  may be visually integrated with the image  514  so as to appear in the manner of a picture and the pictures frame thus providing, for example, a dark border  518  around the image  514 . 
     Attached to the underside of the upper surface  512  at each of the corners of the upper surface  512  are downwardly extending legs  520 . The upper portion of each leg  520  pivots about a horizontal axis, the pairs of the legs sharing a common horizontal axis and with the axes of different pairs being parallel and displaced at opposite edges of the upper surface  512 . In one embodiment, each leg  520  includes a set of telescoping tube segments  522  that may be retained in extension by spring-loaded button elements projecting from an inner tube through a properly positioned whole in the outer tube when full extension has been attained. As noted, the largest tube segment is to pivot about a pivot  524  attached to the frame element  516  within the frame  516  and the smallest tube element is to be formed in a U-shape to provide a foot portion  526  which bends at 90 degrees from an axis of the leg  520  to provide a stable surface abutting the floor and then which turns again by 90 degrees back upward to form the tube portion of an adjacent leg  520  along one side of the frame  516  of a given pair of legs  520 . Pairs of legs  520  thus joined may cross each other at about midway down the height of the legs at intersection points  526  which include releasable clips or snap elements  527  allowing the crossing legs to be releasably attached to each other at the intersection points. With the legs fully extended and attached together by the snap elements  527 , a rigid table system is provided with the upper surface  12  elevated above the floor and held in a level configuration. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 20 , when it is desired to store the tray  510  it may be inverted as shown in  FIG. 20   a  and the cross legs separated and pivoted vertically as shown in  FIG. 20   b . The tubes of the legs  520  may then be telescoped inward as shown in  FIG. 20   c  by releasing spring-loaded elements of a type well known in the art. Finally as shown in  FIG. 20   d , the collapsed legs may be folded inward to be hidden behind the frame  516  flush beneath its rim. Referring now to  FIG. 21 , the frame  516  may include on its side opposite the upper surface  512  an inwardly extending lip  530  that may engage a wall hook  632  allowing the collapsed tray  510  to be hung on a wall as shown generally in  FIG. 22 . Rubber bumpers  534  may be placed along the lip  530  between the tray  510  and the wall to prevent damaging or soiling the wall. In this way the trays  510  may be stored on a wall as decorative picture hangings. 
     It will be appreciated that the images  514  may be photographs, for example, of the user&#39;s family or the like and may be laminated to the surface using standard lamination techniques, for example, with an adhesive backed photograph and vinyl covering. 
     VI. DECORATED NONSTICK BAKING SHEET 
     BACKGROUND OF THE SIXTH INVENTION 
     Baking trays such as cookie sheets are well known for cooking a variety of foodstuffs. Normally after cooking is complete the big materials are removed from the tray and transferred to a serving tray or the like necessitating multiple kitchenware elements. 
     SUMMARY OF THE SIXTH INVENTION 
     The seventh invention provides a cooking tray or pan that is decorated with multiple colors of nonstick coating both to improve its functionality and to permit it to make the transition from oven to serving table. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE SIXTH INVENTION 
       FIG. 23  is a perspective view of a baking sheet decorated per the present invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE SIXTH INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 23 , a tray  610  of the present invention may provide, for example, a metal tray substrate  612  providing in this example a rectangular flat surface  614  for supporting items to be baked surrounded by upstanding peripheral walls  616  to provide stiffness to the material of the flat surface  614  and to prevent the migration of spills or foodstuffs from the surface  614  off of the tray  610  into the oven cavity. The flat surface  614  may be covered with a nonstick material  617  such as a fluorinated hydrocarbon such as a polytetrafluoroethylene, including Teflon®. In particular multiple colors of nonstick coating may be applied to the upper surface in spray form through the use of multiple masks having different opening and blocking surfaces. Different colors of spray may be applied with different masks to create simple colorful patterns, for example, of overlapping discs. Alternatively the material may be applied in powder form through silkscreen-like masks. 
     The tray may then be cured at a high temperature to provide a sintering of the particles and diffusing into a single nonstick surface. 
     In one embodiment, the pattern may provide for multiple colored discs  620  and  622 , for example, show the placement for cookie dough for cookies of different sizes. These discs may be superimposed on other randomly placed discs of other colors to create a vibrant, generally decorative effect where the regular spacing of the discs  620  and  622  for the purpose of cookie location is not readily apparent. 
     Generally the invention provides a method of forming decorative patterns using nonstick coatings of different colors simultaneously applied to a surface using a masking process. 
     VII. PIZZA CONE MAKER 
     BACKGROUND OF THE SEVENTH INVENTION 
     Pizza cones are an innovative food products that combine the versatility and flavor of pizza in a convenient form of a cone in which the toppings are contained by the cone held point downward. Fabricating pizza cones generally requires professional baking equipment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE SEVENTH INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a baking pan and method for convenient preparation of pizza cones in a conventional oven. The baking pan provides a set of conical pans sized to convert a single biscuit from commercially refrigerated biscuit dough into a properly sized pizza cone that may be topped as desired by the home chef. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE SEVENTH INVENTION 
       FIG. 24  is a perspective view of a tray of six pizza cone pans. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE SEVENTH INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 24 , a pizza cone baking pan  710  per the present invention may provide a series of individual pans  712  arranged into two columns and three rows. Each pan  712  provides a substantially frustoconical hollow body extending from an upper, rolled open circular lip  714  downward toward a flattened apex  716 . The pans  712  may be formed of rolled and welded steel or deep drawn aluminum. Steel may be plated to resist corrosion and the aluminum may be anodized. Alternatively, the upper and lower surface of the pans  712  may be coated with a nonstick surface such as a polytetrafluoroethylene material. 
     The circular lips  714  of pans  712  may be joined in a common plane by a metallic support bar  718  passing horizontally around the outer periphery of the circular lips  714  and welded thereto with contacting tangent points between the lips  714  welded to each other. 
     Each pan  712  presents an upwardly open vessel having a dimension of substantially 3½ inches in diameter and six inches in depth although this size may be readily varied depending on the desired size of the pizza cone. 
     In operation, the pan  710  is first inverted so that the apexes of the cones face upward and may be used as a mandrel to form a pizza cone about its outer surface. Desirably, the size of each pan  712  is such as to receive a single serving or biscuit from a can of refrigerated biscuits such as Pillsbury Grands®, commercially available from General Mills, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn. Each biscuit is approximately 58 grams by weight and provides a heat-acting leavening ingredient, flour, and shortening as is understood in the art. The biscuit is molded about the outer surface of each pan  712  and then baked. Alternatively, the dough may be molded against the inner surface of each cone. 
     Employing the first technique, the pan  710  may they be righted so that the rims  714  are facing upward and the baked cones removed from the outside of the pans  712  and inserted into the conical inner surfaces of the pans  712  where they can be filled with topping material such as cheese and pizza sauce for further heating and melting. 
     It will be appreciated that the pans  712  need not be circular cones but may, for example, be pyramidal cones and that they may be arranged in any tiling pattern not necessarily comprising rectilinear rows and columns of the preferred embodiment. Further, it will be appreciated that the pans may be formed in an alternative embodiment from a single sheet of metal shallowly drawn to form the pans  702 . In this case, the pans are attached together by the common material of the sheet. The pans may be constructed of a 13-18 gauge aluminum or 19-12 gauge steel. In one embodiment, the bottom of the pans  712  may be perforated with holes to allow the escape of water vapor and to produce a crisper crust. 
     VIII. POPCORN BALL 
     BACKGROUND OF THE EIGHTH INVENTION 
     Popcorn cooks when contained water rapidly turns to steam causing an expansion of the kernel material. It is necessary that the kernels be rapidly heated to promote this expansion before the contained water is lost through drying and then that the popped corn be removed from the heat so that the popped kernel does not burn. Small amounts of oil or butter are used to promote rapid heat transfer between the pan and the kernels. Desirably, the steam should be allowed to escape to keep the popcorn from becoming soggy and yet excess airflow should be limited to keep from overly drying the popcorn. Microwave cooking of popcorn in paper bags provides for high heat transfer but the plastics and flavorings in such products make many consumers to want to avoid microwave popcorn. Cooking microwave in a pan requires care to prevent kernels from burning and may require additional, amounts of oil to fully cover the bottom of the pan. 
     SUMMARY OF THE EIGHTH INVENTION 
     The eighth invention provides a popcorn cooking pan that has a hemispherical pan shape that naturally aggregates unpopped kernels and oil toward a heated center of the pan. A dome shaped screen covers the hemispherical pan to retain the kernels and grease splatter allowing the escape of steam while provide an attractive spherical unit that allows viewing of the ricocheting popcorn kernels as they cook and maximizes contained volume. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE EIGHTH INVENTION 
       FIG. 25  is a perspective view of the popcorn cooking pan of the present invention partially exploded from a supporting ring. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE EIGHTH INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 25 , a popcorn cooking pan  810  of the present invention provides a lower hemispherical steel shell  812  approximately 9 inches in diameter opening at an upper circular rim  814 . A wire form handle  816  may project radially from the rim  814  in the plane of the rim  814  or angle slightly upward from that plane to provide a cool surface during the cooking process that may be held by the user. A hemispherical screen  818  of substantially equal diameter to that of the steel shell  812 , formed of a wire mesh or the like, may fit like a cover over the rim  814 , for example, through interengaging flanges. In one embodiment the hemispherical screen  818  may also have a wire handle  820  extending therefrom that may be gripped in common with handle  816  to retain the two together during use. The mesh size is such as to substantially reduce the escape of any grease splatters and may be sized similarly to a mesh sieve used for cooking A mesh size of #20 may be employed having openings of 0.85 millimeters but may be as coarse as Windows screen for example with 16 by 16 wires per inch. The pan  810  may come with a support ring  822  for use with electric ranges to concentrate heat from the range at a center lower apex  824  of the shell  812 . In this way, cooking grease, heat, and unpopped kernels are concentrated at the center of the shell  812  for maximum cooking efficiency. The shell  812  may be coated on its inner surface with a nonstick material if desired. A small flat surface may be formed at the bottom of the hemispherical steel shell  812  to provide a stable surface against a table and a conductive interface with an electric burner or the like while still retaining a substantially spherical visual form. The hemispherical steel shell  812  and hemispherical screen  818  may be made from metal for example steel or stainless steel. The outer surface of the assembled popcorn cooking pan  810  may appear substantially spherical when viewed from the top or at an angle from vertical of 45 degrees. 
     IX. POPCORN KERNELS SEPARATOR MAT 
     BACKGROUND OF THE NINTH INVENTION 
     Popcorn served in a bowl usually includes some unpopped kernels which are hard to avoid picking up when removing the last servings of popcorn. It is generally known to make bowls with holes in the bottom that serve to allow unpopped kernels to pass through the holes and be removed from the popcorn itself Such bowls are bulky, single-use kitchen equipment that can be difficult store. 
     SUMMARY OF THE NINTH INVENTION 
     The ninth invention provides a popcorn separator mat that may fit within a variety of different bowls by having its outer rim flexibly conforming to the bottom of the bowl to seal against the bowl while including spacer elements that create a pocket beneath the separator mat into which unpopped kernels can fall. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE NINTH INVENTION 
       FIG. 26  is an exploded view of the kernel separation mat of the present invention above a bowl into which it forms; and 
       FIG. 27  is an elevational cross-sectional view through the bowl and mat showing the sealing of the mat against the bowl for kernel separation. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE NINTH INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 26 , a separator mat  910  of the present invention may provide a flexible circular disk of material such as silicone rubber having downwardly extending leg projections  912  positioned around its center but displaced from the center and also from the rim of the disk. A series of holes  914  sized to allow the passage of popcorn kernels but not popcorn (for example, larger than ⅜th inch and in one embodiment at least one half inch in diameter) are distributed throughout the surface of the mat  910 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 27 , the mat  910  may be placed within a generally hemispherical bowl  916  so that its edges seal against the inner surface of the bowl  916  and the mat curves to an upwardly concave configuration until the leg projections  912  also touch the inner surface of the bowl. As so placed, unpopped kernels  920  may be channeled by the mat  910  and fall through the holes  914  into the space between the mat  910  and the bowl  916  away from the pop kernels  922 . 
     X. TANGLE RESISTANT CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS 
     BACKGROUND OF THE TENTH INVENTION 
     Strings of Christmas tree lights may last many seasons in part because of the use of long-lived light emitting diodes. Storing the lights between seasons, however, often produces a tangled mess that is difficult to untangle for using the lights for decoration in the next season. 
     SUMMARY OF THE NINTH INVENTION 
     The present invention has recognized that a significant source of the tangling is the perpendicular extent of the lamp extending from the cord, this extent originally intended to mimic a candle but now no longer big enough to serve that purpose. Accordingly, the invention places the extent of the lamp parallel to the cord with beveled end caps that prevent catching of the cord against the lamps, greatly reducing tangling. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE NINTH INVENTION 
       FIG. 28  is a fragmentary view of one lamp on the cord showing its alignment with the cord extent; 
       FIG. 29  is an exploded cross-section of the lamp of  FIG. 28  showing a pin and connector system allowing disassembly and replacement of the lamp; and 
       FIGS. 30   a  and  30   b  are end views of opposed ends of the lamp and the end-caps of  FIG. 29  showing a twist-lock feature tier holding the lamp to the end caps. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE TENTH INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 28 , a string  1000  of Christmas lights may provide for a flexible electric cord  1002  typically comprised of two separate insulated conductors  1004  sized to conduct 110 volt AC line voltage. The cord  1002  is interrupted periodically by a lamp assembly  1006  providing a cylindrical lamp housing  1008  generally aligned along an axis of the extent of the cord  1002 . The cylindrical lamp housing  1008  is flanked by opposed cortical end caps  1010  having their bases adjacent to corresponding bases of the cylindrical lamp housing  1008  and their apexes molded about the electric cord  1002  ideally in a way that eliminates any steps or catch areas. In this way the cylindrical lamp housing  1008  is smoothly integrated into the string  1000  eliminating features that could catch and tangle. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 29 and 30 , each of the end caps  1010  may include a central cylindrical socket  1012  aligned with the general alignment of the cord  1002  and that will receive a corresponding cylindrical stud  1014  on the corresponding bases of the cylindrical lamp housing  1008 . Flanking the cylindrical socket  1012  are electrically conductive sockets  1016  connected to internal conductors  1018  of the insulated conductors  1004 . Corresponding conductive pins  1020  may project from and extend parallel to the cylindrical stud  1014  on each base of the cylindrical lamp housing  1008  to be received by the sockets  1016 . 
     Pins  1020  on opposite bases of the cylindrical lamp housing  1008  may be interconnected, a first pair of pins connected with a simple conductor  1022  and the remaining pair connected across a light emitting diode, LED,  1024  and corresponding shortening fuse  1026  that serves to conduct if the LED  1024  should fail and open. 
     As shown in  FIG. 30   a , the sockets  1016  extend circumferentially so that the cylindrical stud  1014  may rotate by a quarter turn within the cylindrical socket  1012  so that radially extending teeth  1028  extending from the cylindrical stud  1014  may engage in buried grooves  1030  extending radially outward from the cylindrical socket  1012 . In this way the cylindrical stud  1014  may be locked to the cylindrical socket  1012  against axial forces on the line  1002  while still maintaining electrical integrity of the connection between the sockets  1016  and pins  1020 . 
     Certain terminology is used herein for purposes of reference only, and thus is not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “above”, “below”, “clockwise”, and “counterclockwise” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as “front”. “back”, “rear”, “bottom” and “side”, describe the orientation of portions of the component within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which is made clear by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the component under discussion. Such terminology may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Similarly, the terms “first”, “second” and other such numerical terms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. 
     When introducing elements or features of the present disclosure and the exemplary embodiments, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of such elements or features. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements or features other than those specifically noted. It is further to be understood that the method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.