Patent Publication Number: US-2012023794-A1

Title: Portable solar light for sports enthusiast

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure is directed to the field of portable lighting and, specifically, to solar lighting having a sports-related theme. 
     SUMMARY 
     Many times, a sports fan may entertain friends and family at his home, particularly on game days when his favorite team is playing on television. At these occasions, the guests may enjoy a cook-out or picnic on a deck, porch, or patio before gathering indoors in a living room or den to watch the game. To decorate either the indoor or outdoor spaces for the game-day festivities, the sports fan may use signs, banners, memorabilia, or the like to convey his support for his favorite team. 
     Often, a patio, deck, or walkway may be illuminated by outdoor lighting, solar lighting, torches, and/or candles. However, none of the existing lighting devices offer the sports fan a way to effectively express his support and enthusiasm for his favorite team or school. 
     The present lighting units provide an attractive, eye-catching, and effective means by which a sports fan may express his support for a favorite team or school, whether it be a professional team, a collegiate team or college, or a high school team or high school. The portable lighting unit includes a housing having the appearance of a plurality of connected tiers, each of the tiers having a differing dimension such that the tiers convey a stair-step configuration. To represent the sports team or school, at least two three-dimensional alphabetic characters are affixed to a front surface of the tiers. A solar-powered lighting fixture is attached to the uppermost surface of the top tier to provide illumination for outdoor or indoor use. 
     The lighting unit provides illumination to a yard, walkway, patio, deck, or porch on which it is displayed and, because the lighting unit includes a solar-powered lighting fixture, it requires no external power sources or complicated installation. Conveniently, the lighting unit may be transported indoors for decorating the area in which the sporting event will be viewed. The lighting unit may feature one or more colors associated with the sports team or school, and may further feature a depiction of the team&#39;s mascot, logo, or insignia. 
     A method of producing a portable lighting unit for demonstrating support for a particular sports team is also provided herein. The method includes the steps of providing a housing having the appearance of a plurality of tiers connected together, each of the tiers having a differing dimension such that the tiers convey a stair-step configuration; affixing a solar-powered lighting fixture to an uppermost surface of a top tier; and applying at least two alphabetic characters to the front surfaces of two of the tiers, the alphabetic characters being selected to represent the particular sports team. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A full and detailed disclosure is set forth in the accompanying specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable lighting unit for a sports enthusiast, in accordance with the teachings herein; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the front of the portable lighting unit of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the portable lighting unit of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternate configuration of a portable lighting unit for a sports enthusiast, as further contemplated herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Reference is now made to the drawings for illustration of various components of the present portable lighting units. While the particular illustrations provided herein are directed to portable lighting units having three tiers, various elements and embodiments are equally applicable to creating portable lighting units of other shapes and sizes. Moreover, while the tiers of the portable lighting units are described as being made of wood, the tiers may be made of other durable materials instead, such as plastic. In addition, although the lighting units are shown with solar light fixtures, hard-wired lighting fixtures could instead be used, if desired to mount the lighting unit in a single location. 
     While reference is made throughout the description to showing support for football teams, it should be understood that the portable lighting units provided herein could be used to indicate support for other types of athletic teams, such as baseball teams, basketball teams, hockey teams, soccer teams, and the like, as well as schools, colleges, or universities in general. Finally, it should also be noted that, while reference is made to use of the lighting units in a home environment, the lighting units may be equally well-suited for use in a tail-gating situation or in a business or commercial setting. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a first version of a portable lighting unit  2 , according to the teachings herein, which is configured to show support for a professional, collegiate, or high school sports team or organization. The portable lighting unit  2  may include a housing  4  in the form of three stacked tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30 . The three tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30  are arranged by height to create a stair-step configuration. The first tier  10 , in this illustration, is the tallest tier, while the second tier  20  is slightly shorter and the third tier  30  is the shortest. By way of example, the first tier  10  may have a height of approximately 18 inches; the second tier  20 , a height of approximately 12 inches; and the third tier  30 , a height of approximately 6 inches. The tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30  may be made of pressure-treated wood or molded plastic, and the tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30  may be solid, hollow, or semi-hollow. Alternately, instead of three separate tiers, the housing  4  may be unitary, such as a single molded piece of plastic constructed to appear as three different tiers. 
     A front surface  12  and an upper surface  16  of the first tier  10  may be of equal widths. One exemplary width is approximately 4.5 inches. The front surfaces  22 ,  32  and the upper surfaces  26 ,  36  of the second and third tiers  20 ,  30 , respectively, may have a similar width to one another and to the dimensions of the first tier  10  to provide a consistent appearance to the lighting unit  2 . 
     The upper surface  16  of the first tier  10  forms the uppermost surface of the lighting unit  2  and, as such, acts as the support for a solar-powered lighting fixture  100 . The lighting fixture  100 , which is affixed to the upper surface  16  by conventional means, provides decorative accent lighting for indoor or outdoor use. The lighting fixture  100  includes a solar-powered cell, or battery,  102 . The lighting fixture  100  may be of any style or dimensions, depending on the tastes and preferences of the consumer, but one representative height for the lighting fixture  100  is about 5 inches. 
     A decorative element may be affixed, using one or more of an adhesive, nails, brads, staples, or rivets to the front surfaces  12 ,  22 ,  32  of each tier  10 ,  20 ,  30 . The decorative element is three-dimensional and may be a letter (e.g., letters  14 ,  34 ) or a depiction of mascot, logo, or insignia  24  of a sports team or school. By way of example and not of limitation, the letters  14 ,  34  may have a height of between about three inches to about four inches, and the logo  24  may be similarly sized. The letters  14 ,  34  may be selected to represent a team name (for example, “N” and “O” for “New Orleans”) or may be selected to represent a team name and mascot (for example, “W” and “R” for “Washington Redskins”). Alternately, as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 4 , three letters may be used to represent a school, such as “OSU” for The Ohio State University or “DHS” for “Davis High School,” in which case a depiction of a team mascot, insignia, or logo would be omitted. 
     The tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30  may display the primary and secondary colors of the team being represented. For instance, the first tier  10  and the third tier  30  may be the primary color of the team, while the intermediate second tier  20  may be the secondary color of the team. With reference to the lighting unit  2  shown in  FIG. 1 , which represents the Washington Redskins professional football team, the first and third tiers  10  may be burgundy, while the second tier  20  may be gold. Alternately, all three tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30  may have a single color, such as the primary color of the team. In the case of the Washington Redskins lighting unit  2  shown in  FIG. 1 , all three tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30  may be burgundy. The colors of the tiers may be achieved with corresponding paint colors or stains, if the housing  4  is made of wood, or with embedded pigments, colorants, or dyes, if the housing  4  is made of plastic. 
     The decorative elements  14 ,  24 ,  34  may be colored to coordinate with or to complement the colors used for the tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30 . For instance, if the first and third tiers  10 ,  20  are colored in the primary color of the team, the decorative elements  14 ,  34  attached to those tiers may be colored in the secondary color of the team. Alternately, the decorative elements  14 ,  34  may be colored in a neutral color, such as black or white, for contrast. Another option is that the decorative elements  14 ,  24 , and/or  34  may be decorated with a pattern associated with the team being supported, such as tiger stripes used to represent the Cincinnati Bengals professional football team. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3 , the bottom surface of the housing  4  may include one or more installation spikes or pins  50  for securing the lighting unit  2  in the ground. The spikes  50  may be molded from plastic or may be made of metal or another durable material. Although two spikes  50  are shown, other numbers (including one) of spikes  50  may be used. The installation spikes  50  may be removable to allow the unit  2  to be used indoors or on a flat outdoor surface, such as a deck, porch, or patio. In one version shown in  FIG. 3 , the bottom surface of the housing  4  may be provided with receptacles  15 ,  35 , into which the installation spikes  50  may be inserted when not in use. Alternately, the spikes  50  may be secured with clips or screws for easy removal, such that the spikes  50  may be housed separately from the unit  2  when the spikes  50  are not needed. 
     Optionally, decorative foliage or vines  18 , such as ivy, may be attached to the upper surfaces  16 ,  26 ,  36  of the tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3 . These floral accents  18  may be used to provide a natural-looking element to the lighting unit  2 . Although real plants may be used, the need for potting soil and drainage holes is eliminated when synthetic plants are employed. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the upper surfaces  16 ,  26 ,  36  of the tiers  10 ,  20 ,  30  may be molded or otherwise supplied with a trough  17 ,  27 ,  37  within which the decorative vines  18  may be planted or installed. The troughs  17 ,  27 ,  37  may house a piece of floral foam, if so desired. It may also be possible to eliminate the troughs  17 ,  27 ,  37  and attach the greenery  18  directly to the upper surfaces  16 ,  26 ,  36 , using staples or hot glue. 
     An alternate configuration for a lighting unit  200  is shown in  FIG. 4 . In the lighting unit  200 , the tiers  110 ,  120 ,  130  are arranged in a horizontal orientation based on the length of the tiers, such that the third tier  130  possesses the longest length, while the second and first tiers  120 ,  110  are progressively shorter to again produce a stair-step configuration. The result of this configuration is that a greater continuous surface area contacts the ground for potentially enhanced stability of the lighting unit  200 . 
     The first tier  110  includes a front surface  112  to which a first decorative element  114  (the letter “D”) is attached and an upper surface  116  to which a lighting fixture  100  is secured. As before, the lighting fixture  100  includes a solar battery  102 . The first tier  110  may have a representative length of about 4.5 inches, a representative height of about 6 inches, and a representative width of about 4.5 inches. 
     The second tier  120  includes a front surface  122  to which a second decorative element  124  (the letter “H”) is attached and an upper surface  126  that supports the first tier  110 . By way of example, the second tier may have a length of about 9 inches, a height of about 6 inches, and a width of about 4.5 inches. 
     The third tier  130  includes a front surface  132  to which a third decorative element  134  (the letter “S”) is attached and an upper surface  136  that supports the second tier  120 . Exemplary dimensions of the third tier  130  may be a length of about 13.5 inches, a height of about 6 inches, and a width of about 4.5 inches. 
     Although the lighting unit  200  of  FIG. 4  is shown without the installation spikes  50 , such spikes  50  may be included if so desired. Further, while the decorative elements  114 ,  124 ,  134  may represent a school name (such as “Davis High School”), different elements may be used. For example, the second element  124  may be replaced with a team mascot, insignia, or logo, such as an eagle, in which case the first element  114  may remain a letter (“D” for the school name) and the third element  134  may be replaced with a different letter (such as “E” for the mascot name, the eagle). Various other combinations may be used, as desired, including variations in which the first or third element is the team mascot, insignia, or logo. Finally, different dimensions other than those described may be used for all or some of the tiers  110 ,  120 ,  130 . 
     A method of producing a portable lighting unit for demonstrating support for a particular sports team includes the steps of providing a housing having the appearance of a plurality of tiers connected together, each of the tiers having a differing dimension such that the tiers convey a stair-step configuration; affixing a solar-powered lighting fixture to an uppermost surface of a top tier; and applying at least two alphabetic characters to the front surfaces of two of the tiers, the alphabetic characters being selected to represent the particular sports team. 
     The method may further include providing three tiers for the lighting unit and arranging the three tiers in an upright orientation based on height to achieve the stair-step configuration. Alternately, three tiers having different lengths may be provided, and the three tiers may be arranged in a horizontal orientation based on length to achieve the stair-step configuration. 
     A first tier and a third tier may be colored in a first color, and a second tier positioned between the first tier and the third tier may be colored in a second color different from the first color, where the first color and the second color are the primary and secondary colors of the particular sports team. As described above, the alphabetic characters may be colored in the second color for contrast with the tiers. 
     The preceding discussion merely illustrates the principles of the present portable lighting units. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art may be able to devise various arrangements, which, although not specifically shown or described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples are conditional language recited herein are principally intended for educational purposes and to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. 
     Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure. 
     This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the figures of the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire description of the invention. The foregoing description provides a teaching of the subject matter of the appended claims, including the best mode known at the time of filing, but is in no way intended to preclude foreseeable variations contemplated by those of skill in the art.