Patent Publication Number: US-11035533-B1

Title: Bendable lamp

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the field of specialty portable lamps and more specifically to a bendable lamp. 
     Decorative lamps for household use or camping use have been in existence for over one hundred years. Most household lamps include some sort of base which supports a light source such as a light bulb, and a translucent lamp shade that covers the light bulb yet allows light to extend out to the rest of the environment. 
     In most cases, the lamp shade itself is not expandable or retractable or bendable, although there are many mechanical frame assemblies that have been designed to adjust the height or position of a lighting source. A few pneumatic lamps have been produced which are balloon type structures that can change shape according how much air is introduced, and one Brazilian patent BR 202018005123-2 U2 shows a translucent plastic tube with lights placed inside it. 
     None of the prior designs depicts an accordion type bellows sleeve that can be vertically extended or contracted or bent to shape by a user where the sleeve retains its shape without need of any additional supporting structure. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the invention is to provide a bendable lamp that allows the user to quickly and easily adjust the lamp&#39;s height or angle without needing special hardware or supporting structures. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a bendable lamp that incorporates programmable LEDs to project lighting effects onto the inner surface of the lamp which shine through to the surrounding environment. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a bendable lamp that holds its shape after the user has adjusted the lamp to the desired length or bent condition. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a bendable lamp comprising: a base housing; an accordion bellows sleeve member; a counter weight; a lighting source; a cord and plug; said base housing including an aperture that is equal in diameter to the diameter of said accordion bellows sleeve member; said lighting source centrally located within said base housing; 
     said counter weight being approximately doughnut shaped and surrounding said lighting source; said bellows type sleeve member fixedly attached at one end to said base housing; said accordion bellows type sleeve member having a helical wire frame attached to a thin translucent plastic material having a plurality of circumferential accordion pleats; and said accordion pleats capable of being compressed forming a cylindrical shape where said wire frame is in a compressed position or being extended to form a said accordion bellows where said wire frame is in an extended position. 
     said accordion pleats capable of retaining their compressed or extended condition until reset by a user and said lighting source powered by electrical power source via said cord and plug. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the invention with the bellows sleeve in the vertical position 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the invention with the bellows sleeve in an inverted J position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the invention with the bellows sleeve partially contracted in portions. 
         FIG. 4  is a partial section view of the base portion of the bellows sleeve. 
         FIG. 5  is a partial section view of the bellows sleeve in the extended position. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1  we see a perspective view of the invention  100  with cylindrically shaped accordion bellows sleeve  2  in the vertical position and the pleats of the bellows sleeve  2  in the extended position. For simplicity, the accordion bellows sleeve  2  will be referred to as the sleeve  2  or the bellows sleeve  2 . In the preferred embodiment the diameter of the sleeve  2  is approximately five inches. The construction of the bellows sleeve  2  includes a plurality of accordion members formed by helical steel wire  18  having a cross section dimension of approximately fifty thousandths of an inch, and bellows sleeve  2  made of translucent resilient plastic approximately eighteen thousandths of an inch thick. The wire  18  is embedded into the sleeve  2  as shown in the section view in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The sleeve  2  is attached to hollow housing  6 . A switch  8  can turn on or off an LED lighting display  16  as shown in the section view in  FIG. 4 . The construction of the sleeve  2  allows it to remain in a vertical position without any assistance from a support structure. Top member  4  encloses the sleeve  2 . The sleeve  2  becomes illuminated via LED light source  16  creating decorative lit patterns on the inner surface and outer surface of the sleeve  2  and also shines out to the surrounding environment. The top member  4  includes a downward facing mirror  22  shown in the exploded view of the invention in  FIG. 6 . The mirror  4  reflects the LED light downward to increase the illuminating effect of the sleeve  2 . Alternately, the top member  2  can be removed, causing the LED light to continue upward toward the ceiling of a room. A microprocessor within the LED light assembly  16  can create a variety of light patterns and colors which can be controlled by the user via switch  8  or other standard means including a wireless phone app that can be received by a standard W-Fi receiver contained within the base housing  6 . The LED light assembly  16  is powered by cord  10  a plug  12  which can plug into a standard one hundred- and ten-volt AC house or office outlet. Alternately, the LED light assembly  16  may be powered by a rechargeable battery stored within the base housing  6 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the invention  100  where the sleeve  2  has been bent into an inverted J position. The nature of the bellows construction allows the sleeve  2  to remain in the shape that the user has set it to without need for additional structural support. The sleeve  2  may also be bent into an inverted U shape. Weight member  14  as shown in the section view in  FIG. 4  is approximately doughnut shaped allowing the LED light assembly  16  to sit within the doughnut shape. The weight member  14  provides stability for the lamp  100  even when the top portion of the sleeve  2  is bent to the right or left. The weight  14  may be made of steel, lead, sand, or any other material that lends weight to the perimeter of the base  6 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the invention  100  with portions of the sleeve in the compressed position  2 A and portions of the sleeve in the extended position  2 B. This feature allows the user to produce even more variations of the sleeve  2  design which also produce different lighting effects than a fully extended sleeve  2  would. 
       FIG. 4  is a section view of the base  6  portion of the invention  100  showing that the base includes an aperture at its top surface that is equal to the diameter of bellows sleeve  2  which is fixedly attached to the base via indented portion  26 . The LED lighting assembly  16  may be similar to pulsating and moving party light assemblies that are currently on the market such as “Disco Ball Party Lights Portable Rotating Lights Sound Activated LED Strobe Light  7  Color display” available on Amazon.com.  FIG. 4  shows the sleeve  2  in its contracted position where helical wire  18  is contracted as much as the bellows portion  20  will allow. Due to the nature of the construction of the bellows  20  and wire  18 , the sleeve  2  remains compressed without any external structure holding it down. 
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged section view of the sleeve  2  in the extended position. The sleeve  2  bellows consist of inward and outward pleats that are strong enough to cause the sleeve  2  to remain in the extended position without need for external support, allowing the bellows sleeve  2  to remain in a vertical or bent position indefinitely until the user decides to change the sleeve&#39;s  2  appearance by extending it, retracting it or bending it. 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the invention. Top member  4  is removable and replaceable. Mirror  22  mounts to the underside of the top member  4  allowing it to reflect light downward thereby increasing the brightness of the sleeve  2  during use. Base  6  is comprised of a top member  6 A and a bottom plate  6 B that attach to each other at their perimeter edges to form the completed base  6 . 
     While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.