Abstract:
A cord wrap with integrally molded light holders and mold and method of making same is disclosed. The light holders are molded in cavities connected by runners. The runners are shaped and positioned to form a cord wrap. After the light holders are broken away from the runners, the runner can be used as a cord wrap to store strings of decorative lights such as those which were held by the light holders.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a cord wrap and light holders, which are used with strings of decorative lights. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Injection molding processes commonly involve the use of two or more dies which fit together to define at least one enclosed space. This space or cavity has the shape of the articles to be molded. When small articles are manufactured, there are usually several cavities in a single mold which are connected by passageways or runners. Plastic material is injected into the mold and runs along the runners into the mold cavities. After the molded resin has cooled sufficiently, the mold halves are separated and the articles are removed from the cavities. The plastic that cooled in the runners forms arms which interconnect the molded workpieces. As the molded articles are removed from the cavities, they remain connected to the plastic arms, known as “runners,” through which the plastic “runs” during molding. They must then be broken away from these arms. The separation process is a manual operation done either at the factory or by the purchaser. When such manual separation is a part of the manufacturing process, it increases the cost of manufacture. Normally, regardless of who removes the molded articles from the runners, the runners are simply thrown away or recycled because these runners previously had no use once the articles were removed from them. 
     Sometimes, the molded articles are sold while attached to the runners. This has been the standard way to sell plastic models. When articles are sold in this way, the user removes the desired pieces from the runners and discards the runners. Selling parts attached to runners reduces the manufacturer&#39;s labor costs, but the manufacturer loses the material in the runners which he otherwise could have recycled. 
     There have been developed several devices for holding decorative lights on houses. Most of these devices include hooks that fit over a gutter, or stake portions that slip between overlapping roofing shingles. Examples of such light holders are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,141,192; 5,669,709; 5,772,166; 5,531,441; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 356,246; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 356,492. 
     Decorative lights are sold in strings containing several light bulbs. The number of lights on a string may vary from as few as 12 to as many as 150 depending upon the size of the light bulbs. A common decorative light set contains 25 lights. Typically the purchaser of such lights will discard the package in which the lights are purchased and will coil the light string for storage. To assist the owner of decorative light sets to store his lights there are available in the market several different types of cord wraps. One common type of cord wrap is configured like the letter “H” but has two spaced-apart cross bars. This product is commonly made of molded plastic and packaged in a sleeve which fits around the sides. 
     Recently manufacturers of light holders have begun selling their light holders attached to runners with a card affixed to this combined structure. The card may have slots through which the light holders are attached to the card. A hole is provided in the card to allow the package to be hung on a rod. Such packaging is significantly less expensive than blister packages and clam shell packages commonly used for light holders. 
     There is a need for a molded plastic product designed in which the runners form a useful part of the product. Then the runners need not be removed and recycled but provide added value to the product. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     We provide a cord wrap with integrally molded articles. The cord wrap body has two spaced apart and substantially parallel sides. At least two cross bars connect the sides. The sides and cross bars have a cross-section sufficiently large in diameter so that they can act as runners during molding. A plurality of molded articles are frangibly attached to the cord wrap body. When the parts are removed, the runner, rather than being discarded, may be used as a light string storage device known as a cord wrap. 
     We also provide a mold for forming a cord wrap and integrally molded articles. The mold block has a plurality of cavities shaped to form molded articles. The mold block also has at least two mold sections that have mating faces which can be moved apart to open the cavities. Two spaced apart and substantially parallel side runners are connected by two cross runners. Each cavity is connected to a runner so that plastic can be injected through the runners into the cavities. Additionally, we provide the process of making a cord wrap with integrally molded articles. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a present preferred embodiment of our cord wrap with integrally molded light holders. 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of our cord wrap with integrally molded decorations and decoration hangers. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a frangible member connecting a molded decoration hanger to a side. 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 with a sleeve fitted around the cross bars. 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the front and rear portions of a cord wrap with integrally molded light holders. 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded side view of a cord wrap with integrally molded light holders. 
     FIG. 7 is a front view of a cord wrap with integrally molded light holders with one light holder removed. 
     FIG. 8 is a front view of cord wrap with the light holders removed and a string of lights around the cord wrap. 
     FIG. 9 is a top view of the female mold for a cord wrap with integrally molded light holders. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a two piece mold in which one of the two pieces is the female mold shown in FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 11 is a front view of a second embodiment of our cord wrap with integrally molded decoration hangers. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of our cord wrap with integrally molded decoration hangers. 
     FIG. 13 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 12 showing a cord wrapped around the light holder. 
     FIG. 14 is a top view of a fourth embodiment of our cord wrap with integrally molded decorations. 
     FIG. 15 is a top view of a fifth embodiment of our cord wrap. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A present preferred embodiment of our cord wrap with integrally molded light holders shown in FIG. 1 is comprised of sides  1  and a center post  5 . Two cross bars  3  run perpendicular to and connect the sides  1  and the center post  5 . Although the cross bars are shown to be perpendicular to the sides, the cross bars could be attached at any angle to the sides and extend beyond the sides as indicated by dotted lines  3 ′. It is also not necessary that there be a center post. If desired, more cross bars may be used to strengthen the cord wrap. Hanger  7 , having opening  9 , extends from a cross bar  3 . The hanger enables the cord wrap to be hung from a rod in a display case in stores. Each of the buttresses  13  are attached to one side  1  and one cross bar  3  near the intersection of the side  1  and cross bar  3 . The buttresses serve to strengthen the cord wrap. Light holders  11  are attached by frangible members  24  to the center post  5  or a side  1  as can be clearly seen in FIG.  3 . The acute angle formed on the frangible members  24  and the notch  26  between the molded article and the cord wrap helps the frangible member to break away cleanly from the molded article and the cord wrap so that no vestige of plastic is left on either piece. The light holders are configured so that they may fit over a gutter or the stake portions may be slipped between overlapping roofing shingles. Alternatively, any molded plastic light holder or objects may be attached to the post, sides, or cross bars. The product shown in FIG. 2 is identical to the embodiment of FIG. 1 except that FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment which has molded Christmas tree ornaments  53  instead of light holders. 
     We prefer to provide a sleeve  15  which fits around the cross bars can be seen in FIG.  4 . Sleeve  15  is to be used in packaging and display of the cord wrap in stores. One side of the sleeve  15  can display pictures showing use of the light holders  14  and cord wrap  16 . Directions for its use may appear on the back (not shown). The cord wrap could also be packaged and displayed with a transparent plastic wrapper (not shown) used in place of the sleeve  15 . 
     The cord wrap may be a single molded piece. However, we prefer to construct the device in two halves  17  and  19  which are snapped together forming the structure shown in FIG.  5 . Making the device in two halves enables us to use a smaller mold and allows the packaging to be more compact. This lowers the costs of shipping and storage. The two halves are shown in a mold in FIG.  9 . The front portion of the cord wrap body  17  has twelve light holders  11  between the cross bars  3 . The rear portion  19  of the cord wrap body has fourteen light holders  11  so that the total number of light holders that would come in a package is twenty-six. Any number of light holders may be on either portion of the body. However, we prefer to have twenty-six light holders because a common string of lights contains twenty-five lights. 
     Referring to FIG. 6 the front and rear portions are attached by clips  21  which fit through clip openings  22 . Each clip has at least one molded plastic protrusion  21  a on the rear portion  19  of the cord wrap body. Each clip fits within an aperture  22  on the front portion  17 . The protrusions and the apertures are configured so that once the protrusions are placed inside the apertures they cannot be easily removed. Any means for attachment may be used to attach the front and rear portions as the kind of attachment used is not important to the invention. 
     The light holders are frangibly attached to the body. Therefore, they can be removed from the cord wrap simply by grasping a light holder with one hand and twisting it with respect to the cord wrap. Light holder  11   a  in FIG. 6 is shown being twisted away from the side  1  of the cord wrap body. The other light holders  11  are shown in typical exploded view orientation above the cord wrap body. After light holders  11   a  and  11   b  have been removed the first embodiment will appear as shown in FIG.  7 . After all of the light holders have been removed a string of lights  23  is wrapped around the cord wrap for storage as illustrated in FIG.  8 . Light holders could remain between the cross bars when the light string is wrapped around the cord wrap. 
     Our cord wrap with integral light holders could be formed in a two piece mold. FIGS. 9 and 10 show the female mold portion  25  of a two piece, twenty-six cavity mold for making the cord wrap and integrally molded light holders shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 through  8 . The male mold portion  27  can be seen in FIG.  10 . Clip cavities  49  and clip posts  51  will form the clips  21  and clip openings  22  respectively. Likewise, the hanger cavity  41  will form hanger  7  and buttress cavity  47  will form buttress  13 . The center runner  39 , cross runners  37  and side runners  35  connect mold cavities  29 . Plastic can flow to all of the cavities  29  through the runners. After the cavities  29  are filled with plastic and the plastic cools, the male portion of the mold is separated from the female portion  25 . The mold has gates which direct plastic from the runners to the cavities. These gates are shaped to provide a frangible connection that can be cleanly broken away from the cord wrap without leaving a vestige of plastic attached to the cord wrap or molded articles. Plungers (not shown) are provided to eject the light holders and cord wrap from the female mold  25 . After the mold opens and the part is removed the manufacturer does not need to remove anything but can simply package the entire resulting molded plastic structure. The entire structure is also useful to the consumer who can use the plastic piece that cooled in the runners as a cord wrap. 
     Although a generally “H” shaped cord wrap is preferred, the runners which form the cord wrap could be positioned differently. For example, the embodiment of FIG. 11 has two U-shaped ends  54  having uprights  55 . These ends are separated by a single center post  56 . Another embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 has four cross bars  3  all connected at a handle  8 . Each cross bar  3  is perpendicular to a side  1 . The sides are parallel to handle  8 . Light holders  53  are frangibly attached to either side of cross bars  3  so that the embodiment can be made in a two piece mold. A more complex and expensive mold may be used to mold light holders which extend from the sides  1 . Alternatively, a simple two piece mold could be used if the sides  1  and cross bars  3  are molded in substantially the same plane along with a snap hinge  64  which allows the sides  1  to be positioned perpendicular to the cross bars  3  and locked in place after molding. The snap hinge can be a score line where a cross bar  3  meets a side  1  and a locking tab  65  extending from side  3  which locks the side  1  into the desired position. We prefer that the cross bar  3  be perpendicular to the side in this embodiment. A similar snap hinge is more fully described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,527. A cord  23  may be wrapped around sides  1  as shown in FIG.  13 . 
     Yet another embodiment is shown in FIG.  14 . Tapered arms  57  are frangibly molded to a core  60 . As can be seen clearly in FIG. 14, each arm  57  has a perpendicular cross bar  3  at its distal end. Two sides  1  at its ends extend from the cross bar and are parallel to the arms  57 . When the cross bars  3  are oriented as shown in FIG. 14 the product can be easily made in a two piece mold. However, that orientation is not convenient for holding cords. To allow the cord wrap to hold cords better, the arms  57  may be snapped off of the core  60 , rotated 90° and inserted into slots  58  as shown in FIG.  15 . Slots  58  which are preferably tapered inward, are sized so that the tapered ends of arms  57  will be frictionally held within the slots  58 . Alternatively, to form the cord wrap shown in FIG. 15, each cross bar  3  may be frangibly attached to an arm  57  as indicated by dotted line  59 . Then the cross bars can be removed from the arms  57 , rotated 90° and reattached to the arms  57 . Slot  61  is provided to receive the cross bar  3 . Decorations  53  are frangibly attached to each arm  57  and could also be attached to each cross bar  3  and side  1 . 
     Although we have shown certain present preferred embodiments of our cord wrap with integrally molded light holders, decorations, and decoration hangers it should be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.