# US 11,441,766 B2 · Tree pole with built-in individually controlled LED lighting system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,441,766 B2 - Document ID: US11441766B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/368,521 - Filed: 2021-07-06 - Published: 2022-03-17 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-09-14 - Assignees: Ledup Manufacturing Group Limited - Applicants: Ledup Manufacturing Group Limited - Inventors: Jing Jing Yu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441766B2 ## CPC - F21V 23/004: {arranged on a substrate, e.g. a printed circuit board} - F21V 23/06: the elements being coupling devices {, e.g. connectors} - A47G 33/06: Artificial Christmas trees - F21S 4/22: flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape - F21S 6/004: {with a lamp housing in direct contact with the floor or ground} - F21V 23/005: {the substrate is supporting also the light source} - F21V 23/006: {the substrate being distinct from the light source holder} - F21V 23/0435: {activated by remote control means} - F21V 23/045: {the sensor receiving a signal from a remote controller} - F21W 2121/04: for Christmas trees - F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED] - F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - A47G: HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT (book-ends A47B5/00; knives B26B) - F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS - F21W: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS - F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED ## Abstract Disclosed is a unique trunk of a tree pole for a pre-lit Christmas tree. An inexpensive and easily fabricated circuit board is placed inside the tree trunk that has light sockets mounted directly to the printed circuit board. In addition, controllers and IoT devices can also be mounted on the printed circuit board. Pre-lit Christmas trees can be monitored and operated from any Internet location and each of the light strings on each of the branches can be separately controlled. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of making a tree pole assembly for a pre-lit Christmas tree comprising: providing a hollow trunk having a length, an outer surface and an inner surface; mounting a printed circuit board in a frame disposed on said inner surface at said hollow trunk, said printed circuit board and said frame extending along said length of said hollow trunk; mounting a plurality of light sockets on said printed circuit board, said plurality of light sockets supported by said printed circuit; connecting said light sockets to conductive leads on said printed circuit board to form a circuit bus; mounting a controller on said printed circuit board so that said controller is connected to said conductive leads; mounting said frame to said inner surface of said hollow trunk so that said light sockets extend through openings in said hollow trunk; mounting said plurality of light sockets to said hollow trunk to secure said light sockets to said outer surface of said hollow trunk. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: mounting an Internet of Things communication system to said printed circuit board; connecting said Internet of Things communication system to said conductive leads to allow a user to control operation of said controller and allow for monitoring of operation of said controller over the Internet. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further comprising: connecting detectors to said circuit bus that monitor voltage and current at said plurality of light sockets. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: attaching tree limb brackets on said outer surface of said hollow trunk that are spaced along said length of said hollow trunk. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: forcing a light socket base against said inner surface to secure said light sockets to said hollow trunk when mounting said plurality of light sockets to said hollow trunk. ### Claim 6 A tree pole assembly for a pre-lit Christmas tree comprising: a hollow trunk; a frame mounted on an interior portion of said hollow trunk that extends along a length of said hollow trunk; a printed circuit board disposed in said frame on an interior portion of said hollow trunk; a plurality of light sockets mounted on said printed circuit board that extend from said printed circuit board through holes in said hollow trunk and extend from an exterior surface of said hollow trunk; a mounting device that secures said plurality of light sockets in said holes; a controller mounted on said printed circuit board; a printed circuit board bus that connects said controller to said plurality of light sockets so that said controller individually controls LED light strings connected to said plurality of light sockets. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The tree pole of claim 6 further comprising: an Internet of Things (Iot) system mounted on said printed circuit board that is connected to said controller by said printed circuit board bus, said IoT system connecting said controller to the Internet so that said controller can be monitored and controlled over the Internet. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The tree pole of claim 7 further comprising: circuit monitors that monitor operation of said tree pole assembly and provide data regarding said operation of said tree pole assembly over said Internet. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The tree pole of claim 8 wherein said circuit monitors comprise detectors that monitor voltage and current at said plurality of light sockets. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The tree pole of claim 6 further wherein said frame comp rises: a C-shaped frame that holds said printed circuit board in slots. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The tree pole assembly of claim 6 further comprising: a plurality of tree limb brackets attached to an exterior surface of said hollow trunk. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The tree pole of claim 10 further comprising: a light socket base that engages said interior portion of said hollow trunk to secure said plurality of light sockets to said trunk. ### Claim 13 A method of making a tree pole assembly for a pre-lit Christmas tree comprising: providing a hollow trunk having a length, an outside surface and an inside surface; connecting a plurality of light sockets to a circuit board having a circuit bus comprising connectors disposed on said printed circuit board; connecting a controller to said circuit bus; placing said light sockets, said controller and said circuit board inside said hollow trunk; attaching said light sockets to said hollow trunk by causing said light sockets to abut against said inside surface of said hollow trunk and protrude through openings in said hollow trunk. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising: attaching tree limb brackets on said outside surface of said hollow trunk, that are spaced along said length of said hollow trunk. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 further comprising: connecting an Internet of Things communication system to said circuit bus that allows a user to control operation of said controller over the Internet and allows for monitoring of operation of said controller over the Internet. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising: connecting detectors to said circuit bus that monitor operation of said controller. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein said method of attaching said light sockets to said hollow trunk comprises threading nuts on a threaded shaft of said light socket that engage said outside surface of said hollow trunk. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 further comprising: wirelessly communicating instructions to said Internet of Things communication system to control said controller. ### Claim 19 A tree pole assembly for a pre-lit Christmas tree comprising: a hollow trunk having a length, an outside surface and an inside surface; a circuit bus comprising a plurality of printed circuit board leads on a printed circuit board that is disposed inside said hollow trunk along said length of said hollow trunk; a plurality of light sockets, disposed in said hollow trunk and mounted on said printed circuit board, said plurality of light sockets extending through openings in said hollow trunk; a controller connected to said circuit bus and a mounting device that mounts said plurality of light sockets to said hollow trunk, mounted on said printed circuit board. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The tree pole of claim 19 further comprising: an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system mounted on said circuit board and disposed in said hollow trunk, said IoT communication system connected to said circuit bus that connects said controller to the Internet so that operation of LED light strings can be controlled and monitored over the Internet. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The tree pole of claim 20 further comprising: detectors mounted on said circuit board and connected to said circuit bus, that detect voltage and current at said light sockets. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The tree pole assembly of claim 19 further comprising: tree limb brackets, secured to said outside surface of said hollow trunk, that are spaced along said length of said hollow trunk. ### Claim 23 A tree pole assembly for a pre-lit Christmas tree comprising: a printed circuit board disposed inside of a hollow trunk of said tree pole along a length of said tree pole, having printed circuit board leads; a controller mounted on said printed circuit board and connected to said printed circuit board leads; a frame mounted to said hollow trunk that holds said printed circuit board; light socket mounted on, and supported by said printed circuit board; an Internet of Things communication system mounted on said printed circuit board and connected to said printed circuit board leads to control said controller. ### Claim 24 A tree pole assembly for a pre-lit Christmas tree comprising: a hollow trunk of said tree pole assembly; a printed circuit board mounted in said hollow trunk of said tree pole assembly; light sockets having a light socket base, said light socket base having rounded edges that match a curvature of an inside surface of said hollow trunk, said light sockets mounted on and wired to said printed circuit board; a threaded shaft on said light sockets that extends through said hollow trunk; a nut threaded onto said threaded shaft that causes said rounded edges of said light socket base to be compressed against said inside surface of said hollow trunk.