Miniature light bulb for random high-low twinkle in series-wired light string
OwnerJohn L. Janninginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flasher bulb including a thermal shorting element that alternately shorts and opens only a portion of the bulb filament, thus causing the flasher bulb to produce an alternating high-low illumination. When a plurality of such flasher bulbs are placed in the sockets of a series-wired light string, they cause the light string to exhibit a random high-low twinkle.
Claims10
A series-wired light string, comprising:
- a plurality of light bulbs including a plurality of flasher light bulbs;
- and
- a plurality of light sockets, each light socket of the plurality of light sockets adapted to receive at least one of the plurality of light bulbs;
- wherein the flasher bulbs each include a filament and a thermal element that moves alternately between an open position and a closed position as the thermal element heats and cools,
- wherein, when the thermal element is in the closed position, a portion of the filament is shorted out, such that only a portion of the filament carries current and is illuminated, whereby the filament produces light of a first brightness, and
- wherein, when the thermal element moves to the open position, the entire filament carries current and is illuminated, whereby the filament produces light of a second brightness higher than the first brightness,
- thereby causing the flasher light bulbs of the series-wired light string to produce illumination of a high and low brightness at different times to cause the light string to exhibit a twinkling effect.
A method of operating a series-wired light string comprising a plurality of light bulbs including a plurality of flasher light bulbs, and a plurality of light sockets, each light socket of the plurality of light sockets adapted to receive at least one of the plurality of light bulbs;
- wherein the flasher bulbs each include a filament and a thermal element that moves alternately between an open position and a closed position as the thermal element heats and cools, wherein, when the thermal element is in the closed position, a portion of the filament is shorted out, such that only a portion of the filament carries current and is illuminated, whereby the filament produces light of a first brightness, and wherein, when the thermal element moves to the open position, the entire filament carries current and is illuminated, whereby the filament produces light of a second brightness higher than the first brightness, thereby causing the flasher light bulbs of the series-wired light string to produce illumination of a high and low brightness at different times to cause the light string to exhibit a twinkling effect.
A flasher bulb for producing alternately high and low illumination, comprising:
- a filament;
- and
- a thermal element that moves alternately between an open position and a closed position as the thermal element heats and cools,
- wherein, when the thermal element is in the open position, the entire filament carries current and is illuminated, whereby the filament produces light of a first brightness, and
- wherein, when the thermal element moves to the closed position, a portion of the filament is shorted out, such that only a portion of the filament carries current and is illuminated, whereby the filament produces light of a second brightness, which is lower than the first brightness, and
- thereby causing the flasher light bulb to alternately produce illumination of a high and low brightness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.