US 5,339,232 AGranted

Miniature light set

OwnerTe H. Lininventor

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Abstract

A miniature light set comprises lamps, lamp bases, lamp holders and a ribbon cord with three or more wires. Each of the lamp holders has a socket at one end which receives a lamp base and a wireway at the opposite end. The wireway has two upstanding elongate walls which define an elongate channel therebetween for receiving the ribbon cord, and has a transverse pressing bar at each end of the channel. Mounted on the outside of each wireway wall is an engagement lug. A pair of conductor plates are positioned in a bulb socket into which a lamp can be inserted with the lamp lead wires in contact with the plates. The other ends of the conductor plates project into the wireway and make contact with conductors in corresponding stripped portions of the wires. A snap-on cover has a base and two depending U-shaped sides that can engage the lugs and lock the cover on the wireway. On the underside of the cover base are two press bars and two press bits which are located between the lampholder pressing bars when the cover is installed. The location of the press bits correspond to the location of the conductor plates. With the engagement of the snap-on cover on the lampholder, the cord is bent and retained by the pressing bars of the snap-on cover and the pressing bars of the wireway.

Claims20

Dependent claims

In a miniature light set which includes a plurality of miniature light lamps, lamp base, lampholder and cord, the improvement comprising:

a wireway located in the upper part of the lampholder, said wireway comprising
an elongate central channel formed by a central base and two upstanding walls mounted to the sides of said base,
a transverse, upstanding pressing bar mounted at each end of said base,
two longitudinally spaced apart cavity recesses located between said pressing bars, and
said wireway further including a conductor plate mounted in each said recess;
and
a snap-on cover with press bars and press bits projecting downwardly underneath said cover, said press bars extending into said wireway channel between said pressing bars when said cover is mounted on said wireway such that the ends of said press bars extend to a level that is below the top end of the pressing bars, the underside of said press bit having a cavity recess therein which is aligned with said conductor plates, but is spaced therefrom when said cover is mounted on said wireway;
said cord being located in said wireway channel and being comprised of a plurality of wires, each said wire having a central conductor surrounded by a sheath of insulation, and a first and a second of said wires having a portion of said insulation stripped off at a location corresponding to the location of said conductor plates.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.