Miniature light set

In a miniature light set which includes a cord and a plurality of miniature light lamps and a plurality of lampholders mounted along the cord such that there is a first and a last lampholder in the light set cord, each lampholder having an upper part for receiving the cord and a lower part for receiving a lamp, each cord being comprised of a plurality of wires and each said wire having a central conductor that has a diameter and is surrounded by a sheath of insulation, 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 having two sides and two ends and two upstanding walls mounted to the sides of said base,
• a transverse, upstanding pressing bar having a top surface and 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 having a terminal end;
• and
• a snap-on cover with depending press bars having a bottom surface and a depending press bit having a bottom surface 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 bottom surfaces of said press bars extend to a level that is below the top surfaces of the pressing bars, the bottom surface of said press bit being aligned with said conductor plates, but spaced therefrom when said cover is mounted on said wireway;
• said cord being located in said wireway channel, and a first and a second of said wires having a portion of said insulation stripped off at a location corresponding to said conductor plates.

A light set which includes elongated lampholders for holding lamps and a cord that is comprised of at least two wires, each wire having a central conductor having a diameter surrounded by a sheath of insulation, the improvement comprising:

• a wireway located at one end portion of the lampholder, said wireway comprising
• an elongated channel defined by a base,
• two longitudinally spaced apart cavity recesses located in said base, and
• a conductor plate mounted in each said recess;
• and
• a cover mountable on top of said wireway and having press bits projecting outwardly underneath said cover, each said press bit having an underside which has a contacting surface that 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 two said wires each having a portion of said insulation stripped off and exposing a stripped portion of said conductor at a location corresponding to said conductor plates such that when said cover is mounted on said wireway, said conductor stripped portion is engaged by said conductor plate and said press bit contacting surface.

A light set comprising

• a cord comprised of two wires, each of said wires comprised of a conductor and an insulation surrounding said conductor, and at least one of said at least two wires having part of said insulation removed at a plurality of locations to form stripped portions of said conductor, and having a cut-out portion between said stripped portions;
• a plurality of lampholders having two ends, each lampholder comprised of:
• a longitudinal wireway at one end to receive a portion of said cord,
• a housing to receive a lamp at the other end, and
• two conductor pieces located in said wireway, each said conductor piece having a first end portion extending into said housing and in electrical contact with a lamp when held by said lampholder, and a second end portion accessible from said wireway, said wire stripped portions being located in said wireway so as to make physical contact with said conductor pieces and said cut-out portion being located between said conductor pieces;
• and
• means for urging said conductor pieces and said wire stripped portions into physical contact with each other.

A light set comprising:

• a plurality of lamps;
• a plurality of lampholders, each lampholder having two ends and comprised of
• a longitudinal wireway at one end having at least one conductor piece located therein, said conductor piece having a first end portion extending into said housing in electrical contact with said lamp, and
• a housing at the other end, a lamp being mounted in said housing;
• a cord comprised of at least three wires, each of said at least three wires comprised of a conductor and an insulation surrounding said conductor, and a first and a second end,
• a first and a second of said wires each having at least one cut-out portion so as to create an electrical discontinuity and to create at least a first and a second wire segment,
• a plurality of lampholders being mounted on said first and second wire segments of said first wire, said second wire being continuous between said first and second segments of said first wire,
• and a plurality of lampholders being mounted on said first and second wire segments of said second wire, said first wire being continuous between said first and second segments of said second wire,
• said conductor pieces electrically connecting corresponding ones of said lamps with said first or second wires, said cut-outs thereby defining a plurality of subassemblies of lampholders, each sub-assembly being electrically connected in series with an adjacent sub-assembly by the continuous one of said first or second wire, the lampholders in each said sub-assembly being electrically connected in parallel, and there being a first and a last sub-assembly of lampholders, and
• said third wire being uninterrupted and in electrical contact with a conductor piece in at least one lampholder in the last sub-assembly of lampholders, thereby completing a parallel-series circuit.

A lampholder having a socket for holding a lamp for a light set which light set includes a wire having a central conductor surrounded by a sheath of insulation, the improvement comprising:

• a housing having an opening for receiving the wire;
• a wireway located in said housing in communication with said opening and comprising
• a channel defined by a base,
• a first and a second conductor member respectively mounted in said base and each electrically connected to the socket, each said conductor member having a portion accessible from said wireway;
• and
• means for urging said conductor members and an exposed portion of the conductor into physical contact with each other.