The present invention is a weatherproof illuminated tape that may be used for decorative lighting or other purposes.
A common form of decorative lighting, often referred to as Christmas lights, employs a string of lights with individual bulbs or mini-lights mounted at spaced intervals in individual sockets.
The attraction of this type of lighting lies in the fact that it is flexible and can be mounted to surfaces of practically any shape, e.g. on Christmas trees or wreaths or around windows or doors. But, such lights, if not used carefully, are a known fire hazard in certain applications, e.g. use on indoor Christmas trees. Also, special measures must be taken if the lights are to be used out of doors, i.e. special outdoor lights (generally more expensive) which are water resistant must be used.
Chao U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,225 proposes sandwiching an elongated string of mini-lights between a pair of flexible transparent strips of plastic tape. The bulbs are connected in parallel between positive and negative thin wire leads that extend longitudinally along edges of the tape. The bulbs project outwardly through individual holes formed in the upper tape strip.
Scheib U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,818 proposes a similar structure, only using LED's instead of mini lamps. Positive and negative wires are laid out on adhesive tape and LED's, which are connected across the leads, project outwardly through holes formed in the tape.
The Chao and Scheib structures have inherent drawbacks. Fabrication of either product requires that the lamps or LED's be mounted on the carrier wires so that, when the electrical strip is joined to the upper tape strip, the lamps or LED's are in exact registry with the holes in the tape. Moreover, unless the holes are the exact size of the lamps, portions of the wires will be left exposed, which may produce a risk of shock. To solve the alignment problem, each of the bulbs or LED's could be positioned in the tape holes and individually wired in place. However, manufacture of the strip in such a manner would be labor intensive and therefore impractical for commercial purposes. Alternatively, the holes could be made larger to relieve the problems of alignment; but this will increase the problems associated with exposed wiring. Another problem is the fact that the bulbs or LED's project and are therefore exposed to damage. For such reasons, while Chao and Scheib propose the idea of a strip, neither appears to disclose a practical structure for doing so on a mass production basis.