The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202011090177.7, filed on Oct. 13, 2020, said application is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
The disclosure relates to the storage of a light string, in particular, to a spool assembly for receiving the light string.
Usually a light string illumination device includes a light string and a power transformer. A power-receiving end of the light string is electrically connected to the power transformer. The transformer has rectification and transformation functions, and is usually set in the form of an alternating-current (AC) power plug. The power transformer is used to connect an AC power socket to receive the external AC power. The power transformer converts the external AC power into driving power with appropriate voltage and frequency to drive the light string to emit light. The power transformer may be equipped with a switch for turning on or turning off the light string, and even switching the flashing frequency of the light string.
Generally, one way to store the light string is to wind the light string onto a spool. However, the free end of the light string is not fixed, and the weight of the power transformer makes the free end hang down, so that the free end will contribute to the light string coming out of the spool, which is not conducive to the storage and carrying of the light string.
In view of the above problem, this disclosure discloses a spool assembly for receiving a light string, which can effectively maintain the light string in a stored state.
In one or more embodiments, this disclosure discloses a spool system or assembly for receiving one or more light strings, including a spool or winding device and a power transformer. The winding device includes a winding portion, about which the light string is wound, a first flange, and a second flange. The winding portion includes a first end and a second end arranged along a longitudinal direction. The first flange extends outward from the first end and is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the first flange further includes at least one first latching hole. The second flange extends outward from the second end and is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the second flange further includes at least one second latching hole. The power transformer includes a power conversion circuit and a housing. The power conversion circuit is arranged in the housing, and the power conversion circuit is configured to convert external power into driving power. The housing further includes at least one protruding portion protruding from the housing and configured to be engaged into one of the first latching hole and the second latching hole.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the housing includes a front end surface, a rear end surface, a first lateral surface, and a second lateral surface; the front end surface and the rear end surface are arranged opposite to each other. The first lateral surface and the second lateral surface are arranged opposite to each other, and connect the front end surface and the rear end surface; and the at least one protruding portion includes at least one first protruding portion and at least one second protruding portion, the first protruding portion protrudes from the first lateral surface and is configured to be engaged into the first latching hole, and the second protruding portion protrudes from the second lateral surface and is configured to be engaged into the second latching hole.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, a projection of the first latching hole on the second flange overlaps the second latching hole.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the first latching hole and the second latching hole are elongated slot-holes and arranged in parallel to each other.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the spool system further includes a remote controller and a remote control signal receiver; wherein the remote controller is configured to send a remote control switching signal, the remote control signal receiver is electrically connected to the power conversion circuit and configured to receive the remote control switching signal, and the remote control signal receiver transfers the remote control switching signal to the power conversion circuit to modulate the driving power of the power conversion circuit.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the spool system further includes a remote controller; wherein the remote controller is configured to send a remote control switching signal, to modulate the driving power of the power conversion circuit.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the first flange includes a first affixing slot, the second flange includes a second affixing slot, and two opposite edges of the remote controller are configured to be engaged into the first affixing slot and the second affixing slot.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the winding device includes two affixing hooks disposed on an outer side surface of the first flange; the two affixing hooks are arranged opposite to each other and configured to withhold two opposite edges of the remote controller, so as to affix the remote controller onto the first flange.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the winding device includes a plurality of affixing structures, which may be hooks, disposed on edges of the first flange and the second flange and configured to hold two opposite edges of the remote controller, so as to affix the remote controller to the edges of the first flange and the second flange.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the spool system further includes two third latching holes, two fourth latching holes, a first auxiliary board, and a second auxiliary board; wherein the two third latching holes and the two fourth latching holes are respectively disposed on the first flange and the second flange; the first auxiliary board and the second auxiliary board respectively include a first affixing slot and a second affixing slot; the first auxiliary board and the second auxiliary board are respectively configured to be engaged into the two third latching holes and the two fourth latching hole, and two opposite edges of the remote controller are configured to be engaged into the first affixing slot and the second affixing slot.
In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the winding portion defines a shaft hole communicating with the first end and the second end and running through the first flange and the second flange; the winding portion further defines an extending slot-hole extending from the shaft hole and communicating with the first end and the second end, and the shaft hole and the extending slot-hole are combined into an elongated slot-hole and the remote controller is configured to be inserted into the elongated slot-hole, so as to affix the remote controller in the shaft hole and the extending slot-hole.
According to one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the power transformer can be affixed to the winding device when the light string is wound on the winding device. The affixed power transformer can anchor or affix the free end of the light string, so that the spool assembly in the stored state will not allow the light string and the power transformer to hang loose, which is conducive to the storage and carrying of the spool assembly.
This disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus not limitative of this disclosure, wherein:
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In particular, in this embodiment, the number of the first latching hole 111 may be two or more. In addition, the first latching hole 111 may be configured as an elongated slot-hole. When the number of the first latching holes 111 is two or more, the elongated slot-holes may be arranged in parallel to each other. The second flange 120 extends outward from the second end 132 and is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the second flange 120 defines two second latching holes 121. The number of the second latching hole 121 may be two or more. In addition, the second latching hole 121 may be configured as an elongated slot-hole. When the number of the second latching holes 121 is two or more, the elongated slot-holes may be arranged in parallel to each other. The number of the first latching holes 111 and the number the second latching holes 121 may be the same, and a projection of the first latching holes 111 on the second flange 120 may overlap the second latching holes 121. The aforementioned first latching holes 111 and second latching holes 121 are elongated slot-holes merely for illustration, in other embodiments, the first latching holes 111 and the second latching holes 121 can define other shapes configured to receive portions of the power transformer 200.
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In this disclosure, the first protruding portion 225 and the second protruding portion 226 may be configured with only one of them; that is, the housing 220 defines only one protruding portion protruding from the surface of the housing 220, and the winding device 100 includes only one latching hole disposed on the first flange 110 or the second flange 120. The distance between the first flange 110 and the second flange 120 is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the distance between the first lateral surface 223 and the second lateral surface 224, so that the protruding portion can engage into the latching hole. In conjunction with the first flange 110 and the second flange 120 clamping the housing 220, in an embodiment, one single latching hole can achieve the purpose of fixing the power transformer 200. In fact, the first flange 110 and the second flange 120 may be configured with latching holes at the same time; that is, the latching holes may include at least one first latching hole 111 and at least one second latching hole 121. When fixing the power transformer 200, the protruding portion can be arbitrarily engaged into one of the first latching hole 111 and the second latching hole 121. Furthermore, multiple groups of latching holes can be arranged on the first flange 110 and the second flange 120, and when affixing the power transformer 200, the protruding portion can be arbitrarily engaged into one, or received by, of the latching holes.
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The remote control switching signal is received through the remote control signal receiver 250 and transmitted to the power conversion circuit 210, so as to modulate or control the driving power output by the power conversion circuit 210; for example, the output of the power conversion circuit 210 is switched to turn on the light string 2, change the blinking or other mode of the light string 2, or turn off the light string 2. In addition, the first flange 110 includes a first affixing slot 112, the second flange 120 includes a second affixing slot 122, and two opposite edges of the remote controller 300 are configured to be engaged into the first affixing slot 112 and the second affixing slot 122. Therefore, when storing and carrying the spool assembly 1, the remote controller 330 can be combined with the winding device 100 to avoid losing the remote controller 300.
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In the fifth embodiment, the first protruding portion 225 and the second protruding portion 226 are configured in a detachable form. For example, the first protruding portion 225 and the second protruding portion 226 may be two opposite edges of two plates, and the plates define through holes. The metal power prong 230 or the housing 220 can be inserted into the through holes, so that the first protruding portion 225 and the second protruding portion 226 protrude from the first lateral surface 223 and the second lateral surface 224 of the housing 220. In this case, a distance between the two plates can be adjusted to match the variation of the distance between the first latching holes 111 or the second latching holes 112.
Therefore, when the power transformer 200 or the winding device 100 is replaced with another one having a different size, all that needs to be done is to change the plates, and then new first protruding portions 225 and second protruding portions 226 are attached to the power transformer 200 to match the first latching holes 111 and the second latching holes 112, so as to affix the power transformer 200 to the flanges.
According to one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the power transformer 200 can be affixed to the winding device 100 when the light string 2 is wound on the winding device 100. The affixed power transformer 200 can fix or secure the free end 22 of the light string 2, so that the spool assembly 1 in the stored state will not have the light string 2 and the power transformer 200 hanging loose, which is conducive to the storage and carrying of the spool assembly 1.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202011090177.7 | Oct 2020 | CN | national |
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Entry |
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Admitted Prior Art (pre Nov. 2020), “Photograph of Light String Adapter One”, 1 page. |
Admitted Prior Art (pre Nov. 2020), “Photograph of Light String Adapter Two”, 1 page. |
Admitted Prior Art (pre Nov. 2020), “Photograph of Light String Adapter Three”, 2 pages. |
Admitted Prior Art (pre Nov. 2020), “Photograph of Light String Reel With Adapter Four”, 4 pages. |