Holiday string lights such as Christmas tree and house ornament lights are often stored loosely in a storage box or on a shelf. Inevitably, the individual lights and electrical cord comprising the string become entangled or intertwined resulting in a tangled mass, which, every season, the homeowner must untangle. Also, inevitably, lights stored in such a manner will become broken during storage or out of frustration trying to untangle the tangled heap the next season. Accordingly, there is a need for a low cost, easy to use device that enables homeowners to store their string lights in manner that prevents tangling and protects the lights from damage.
The present invention is directed toward a device for storing elongated articles such as light strings and the like. The device includes a length of hollow tube and an elongated sock having an open end and, preferably, a closed end. The length of the elongated sock is preferably substantially the same or longer than the length of the light string to be stored.
In use, the open end of the sock is placed over one end of the hollow tube and is bunched up onto the tube until the preferred closed end of the sock approaches the end of the tube. One end of the light string is inserted through the open end of the tube received within the sock. The light string is fed into the tube until its end reaches the preferred closed end of the sock. Holding the tube in one hand, a user then simply grasps with the other hand the end of the light string within the sock and pulls the sock together with the light string in the direction away from the tube. As the light string and sock are pulled together, the sock is pulled off the tube as the light string is pulled through the tube, resulting in the length of the light string disposed within the length of the sock. The sock with the light string disposed therein can then be coiled around the tube or simply coiled and placed in a box or on the shelf. The lights are protected by the sock and the individual lights and cord are prevented from becoming entangled or intertwined. When it is desired to reuse the light string, the free end of the light string is simply pulled from the open end of the sock.
Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts or features throughout the several drawing figures,
In the preferred embodiment, the storage device 10 includes a short length of a hollow tube 12 and an elongated sock or sleeve 14. In the preferred embodiment, the tube 12 is made of polyvinylchloride (PVC), but any other material may also be used; it being desirable, however, for the tube 12 to be substantially rigid such that it does not collapse or bend during use as discussed later. In the preferred embodiment, the tube 12 is approximately twelve inches in length and has an internal diameter of approximately two inches. It should be appreciated, however, that the length of the tube 12 may be substantially longer or shorter, depending on the length of the sock 14 to be fed onto the tube as illustrated in
In use, as illustrated in
For storage, the, sock with the light string disposed therein can be wrapped or coiled around the tube 12 or the sock/light combination can be removed from the end of the tube 12 and coiled and stored separately from the tube 12. It should be appreciated that with the length of the light string 20 disposed within the length of the sock 14, the individual lights comprising the light string 20 are more protected from damage during storage and the individual lights and cord are less likely to become entangled or intertwined. When it is desired to reuse the light string 20, the coiled combination can simply be uncoiled to enable one end of the light string 20 to be pulled from the open end 16 of the sock 14 with or without the tube 12 attached.
In addition to storing light strings, the present invention can be used for storing other elongated articles that have a tendency to become entangled and/or for which a sock or sleeve would provide some protection from damage. For example, the present invention 10 may be used for storing necklaces, bracelets, other jewelry chains and the like. Accordingly, despite the preferred embodiment being described as a storage devices for light strings, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to only a string light storage device.
Although only certain exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/US06/24879 | 6/26/2006 | WO | 00 | 12/26/2007 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60694454 | Jun 2005 | US |