CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/844,764, filed on May 8, 2019, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a light bulb with an illuminated crystal.

Description of the Related Art

[0003] Decorative lighting typically uses a glass light bulb enclosed or semi-enclosed in a fixture that provides the desired decorative effect. Among the desired decorative effects is illumination of a crystal, where light passes through the crystal and is affected by the properties thereof. Light passing through a crystal will be refracted. The properties of the observed refracted light will depend on the properties of the crystal, including the type of material, crystal structure, thickness, presence of impurities, and other factors.

[0004] U.S. Patent No. 2,063,153 discloses attaching an array of cut glass to a light bulb using glue or a wire through a hole in the glass to provide the electrical connection needed to provide power to the light bulb. PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2003/047315 A1 discloses a mineral block lamp with a light glued inside a translucent crystal mineral. U.S. Design Patent No. D426,901 discloses a crystal lamp bulb that uses cut glass as an ornamental feature. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0262910 discloses a lamp with a plurality of light sources that are refracted through a crystal. Chinese Patent Application Nos. 204062598, 202101090, 102330945, and 104089244 disclose various LED-based lamps and light bulbs. U.S. Patent No. 5,414,606 discloses a mirrored light fixture. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0257391 discloses a crystal light display holder. Chinese Patent Application No. 201391800 discloses a flower-shaped mineral lamp. Chinese Patent Application Nos. 205716612 and 202165845 disclose the use of mineral blocks in a container with a light bulb.

[0005] These and other prior art lamps and lighting fixtures rely on the use of an adhesive such as a glue or a hole to insert a light source into glass or a crystal. A significant problem with using an adhesive such as a glue is that it will be heated whenever the lighting fixture is in use, and thus the adhesive may degrade over time and lose mechanical strength or release undesirable byproducts.

[0006] Creating a hole in a crystal also has significant drawbacks. First, creating a hole may damage the crystal that may render the lighting fixture unsafe, especially where the crystal is secured to the light fixture using a component inserted into the hole. Internal fractures in the crystal may not always be visible, and yet may nonetheless significantly mechanically weaken the crystal. Second, a hole will block light, thereby decreasing the total amount of light refracted through the crystal. As a result, a lighting fixture will require a greater amount of power to achieve the same luminosity as a lighting fixture without a hole. This increased power requirement is typically significant. Third, a hole complicates manufacturing. The damage caused by a hole leads to a much higher failure rate during production.

[0007] Thus there remains an unmet need for a light bulb that illuminates a crystal without use of a hole or an adhesive to secure the light bulb to the crystal.

SUMMARY

[0008] A light bulb assembly that illuminates a crystal, where the crystal is mechanically secured without the use of an adhesive or a hole created within the crystal, is disclosed herein. The crystal may be secured within the light bulb assembly using a mechanical attachment such as a clamp, clip, spring, shim, thread, ring, or other suitable mechanical attachment that attaches to a base of the crystal. The crystal may preferably be secured within the light bulb assembly using a mechanical attachment that provides sufficient compression to secure the crystal. The base of the crystal may preferably be secured within a light bulb housing. A light bulb cap may be positioned between the base of the crystal and a main body of the crystal. The mechanical attachment may preferably remain secure when heated by the light source of the light bulb assembly when in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 shows a separated embodiment of the disclosed light bulb assembly.

[0010] FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the light bulb cap attached to the light bulb housing.

PET ATT, ED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A light bulb assembly that illuminates a crystal, where the crystal is mechanically secured without the use of an adhesive or a hole created within the crystal, is disclosed herein. The crystal may be secured within the light bulb assembly using a mechanical attachment such as a clamp, clip, spring, shim, thread, ring, or other suitable mechanical attachment that attaches to a base of the crystal. The crystal may preferably be secured within the light bulb assembly using a mechanical attachment that provides sufficient compression to secure the crystal. The base of the crystal may preferably be secured within a light bulb housing. A light bulb cap may be positioned between the base of the crystal and a main body of the crystal. The mechanical attachment may preferably remain secure when heated by the light source of the light bulb assembly when in use.

[0012] The crystal may preferably be any crystal suitable for illumination, such as a translucent crystal. More preferably, the crystal may be selected from the group consisting of selenite, sinhalite, orthoclase, phenakite, phosphophyllite, petalite, euclase, hauyne, chrysoberyl, taaffeite, datolite, topaz, diamond, tourmaline, tugtupite, lazulite, gypsum, howlite, spessartine, vesuvianite, enstatite, hambergite, titanite, oligoclase, celestine, spodumene, sphalerite, chalcedony, scapolite, danburite, sapphire, moonstone, camelian, dioptase, dumortierite, cassiterite, pyrope, peridot, calcite, cerussite, heliodor beryl, citrine, kornerupine, iolite, unarovite, zircon, epidote, kyanite, hessonite, scheelite, staurolite, hematite, sillimanite, dravite, rose quartz, spinel, sodalite, fluorite, tektites, diopside, emerald, grossular garnet, zoisite, and microcline. Even more preferably, the crystal may be selenite. [0013] The crystal may be shaped or carved into a desired form prior to attachment to the light bulb assembly.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a separated embodiment 100 of the disclosed light bulb assembly, including crystal 102, spring clip 104, light bulb cap 106, light source 110, electrical components 112, light bulb housing 114, and threaded insert 116. Spring clip 104 mechanically secures crystal 102 to light bulb housing 114. Crystal 102 is shaped to fit securely into light bulb cap 106 without a significant gap that would cause crystal 102 to wobble appreciably within the light bulb assembly. Light bulb cap 106 attaches to light bulb housing 114, thereby obscuring spring clip 104 from view. Threaded insert 116 is a standard threaded insert that may be used to secure the light bulb assembly into a lighting fixture.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the light bulb cap attached to the light bulb housing.

[0016] The spring clip may preferably be a metal spring clip. The spring clip may preferably be configured to secure the crystal tightly at ambient temperature and at an elevated temperature, where the elevated temperature is a temperature that is ordinarily achieved when the spring clip and crystal are heated by the light source when the light bulb assembly is in use.

[0017] The light bulb cap may preferably be composed of a metal. The spring clip may be secured to light bulb cap by mechanical tension. The spring clip and light bulb cap may be composed of the same material or may alternatively be composed of different materials that have sufficiently similar expansion properties when heated such that the spring clip remains secured to the light bulb cap when heated by the light source.

[0018] In some preferred embodiments, the diameter of the circle approximated by the curvature of the spring clamp may be less than the diameter of the base of the crystal that will be seated thereinto, such that the spring clamp secures the crystal tightly at an elevated temperature, where the elevated temperature is a temperature that is ordinarily achieved when the spring clip and crystal are heated by the light source when the light bulb assembly is in use. The preferred ratio of the diameter of the circle approximated by the curvature of the spring clamp to the diameter of the base of the crystal that will be seated thereinto may depend on one or more factors such as the spring design, the thickness and profile of the spring wire, whether the spring clamp is cold forged or hot forged, or other parameters.

[0019] In some embodiments, the light bulb housing is textured. The texture may preferably be ribbing. The ribbing may increase the surface area of the light bulb housing to assist in cooling of the light bulb assembly when in use. The ribbing may also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the light bulb assembly.

[0020] The following example is provided as a specific illustration. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific details set forth in the example.

[0021] Further, any range of numbers recited above or in the paragraphs hereinafter describing or claiming various aspects of the invention, such as ranges that represent a particular set of properties, units of measure, conditions, physical states, or percentages, is intended to literally incorporate expressly herein by reference or otherwise any number falling within such range, including any subset of numbers or ranges subsumed within any range so recited. The term“about” when used as a modifier for or in conjunction with a variable is intended to convey that the numbers and ranges disclosed herein may be flexible as understood by ordinarily skilled artisans.

Example

[0022] An 18 mm spring clamp (Taotong Tools) is used to secure a selenite crystal with a base having a diameter of about 20 mm. The crystal is housed in an LED light bulb housing (AJDSSCL E27 COB LED bulb). The crystal remains securely held by the spring clamp upon illumination of the light source of the light bulb housing, even after at least about 24 hours of illumination.

[0023] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention disclosed herein. Although the various inventive aspects are disclosed in the context of certain illustrated embodiments, implementations, and examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number of variations of various inventive aspects have been shown and described in detail, other modifications that are within their scope will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art based upon reviewing this disclosure. It should be also understood that the scope of this disclosure includes the various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, such that the various features, modes of implementation, and aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be combined with or substituted for one another. The generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0024] Similarly, the disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intent that any claim set forth below requires more features than are expressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects may reside in a combination of fewer than all features of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

[0025] Each of the foregoing and various aspects, together with those set forth in the claims and summarized above or otherwise disclosed herein, including the figures, may be combined without limitation to form claims for a device, apparatus, system, method of manufacture, and/or method of use.

[0026] All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.