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Unique lighting string rectificationUnique lighting string rectification description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070164683, Unique lighting string rectification. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to the field of decorative LED light strings and particularly an improved circuit to be used to connect LED light strings having one or more series connection. BACKGROUND [0002] LEDs are becoming increasingly popular as a light source in decorative and Christmas lights due to their reliability, energy savings, longevity, and cool operation. Manufacturers of decorative light strings are constantly working to maximize the brightness and benefits of LEDs as a light source as well as reduce production cost to narrow the gap between traditional, incandescent and LED light string cost. [0003] It is known in the art the use of a DC power supply to power LED lamps maximize LED brightness and longevity. However, prior art discloses the use of a full bridge rectification circuit that requires additional conductor wires, separate enclosures to house rectifying diodes and/or additional conductor connections and/or voltage and current reducing devices, and places undue current load on rectifying diodes, detracting from the appearance of the light string and creating a potential safety hazard. [0004] FIG. 1 shows a prior art embodiment of an LED light string comprising a light string requiring 4 conductor wires when a single series block of LED lamps and an end connector is employed. Five (5) conductor wires are required when two or more series blocks of LED lamps are employed. Both the AC to DC converter and additional wires imposed by this design add significant cost and detract from the aesthetics of the light string. [0005] FIGS. 2A and 2B also show prior art embodiments of LED light strings. The prominent feature of these prior arts is circuit rectification wherein the rectifying diodes are installed in split pairs in an attempt to save wire, thus reducing cost. However according to the embodiment of FIG. 2A of the invention, three (3) conductor wires and a "dummy plug" is required when the light string does not have an end connector. In addition, significant modifications, enlarging the plug and/or end connector would be required in order to house the split pairs of rectifying diodes and voltage reducing devices. Alternately, the split diode pairs and voltage reducing devices would require a fairly large, separate enclosure to house them. Both of these options add significant cost and detract from the aesthetics of the light string. [0006] According to the embodiment of FIG. 2B of this invention the number of conductor wires required in the manufacture of the light chain increases one-for-one with each parallel connected series block of LEDs added to the lighting chain. Thus, a light string employing 2 series blocks of LED lamps requires 4 conductor wires (3 series blocks require 5 conductor wires, etc.). An even larger enclosure is required in order to house the diode pairs, multiple conductor wires, and voltage reducing devices; Thus the invention disclosed defeats the wire saving purpose, adds cost, places severe limitations on the design, complicates the manufacturing process, and further detracts from the aesthetics of the light string. [0007] In addition, both of the light string designs shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A and 2B create a safety hazard when additional series blocks of LED lamps are employed. The AC to DC converter (rectifying diodes) will quickly overheat due to the increased electrical load (current summation) imposed by the additional parallel connected series blocks of LED lamps. Accordingly, both of these designs have severe limitations. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] In view of the disadvantages of the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved decorative light string circuit that can solve the problems mentioned previously. [0009] To attain the aforesaid object, the present invention comprises a common decorative light string current tap or plug, a common end connector, full bridge rectification consisting of 4 rectifying diodes and at least 1 block of series connected LED lamps. Individual rectifying diodes form electrical connections between parallel and series conductors at various points within the light string. Said individual rectifying diodes can be distributed and housed among the light string plug, end connector, decorative light string lamp husks, or attached directly to the LED electrical contacts or conductor wires (or any combination thereof), simplifying the manufacturing process and rendering them invisible and thus eliminating the manufacture, enclosing, and electrically insulating of the 4 diode set and multiple conductor connections required of prior art FIG. 1, and the split pairs of rectifying diodes and/or current and voltage control devices and multiple conductor connections required of prior art FIG. 2A and 2B. [0010] Additional LED series sets can be added in parallel to the first using traditional series/parallel light string construction and assembly methods. This eliminates the rectifying diode current summation load restrictions imposed by prior art and associated safety hazard due to diode overheating and further simplifies the light string manufacturing process. [0011] In addition, since each bridge and LED series circuit is electrically independent parallel connected series blocks of LEDs can have varying number of serially connected LEDs within the same light string. For example series block #1 could have 75 LED lamps in series with parallel connected series block #2 having only 25 LED lamps in series and parallel connected series block #3 having 50 LED lamps in series. [0012] Manufacturing cost is significantly reduced and light string appearance improved as the number of conductor wires does not increase as the number of LED series blocks connected in parallel increases. The prior art shown in FIG. 1 requires 5 conductor wires when multiple series blocks of LED lamps are connected in parallel. Prior art shown in FIG. 2B requires 1 additional conductor wire for each parallel connected series block of LED lamps. The present invention requires only 3 conductor wires regardless of the number of parallel connections employed. [0013] This invention, as well as its advantages will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the included description and figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] FIG. 1 is a prior art schematic circuit diagram of a decorative light string. [0015] FIGS. 2A and 2B are prior art schematic circuit diagrams of decorative light strings. [0016] FIG. 3A and 3B is schematic circuit diagrams of this invention FIGS. 4A-4C illustrates a physical embodiment of the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 3A and 3B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0017] Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. [0018] As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the LED light string includes a common household AC input voltage source and AC plug (101), parallel conductor wires (103 and 105), series conductor wire (104), a plurality of LED lamps, and end connector plug (102) incorporating exit AC voltage for powering additional light strings. [0019] First rectifying diode (110) forms an electrical connection between parallel conductor wire (103) via optional resistor (120) and the positive terminal of first light emitting diode (130). Subsequent light emitting diodes are electrically connected in series via series conductor wire (104) through last series connected light emitting diode (133). Second rectifying diode (111) forms an electrical connection between the negative terminal of last light emitting diode (133) and parallel conductor wire (103) via optional resistor (120), thus giving half wave rectification to the partially completed circuit. 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