US20030156405A1

US20030156405A1 - Decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones

Info

Publication number: US20030156405A1
Application number: US10/077,731
Authority: US
Inventors: Kee Kim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-02-19
Filing date: 2002-02-19
Publication date: 2003-08-21

Abstract

A decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones comprises a panel and a transparent material. The panel defined by an outer periphery, an upper surface and a lower surface includes an opening through the upper and lower surfaces thereof to define an inner periphery thereof. The transparent material is defined by top and bottom sides laminated to each other. The bottom side is planted in the inner periphery of the plate to cover the panel opening. A vessel is defined by a base plate and a wall protrusion upwardly extending from the base plate. The wall protrusion is detachably attached to the plain lower surface of the panel. On the base plate in the vessel is aligned miniature bulbs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a decoration pad system. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved decoration pad system, which realizes a lit stepping stone simulation to elegantly culminate light-oriented decorations and esthetically upgrade ambient environments such as gardens, driveways and stairs.

Stepping stones and their application versions are increasingly welcome to contractors and homeowners. A variety of stepping stones are on the market to satisfy aesthetic purposes as well as practical demands in such spots as gardens, parks, and private yards. Artificial materials are also used to replace real stones to build a stepping stone structure.

A demand on the market is to aesthetically apply a light to a stepping stone outfit so as to further satisfy aesthetic gardening desire while improving its practical utility. Another demand is to facilitate displacements of stepping stone applications so that the improved stepping stone application can meet requirements of those who prefer to intermittently use for either holiday decorations or occasional events.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is contrived to overcome conventional disadvantages. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention is to provide an improved decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones to elegantly culminate light-oriented decorations and esthetically upgrade ambient environments such as gardens, private yards and public facilities.

To achieve the above-described object, the decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones comprises a plurality of panels each defined by an outer periphery, a decorative upper surface and a plain lower surface. An opening is formed through the upper and lower surfaces of said each panel which is non-transparent. The system also comprises a substantially transparent material defined by a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the transparent material is detachably fitted in said each panel opening from the lower surface of said each panel.

In an embodiment, a plurality of miniature bulbs are aligned along the bottom side of the transparent material for said each panel and linearly wrapped so the linear wrapped miniature bulbs are fixed to the bottom side of the transparent material for said each panel. The linearly wrapped miniature bulbs are spirally aligned along the bottom side of the transparent material for said each panel. The system further comprises a power control and a sensor. The power control is connected to the miniature bulbs for said each panel to switch on/off the miniature bulbs so that the miniature bulbs lit by the switch-on of the power control decoratively illuminate through the transparent material. The sensor is provided in the decoration pad system and connected to the power control. The illuminance of the switched-on miniature bulbs is substantially increased when the corresponding panel and transparent material are stepped on.

The advantages of the present invention are numerous. First, the spirally wrapped miniature bulbs aligned underneath the transparent material effectively urge the light therefrom to evenly permeate through the decoratively stained glass of the transparent material, thereby aesthetically culminating a decorative expression of the artistically stained glass such as mosaic. Secondly, the simplified construction and subsequent portability of the decoration pad system allows its user to expand its application from outdoor decoration to indoor remodeling and from esthetic adaptation to practical use, thereby maximizing customer satisfaction while maximizing product reliability. Thirdly, the serial connection of a plurality of pad systems allows the user to easily mount the same on wherever desired and to easily displace or store the same, for example, within a target garden, thereby improving product applicability and usability.

Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objects and advantages will be more apparent by describing the present invention with reference to the accompanying reference drawings, in which: [0009]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones according to an embodiment of the present invention; [0010]
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along II-II in FIG. 1; [0011]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along III-III in FIG. 1; [0012]
FIG. 4 is a view showing a decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones according to another embodiment of the present invention; and [0013]
FIG. 5 is a view showing a decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones according to a further embodiment of the present invention.[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1, a [0015] decoration pad system 10 for simulating lit stepping stones according to the present invention comprises a panel 12 defined by an outer periphery 14, a decorative upper surface 16 and a plain lower surface 18. The panel 12 includes an opening 20 formed through the upper and lower surfaces 16, 18 thereof to define an inner periphery 22 thereof. The upper surface 16 of the panel 12 is substantially flat. Here, the panel 12 is preferably formed non-transparent. It is also recommended that the non-transparent panel 12 be formed of a polyresin that shows a characteristic of strength and hardness. The outer periphery 14 of the panel 12 may be processed in a substantially circular, triangular or rectangular formation. In a preferred version, the outer periphery 14 of the panel 12 is shaped after an image of an animal, a flower, a tree or an animation character. The inner periphery 22 of the panel 12 is substantially stepped to form a step opening 24 in and along an upper rim 26 thereof in an even manner. The step opening 24 is defined by a depth and a width.
The [0016] decoration pad system 10 further comprises a substantially transparent material 28 defined by a decorative top side 30 and a solid bottom side 32. The top and bottom sides 30, 32 of the transparent material 28 are laminated to each other. In this construction, at least the solid bottom side 32 of the transparent material 28 is planted in the inner periphery 22 of the plate 12 to cover the panel opening 30. Specifically, the top and bottom sides 30, 32 laminated or attached to each other and incorporated in the transparent material 28 are fixedly mounted in the step opening 24 and supported by a panel base 34 defined by the step opening 24. Here, when the transparent material 28 is mounted on the panel base 34 and in the step opening 24, the upper surface 16 of the panel 12 becomes substantially even to the exposed upper surface of the top side 30 of the transparent material 28.
Meanwhile, a [0017] vessel 36 is provided below the panel 12. The vessel 36 is defined by a base plate 38 and a first wall protrusion 40 upwardly extending from the base plate 38. The first wall protrusion 40 is then detachably attached to the plain lower surface 18 of the panel 12. Within the vessel 36 is provided a plurality of miniature bulbs 42 aligned on the base plate 38 in the vessel 36. Here, the vessel 36 may be formed of a polyresin.
For a better performance, the [0018] lower surface 18 of the panel 12 may include a second wall protrusion 44 downwardly extending from the lower plain surface 18 of the panel 12 to receive therein the first wall protrusion 40 of the vessel 36. An engagement member 46 may be also provided to fixedly attach the first and second wall protrusions 40, 44 to each other. That is, the engagement member 46 such as screws may reliably fix the second wall protrusion 44 of the panel 12 to the first wall protrusion 40 of the vessel 36. Selectively, the first wall protrusion 40 of the vessel 36 may be elastically engaged in or over the second wall protrusion 44 of the panel 12. In case of an elastic engagement, either the first wall protrusion 40 or the second wall protrusion 44 is elastically fabricated.
In a preferred version, the plurality of [0019] miniature bulbs 42 are linearly wrapped so the linearly wrapped miniature bulbs 48 are detachably attached to the base plate 38 in the vessel 36. The linearly wrapped miniature bulbs 48 are spirally aligned along the base plate 38 in the vessel 36. That is, the plurality of miniature bulbs 42 are wrapped in a transparent tube and spirally aligned below the transparent material 28 for an evenly distributed illumination through the transparent material 28. Selectively, at least one fastener 54 may be provided to safely hold the linearly wrapped miniature bulbs 48 to the base plate 38 of the vessel 36.
As further shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a power control [0020] 50 is consecutively connected to the miniature bulbs 42 to control an electrical power to the miniature bulbs 42. According to this construction, the miniature bulbs 42 lit by the switch-on of the power control 50 decoratively illuminate through the transparent material 28. Selectively, the power control 50 comprises a timer 52 to manipulate a lighting time for the miniature bulbs 42.
In order to derive a better performance, the [0021] bottom side 32 of the transparent material 28 is formed of a reinforced glass, whereas the top side 30 of the transparent material 28 is formed of a stained glass. Also, the top and bottom sides 30, 32 of the transparent material 28 are cement-laminated. That is, an artistic construction, such as a mosaic plating using stained glass pieces 31, of the top side 30 of the transparent material 28 is formulated and glued on the bottom side 32 of the transparent material 28 so as to serve as the top side 30 of the transparent material 28. When the top side 30 of the transparent material 28 is formed by mosaic plating of stained glass pieces 31, the stained glass pieces 31 forming the top side 30 of the transparent material 28 are each substantially identical in thickness thereof. Alternately, the bottom side 32 of the transparent material 28 may be formed of an acrylic resin or a substantially transparent plastic compound.
With further reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the [0022] decoration pad system 10 in FIG. 1 may be formed is formed in plural so a plurality of decoration pad systems 60 are serially connected by an electrical wire cord 62 to each other and controlled by a power control 64 connected to the miniature bulbs 42 of each pad system 10 to control an electrical power to the miniature bulbs. So the miniature bulbs 42 lit by a switch-on of the power control decoratively illuminate through each transparent material 28. For a better performance, a sensor 66 may be provided in each decoration pad system 10 and connected to the power control 64. Preferably, the sensor 66 is weight-responsive. The illuminance of the switched-on miniature bulbs 42 of each system 10 is substantially increased when either the corresponding panel 12 or the corresponding transparent material 28 of the decoration pad systems 60 are stepped on. Also, the plurality of panels 12 are electrically connected to each other in series by the wire cord 62. As further shown in FIG. 5, two or more transparent materials 28 may be selectively formed in the single panel 12.
As discussed above, an advantage of the present invention is that the spirally wrapped miniature bulbs [0023] 48 aligned underneath the transparent material 28 effectively urge the light therefrom to evenly permeate through the decoratively stained glass or the top surface 30 of the transparent material 28, thereby aesthetically culminating a decorative expression of the artistically stained glass such as mosaic. Further, the simplified construction and subsequent portability of the decoration pad system allows its user to expand its application from outdoor decoration to indoor remodeling and from esthetic adaptation to practical use, thereby maximizing customer satisfaction while maximizing product reliability. In addition, the serial connection of a plurality of pad systems allows the user to easily mount the same on wherever desired and to easily displace or store the same, for example, within a target garden, thereby improving product applicability and usability.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. [0024]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stones, comprising:

a) a panel defined by an outer periphery, a decorative upper surface and a plain lower surface, wherein the panel includes an opening formed through the upper and lower surfaces thereof to define an inner periphery thereof, wherein the panel is non-transparent;

b) a substantially transparent material defined by a decorative top side and a solid bottom side which are laminated to each other, wherein the solid bottom side of the transparent material is planted in the inner periphery of the plate to cover the panel opening;

c) a vessel defined by a base plate and a first wall protrusion upwardly extending from the base plate, wherein the first wall protrusion is detachably attached to the plain lower surface of the panel; and

d) a plurality of miniature bulbs aligned on the base plate in the vessel.

2. The decoration pad system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of miniature bulbs are linearly wrapped, wherein the linearly wrapped miniature bulbs are detachably attached to the base plate in the vessel.

3. The decoration pad system of claim 2 wherein the linearly wrapped miniature bulbs are spirally aligned along the base plate in the vessel.

4. The decoration pad system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) a second wall protrusion downwardly extending from the lower plain surface of the panel to receive therein the first wall protrusion of the vessel; and

b) an engagement member to fixedly attach the first and second wall protrusions to each other.

5. The decoration pad system of claim 1 further comprising a power control connected to the miniature bulbs to control an electrical power to the miniature bulbs, whereby the miniature bulbs lit by the switch-on of the power control decoratively illuminate through the transparent material.

6. The decoration pad system of claim 5 the power control comprises a timer to manipulate a lighting time for the miniature bulbs.

7. The decoration pad system of claim 1 wherein the bottom side of the transparent material is formed of a reinforced glass, wherein the top side of the transparent material is formed of a stained glass, wherein the bottom and top sides of the transparent material are cement-laminated.

8. The decoration pad system of claim 1 wherein the panel and the vessel are each formed of a polyresin.

9. The decoration pad system of claim 1 wherein the outer periphery of the panel is substantially either circular or rectangular.

10. The decoration pad system of claim 1 wherein the decorative top side of the transparent material is formed of a plurality of stained glass pieces and substantially even to the decorative upper surface of the panel.

11. A decoration pad system for simulating lit stepping stoners, comprising:

a) a plurality of panels each defined by an outer periphery, a decorative upper surface and a plain lower surface, wherein said each panel includes an opening formed through the upper and lower surfaces thereof to define an inner periphery thereof, wherein the panels are each non-transparent;

b) a substantially transparent material defined by a decorative top side and a solid bottom side which are laminated to each other, wherein the solid bottom side of the transparent material is planted in said each inner periphery to cover said each opening of the panels;

c) a vessel defined by a base plate and a first wall protrusion upwardly extending from the base plate, wherein the first wall protrusion is detachably attached to said each lower surface of the panels;

d) a plurality of miniature bulbs aligned on the base plate in the vessel;

e) a power control connected to the miniature bulbs to control an electrical power to the miniature bulbs, whereby the miniature bulbs lit by a switch-on of the power control decoratively illuminate through the transparent material; and

f) a sensor provided in the decoration pad system and connected to the power control, wherein the illuminance of the switched-on miniature bulbs is substantially increased when either the corresponding panel or the corresponding transparent material of the decoration pad system are stepped on.

12. The decoration pad system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of miniature bulbs of said each panel are linearly wrapped, wherein the linearly wrapped miniature bulbs of said each panel are detachably attached to the base plate in said each vessel.

13. The decoration pad system of claim 12 wherein the linearly wrapped miniature bulbs are spirally aligned along the base plate in said each vessel of the panels.

14. The decoration pad system of claim 11 further comprising:

a) a second wall protrusion downwardly extending from the lower plain surface of said each panel to receive therein the first wall protrusion of said each vessel of the panels; and

b) an engagement member to fixedly attach the first and second wall protrusions of said each vessel to each other.

15. The decoration pad system of claim 11 the power control comprises a timer to manipulate a lighting time for the miniature bulbs.

16. The decoration pad system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of panels are electrically connected to each other in series.

17. The decoration pad system of claim 11 wherein the bottom side of said each transparent material is formed of a reinforced glass, wherein the top side of said each transparent material is formed of a stained glass, wherein the bottom and top sides of said each transparent material are cement-laminated.

18. The decoration pad system of claim 11 wherein the panels and vessels are each formed of a polyresin.

19. The decoration pad system of claim 11 wherein the outer periphery of said each panel is substantially either circular or rectangular.

20. The decoration pad system of claim 11 wherein the decorative top side of the transparent material is formed of a plurality of stained glass pieces and substantially even to the decorative upper surface of the panel.

21. The decoration pad system of claim 11 wherein the sensor is weight-responsive.