US 5,848,837 · Granted 1998-12-15
The Sealed LED Strip That Made Modern Accent Lighting Waterproof
This patent describes a waterproof strip of lights made by completely wrapping LEDs, wires, and circuit boards in plastic so water can't get inside. Instead of assembling pieces together, the whole thing is manufactured as one solid chunk, kind of like how a plastic pen is made.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers an integrally formed light strip where LEDs and electrical components are completely encapsulated in extruded plastic as a single piece, with no internal air pockets. Specifically, it protects the design where bus elements (power conductors) and a substrate strip with printed circuitry are all molded together inside plastic, making the strip waterproof. A second variant covers strips designed with a channel on the bottom that lets you snap additional strips together using connectors.
Why it matters
This patent matters because it solved a real problem: older LED strips had joints, gaps, and exposed connections that could fail when exposed to moisture in kitchens, bathrooms, or outdoor spaces. By encasing everything in one solid piece during manufacturing, the patent made LED accent lighting practical for wet environments without degradation. This opened up new applications for decorative lighting in homes and commercial spaces.
Real-world use
You see this technology in the waterproof LED strips installed under kitchen cabinets, around bathroom mirrors, or in outdoor patio lighting—places where moisture or humidity would have destroyed older wired-together designs.
Original USPTO abstract
An integrally formed single piece light strip having no internal voids, comprising first and second bus elements spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance for operative connection to a power source. A substrate strip includes a top surface and a bottom surface having a printed circuit thereon. At least one light emitting diode (LED), including electrical contact prongs, is provided, with the LED being mounted on the top surface of the substrate strip, and with the electrical contact prongs contacting the printed circuit on the bottom surface of the substrate strip. The printed circuit is in electrical contact with the bus elements to conduct electricity thereon. An extruded plastic material completely encapsulates the first and second bus elements, with the substrate strip and the LED to thereby provide a protective barrier and thereby make the light strip impervious to moisture. Alternatively, an integrally formed light strip is provided that includes a plastic material extruded over first and second bus elements, a substrate strip including a printed circuit and at least one LED mounted thereon to completely encapsulate the components to provide a light strip protective barrier, with the extruded plastic material being extruded to form a bottom surface defining a channel therein for facilitating connection of the strip with other like strips through a channel engaging electrical connector.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,848,837
- Filing date
- 1996-09-03
- Grant date
- 1998-12-15
- Assignee
- Stantech
- Inventor(s)
- GUSTAFSON; THOMAS L.
- CPC class
- B64F1/002
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