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The bubble lights originated on November 27, 1935 with Carl Otis filing a patent for “Display.” This was how the famous Christmas bubble light began when his patent was granted on September 26, 1939 for his idea of small, bubbling lights specifically adapted for use on Christmas trees.
The idea was not really a new one as Benjamin Franklin was the first person to demonstrate the bubble lights, and several other individuals attempted to patent it. In November of 1941, Carl Otis filed a second patent, which was granted on July 4, 1944. By then he had sent out sample tubes to the largest Christmas light companies in business. Meanwhile, he was still working on his own “Ornamental Illuminating Device” for his third patent. One of the sample companies, NOMA Electric, purchased all manufacturing rights of the bubbling lights, the first and second patent rights from Carl Otis, while hiring him to further develop the bubbling lights idea. What the bubble lights are is a row of small decorative devices filled with a liquid that is heated and lit by a small light bulb. Because of the fact these bulbs have a low boiling point, this small amount of heat that is generated by the light causes the liquid to boil and bubble, rising up from the base. The early bulbs were filled with lightweight oil, but later on dichloromethane, or methylene chloride, was used for the bubble lights. Bubble lights became very popular during the 1950s to the 1970s, becoming the popular miniature “fairy” lights toward the end of that time frame. Recently, the bubble lights have glitter added to the tube, which is stirred up by the bubbles. Decorative nightlights uses this quite a bit. Also, some are special for the holidays with the bases looking like Santa Claus or the snowman, instead of plain ribbed plastic. This bubble lights and their designs can also be changed over to Halloween decorations, with jack-o-lantern bases or black cats. Modern imitations of these original bubble lights are made from acrylic or clear plastic rods, with permanent bubbles manufactured into them permanently. They are lit with fixed-colors or color-changing LEDs. Other new designs are much larger and sit on the table or floor, with fake fish swimming up and down with the changing water buoyancy. These new bubble lights are filled with distilled water with one or more air stones situated at the bottom of the tube; lights and air pumps are added to enhance the bubbly look. |
Lighting Types and Bulbs