Patents Examined by Marshall Honeyman
  • Patent number: 5997156
    Abstract: A lighting device which can be used for illuminating pedestrian crossings or in other applications where it is necessary to form a defined and uniform rectangular pattern includes a parabolic reflector element and a planar screen with an array of cylindrical microlenses or microprisms on a surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile per Azioni
    Inventors: Piero Perlo, Claudia Bigliati, Vito Lambertini, Piermario Repetto, Sabino Sinesi
  • Patent number: 5993037
    Abstract: A light source device for endoscopes includes a light source for emitting white light containing the components of light belonging to a visible region and wavelength bands other than the visible region; at least, a rotary color separating filter on a field sequential system; and an infrared cutoff filter for blocking light in an infrared region, of a wavelength band of the white light. When the rotary color separating filter is disposed in an optical path from the light source to a light guide, an interference filter in which an interference film is applied to a transparent base plate is placed in the optical path. This arrangement obviates the defect of burning the entrance end of the light guide or of breaking the infrared cutoff filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Tomioka, Akira Hasegawa, Shinya Matsumoto, Takayuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5993027
    Abstract: As regards a surface light source device for use with back-light or the like of a transmissive display panel, the efficiency of the cooling structure for the device will be improved and dust and dirt will be prevented from adhering.The surface light source device has a housing, a diffuser panel, a reflective plate, lamps, and an electric circuit portion. The housing has a window portion located ahead, a base portion located behind and side portions forming a flat space by connecting the two. The diffuser panel is mounted to the window portion of the housing. The reflective plate is supported by the side portions and partitions the flat space into a closed space ahead and an open space behind to be interposed therebetween. The lamps are housed in the closed space, and are positioned right above the reflective plate and right under the diffuser panel to radiate light toward the diffuser panel. The electric circuit portion is housed in the open space, and is electrically connected to the lamps to light them up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Yamamoto, Dai Yoneya, Takayoshi Omori, Akihiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5988828
    Abstract: A portable work light includes a main body having a light body and a power pack, and a hook implement that is detachably connected to the main body. The light body includes a head portion that retains a lighting element. The head portion is pivotally adjustable about an axis on a reference plane that is generally parallel to a bottom surface of the main body, and is pivotally adjustable to an angular position that is below the reference plane. A mount integrally formed with the main body is engageable with the hook implement to suspend the main body from the support. The mount has a slot that receives a boss portion of the hook implement and secures the boss portion in a detachably engaged position within the mount. The mount also has a maintaining means for maintaining connection of the hook implement to the mount when the work light is not being suspended. A second mount integrally formed with the main body may also be provided with the work light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Prince, Mark A. Carlson, Michael Schmidt
  • Patent number: 5984484
    Abstract: An advanced solar simulator illuminates the surface a very large solar array, such as one twenty feet by twenty feet in area, from a distance of about twenty-six feet with an essentially uniform intensity field of pulsed light of an intensity of one AMO, enabling the solar array to be efficiently tested with light that emulates the sun. Light modifiers sculpt a portion of the light generated by an electrically powered high power Xenon lamp and together with direct light from the lamp provide uniform intensity illumination throughout the solar array, compensating for the "square law" and "cosine law" reduction in direct light intensity, particularly at the corner locations of the array. At any location within the array the sum of the direct light and reflected light is essentially constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: TRW Inc.
    Inventor: Mark A. Kruer
  • Patent number: 5980054
    Abstract: An efficient, luminous and energy-saving panel-form illuminating system suitable for mass-production, comprising at least a photoconductor, a linear light source at one side of the photoconductor, and a reflector; wherein grooves or protrusions are formed on the bottom surface of the photoconductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Fukui, Kanji Nishii, Kenji Takamoto, Masami Ito, Kazumasa Takata, Ken Tatsuta, Koki Nakabayashi, Hiroshi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5975731
    Abstract: A motor vehicle headlight comprises a reflector, a bulb, a glass, and a direct light mask provided in front of the bulb and mounted on the reflector by at least one generally vertical bracket. The reflector has a reflective surface capable of generating by itself a beam whose light is distributed widthwise in a homogeneous manner, between a zero inclination and a maximum inclination. The reflector has two lateral zones delimited by axial vertical limit-planes passing in the vicinity of the edges of the bracket or brackets, the reflective surfaces of which are such that the radiation changes progressively, from these limit-planes, between an essentially zero horizontal deviation and a divergent horizontal deviation, and a central zone situated between the said limit-planes and capable of directing a substantial part of the radiation away from the transition zones constituted by the edges of the bracket or brackets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Denis Saladin, Eric Blusseau
  • Patent number: 5975715
    Abstract: A motor vehicle taillight fixture has a first printed board having at least one electric connector for contacting an electric supply line. The first printed board has at least one plug-in contact. A second printed board has at least one plug-in connector for receiving the at least one plug-in connector. LEDs are connected to the second printed board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Reitter & Schefenacker GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Rudolf Bauder
  • Patent number: 5975730
    Abstract: The headlight apparatus has at least one headlight unit which includes several headlight subunits (20;40;60; 61;70;90). A base low beam which illuminates a base region in front of the vehicle is produced by at least one of the headlight subunits (20;40) in such a way as to fulfill the basic minimum requirements for a low beam. Additional headlight subunits (60;61;70;90) are connectable to the headlight subunit (20;40) producing the base low beam. At least one of the headlight subunits (20;70) is constructed according to the projection principle and has a reflector, a light source and, following the reflector, a lens and a diaphragm. At least one of the headlight subunits (40;60;61) is constructed according to a reflection principle and has a reflector, a light source and, if necessary, a light permeable disk with optical elements in it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Neumann, Henning Hogrefe
  • Patent number: 5975717
    Abstract: A chaser icicle light set includes a transversely extending common wire portion, and a plurality of transversely spaced, parallel light strings depending from the common wire portion. Each light string defines a plurality of lamp sockets physically disposed in a series. The lamp sockets of the plurality of light strings are organized into a plurality of series-wired sets corresponding to given points along the lengths of the light strings. All lamp sockets of a given set within a given light string being electrically disposed in series. The number of the lamp sockets in each light string is an exact multiple of the number of sets. Controls for actuating and deactivating the sets successively produce a cascade wherein each set of each light string flashes on and off in substantially horizontal unison as a set to provide a chaser icicle effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Minami International Corp.
    Inventor: Najeh Rahman
  • Patent number: 5971572
    Abstract: A device for the angular positioning of a mass with respect to a horizontal support axis includes a support arm intended to carry the mass and the mounted angularly displaceable about the support axis and the balancing device for balancing the arm connected thereto and cooperating with an elastic return member adapted to apply to a point of the support arm a mass balancing moment opposed to the moment generated by the weight of the mass. The assembly of the balancing member and the elastic return device is mounted oscillating on an oscillation axis parallel to the support axis and situated at a fixed distance therefrom so as to be orientated permanently towards the point during angular displacements of the support arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: ALM
    Inventors: Jean-Jacques Rouchon, Alain Verdier
  • Patent number: 5971575
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp including a bulb for emitting a light, a reflector having an optical axis and a reflecting surface for reflecting light received from the bulb in a forward direction, for a shade fitted to the reflector and shielding the light emitted from the bulb. The shade includes a light-shielding section which shields the light traveling from the bulb to lower right and left regions on the reflecting surface, a bridge section extending in a circumferential direction of the optical axis of the reflector, and mounting legs, each having a front end and a rear end, which are connected at the front ends to the bridge section and are connected at the rear ends to the reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masao Matubara
  • Patent number: 5971557
    Abstract: An electroluminescent backlit device utilizing light-emitting polymers (LEP) is disclosed. A sandwich of LEP material and two electrical conductive materials are used to provide back lighting for a keypad or display. The electrical conductive layers are etched to form channels which provide current to and excite the LEP material to produce light at predetermined points. The etchings are directed around existing electrical contacts to facilitate normal operation of the underlying host system, such as a cellular telephone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Ericsson Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Kubes, James A. Smith
  • Patent number: 5967646
    Abstract: A round reflector lamp is described in the form of a hanging lamp or built-in lamp in which the light flux emerging from the lighting means is split up by a reflector member which surrounds a predeterminable region of the free end of the elongate lighting means into a bundled, downwardly directed central light flux and into a radial light flux directed towards the round reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Inventor: Hartmut S. Engel
  • Patent number: 5967652
    Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed that efficiently projects electromagnetic radiation over a predetermined spherical sector with a tailored intensity distribution. The apparatus includes a base having a cavity and aperture that faces the spherical sector to be illuminated, with a flat, ring-shaped shoulder surrounding the aperture. The apparatus further includes a mask spaced over the aperture and a baffle projecting from the mask toward the aperture. The base, the mask, and the baffle are formed of a material having an outer surface with a significant diffuse, reflective characteristic. A source emits electromagnetic radiation (e.g., visible light) into the base cavity, and the base, mask and baffle are configured to redirect this radiation outwardly with the tailored intensity distribution (e.g., a uniform distribution) over the predetermined spherical sector (e.g., a hemisphere, or 2 .pi.steradians).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Advanced Optical Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David P. Ramer, Harold E. Watson, Michael P. Ritter, Bobby L. Epling, Mark G. Schmitt, Jack C. Rains, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5964516
    Abstract: A night light includes a bottom member on which a receptacle is formed to receive and hold therein an electro-luminescent light source. The bottom member has two blade openings through which a pair of conductor blades extend to be adapted to fit into a first set of outlet openings of a wall outlet. The conductor blades are in contact engagement with two contact terminals of the light source to conduct electricity to the light source for generating light. A cover member is mounted to cover the bottom member to hold the light source and the conductor blades therein. The bottom member has an extended section adapted to overlap the wall outlet and having a passage corresponding to and exposing a second set of outlet openings of the wall outlet covered by the extended section of the bottom member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Inventor: Li-Chun Lai
  • Patent number: 5961204
    Abstract: A compact dimmable fluorescent lamp includes a dimming control ballast within a base which installs directly on an existing incandescent or other lighting fixture. The lamp mounts a fluorescent illumination element and includes an accessible dimmer control member connected to the dimming control ballast.In the preferred embodiment, a rotatable lamp globe both covers the fluorescent lamp and is coupled to the control element. The globe thus provides the dual functions of decoratively covering the fluorescent lamp tubes and serving as the dimmer control by rotating the globe to vary the amount of power that is supplied to the lamp. In other embodiments, a rotatable external annular ring extends substantially around the circumference of the lamp base and is connected to the dimming ballast control to serve as the dimmer control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Pacific Scientific Company
    Inventors: Mark E. Martich, Thomas E. Beling, John M. Ossenmacher, Stephen C. McLeod
  • Patent number: 5957573
    Abstract: An improved recessed fixture frame and method for installing the recessed fixture frame in new, existing or rough-in construction is disclosed. The improved recessed fixture frame includes a frame band for supporting and surrounding a fixture housing and at least one mounting assembly connected to the frame band in such a manner that the frame band is capable of being adjusted between the ends of the mounting bars. The mounting assembly includes at least one hinged mounting stub operatively hingeably connected to at least one end of the mounting assembly. Each hinged mounting stub includes a fastening means for affixing the recessed fixture frame to a structural member in a first position. In the first position, the recessed fixture frame extends downwardly from the structural member. After the fixture frame has been wired-in, the fixture frame is rotated about ninety degrees (90.degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Lightolier Division of The Genlyte Group Inc.
    Inventors: Robert James Wedekind, Mark Owen Jones, Graham Michael Rippel, Dennis Joseph Foley, Joseph Anthony Capostagno
  • Patent number: 5954422
    Abstract: A drive assembly is constituted by a strip (10) and three or more parallel and rotatable supports (12, 16, 22) around which the strip (10) is wrapped. At least two of the rotatable supports (22) are linked together for common movement, for example by a movable holder in the form of a light box (20) carrying a series of light bulbs (50) while at least one of the rotatable supports (12, 16) is stationary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Starpoint Electrics Limited
    Inventors: Barry Allen Marchini, Robert Alan Holmes
  • Patent number: 5951139
    Abstract: A frame (10) supports a plurality of illumination modules (12) arranged in a common plane in a spoke-like pattern extending radially outward from a central axis. Each module includes a lamp (24) with a vertical filament (26) mounted in a faceted reflector (22) to direct a beam of light to a planar, dichroic mirror (30). The mirror (30) reflects the visible spectrum portion of the beam of light downward toward the central axis with all of the beams of light intersecting the central axis in a common plane to create an illumination zone of selected diameter. A disk (32) which is light transmissive at least in portions (34) forms a bottom cover for a cover (14). A handle (40) is rotatably mounted to the frame and connected by a mechanical linkage (50) with the reflectors for tipping the angle of the emitted light beams to adjust the diameter of the illumination zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Steris Corporation
    Inventors: A. Michael Smith, Mark P. Jongewaard, Henry Holt Frazier