Abstract: A hold-down clamping apparatus comprising a hold-down clamp with body having a top lip and pair of guide legs disposed between a central screw in the body and a support having holes in vertical alignment with the legs and the screw for securing and holding down a sheet material for processing. The screw is threaded through the support screw hole as the legs are inserted within support holes until the top lips contacts the sheet material to hold down the material and to prevent twisting of the hold-down clamp. Supports with clamps may be fastened to tools or supports. In one embodiment, the support has a grid of holes for securing a plurality of materials with hold-down clamps. In another embodiment, the hold-down clamp comprises a top lip and a guide beam slotted in a support and secured.

Abstract: Multiple staged filters are provided herein. A filter may include a plurality of panels that each include a filtering front surface and a flat back surface, the filtering front surface having a first row of vertically extending protrusions spaced apart from one another to form vertical channels, a second row of vertically extending protrusions spaced apart from one another to form vertical channels, and one or more rows of filtering protrusions, where the one or more rows are vertically spaced apart from one another and extending between the first and second rows of vertically extending protrusions. Further, each row of filtering protrusions may include filtering protrusions that are spaced from one another to form filter channels having a size that is configured to receive and retain objects of a given size.

Abstract: A hold-down clamping apparatus comprising a hold-down clamp with body having a top lip and pair of guide legs disposed between a central screw in the body and a support having holes in vertical alignment with the legs and the screw for securing and holding down a sheet material for processing. The screw is threaded through the support screw hole as the legs are inserted within support holes until the top lips contacts the sheet material to hold down the material and to prevent twisting of the hold-down clamp. Supports with clamps may be fastened to tools or supports. In one embodiment, the support has a grid of holes for securing a plurality of materials with hold-down clamps. In another embodiment, the hold-down clamp comprises a top lip and a guide beam slotted in a support and secured.

Abstract: A lighting assembly includes a light guide and a light source. The light guide has opposed major surfaces and side surfaces extending between the major surfaces. The light source is at an apex region between two side surfaces and is configured to input light to the light guide. The side surfaces comprise a stepped reflective side surface extending from the apex region and comprising a first reflective step and a second reflective step, and an output side surface extending from the apex region and comprising a first output region and a second output region. The first reflective step is configured to reflect a first portion of input light through the first output region. The second step is configured to reflect a second portion of input light through the second output region. The second output region comprises segments oriented nominally normal to the reflected second portion of the light incident thereon.

Abstract: Multiple staged filters are provided herein. A filter may include a plurality of panels that each include a filtering front surface and a flat back surface, the filtering front surface having a first row of vertically extending protrusions spaced apart from one another to form vertical channels, a second row of vertically extending protrusions spaced apart from one another to form vertical channels, and one or more rows of filtering protrusions, where the one or more rows are vertically spaced apart from one another and extending between the first and second rows of vertically extending protrusions. Further, each row of filtering protrusions may include filtering protrusions that are spaced from one another to form filter channels having a size that is configured to receive and retain objects of a given size.

Abstract: A lighting assembly that efficiently collects and accurately directs light with a defined asymmetrical light ray angle distribution onto a nearby target surface. The light with the asymmetrical light ray angle distribution illuminates the target surface with a defined illumination profile. In theatrical and architectural lighting, the defined illumination profile is an even illumination profile on a nearly vertical surface. In street lighting, the defined illumination profile is an even illumination profile on a horizontal surface. The lighting assembly includes an LED and a solid reflector optic having a reflective surface shaped to reflect light from the LED in a way that produces the asymmetrical light ray angle distribution at least in part.

Abstract: A flat panel display uses pixels (2060) that are turned on or off by the enabling or disabling total internal reflection, TIR, of a light guide (2010). A reflective surface (2070) directs the switched light towards the viewer. An optional mask may be employed to provide extremely high contrast ratios in low and in high ambient lighting conditions. The elements (2080) that enable TIR may be enabled quickly because of their small size and weight, resulting in a very fast switching speed. The fast switching speed allows colors to be generated and displayed in a sequential manner.

Abstract: A light guide with optics guides light exiting the guide. The device achieves accurate control of the reflected light by extracting light from a limited area of the light guide. The configuration of the reflectors used for the selective extraction determines the nature of the output light. The reflectors may be located on a side of the light guide opposite to an output side of the light guide.

Abstract: A lighting assembly that includes a cornuate light guide and an annular light extracting and redirecting member. The light guide has a radial light input surface, an axial light input region, radial light output region and a flared region between input region and output region. Light input at the light input surface propagates to and within the light output region by total internal reflection at major surfaces of the light guide. The light extracting and redirecting member has a light extracting element in optical contact with an annular region of one of the major surfaces of the light output region, and a reflective light redirecting element to axially redirect the extracted light with a defined light ray angle distribution.

Abstract: A collimated light source with solid-state light emitters in which the solid-state light emitter is optically coupled to a high refractive index reflector optic, which reduces the cone angle of the light input to the reflector optic. Reducing the cone angle allows the reflective surface of the reflector optic to be reduced in size compared with a conventional reflector in air. The solid-state light emitter is mounted near the light output surface to further reduce the size of the collimated light source. The highly collimated light beams of different colors generated by multiple collimated light sources enable the lighting assembly to use a decussate optical filter having dichroic filter elements to combine the light beams to provide the compact lighting assembly having a configurable output light color.

Abstract: A lighting assembly includes a light guide and a light source. The light guide has opposed major surfaces and side surfaces extending between the major surfaces. The light source is at an apex region between two side surfaces and is configured to input light to the light guide. The side surfaces comprise a stepped reflective side surface extending from the apex region and comprising a first reflective step and a second reflective step, and an output side surface extending from the apex region and comprising a first output region and a second output region. The first reflective step is configured to reflect a first portion of input light through the first output region. The second step is configured to reflect a second portion of input light through the second output region. The second output region comprises segments oriented nominally normal to the reflected second portion of the light incident thereon.

Abstract: An optical system with an LED light source utilizes a base with an inverted conical shape to conduct light to a phosphor layer. The phosphor layer emits light from both upper and lower surfaces. The base and a substantially mirror image cap element facilitate efficient extraction of the phosphor-generated light from the optical system so that the output of the system is omni-directional light suitable for common lighting applications. The system is very efficient in that nearly all the light generated by the LED is transmitted to the phosphor layer, and nearly all the light emitted from the phosphor layer is output from the system.

Abstract: A lighting assembly that efficiently collects and accurately directs light with a defined asymmetrical light ray angle distribution onto a nearby target surface. The light with the asymmetrical light ray angle distribution illuminates the target surface with a defined illumination profile. In theatrical and architectural lighting, the defined illumination profile is an even illumination profile on a nearly vertical surface. In street lighting, the defined illumination profile is an even illumination profile on a horizontal surface. The lighting assembly includes an LED and a solid reflector optic having a reflective surface shaped to reflect light from the LED in a way that produces the asymmetrical light ray angle distribution at least in part.

Abstract: A collimated light source with solid-state light emitters in which the solid-state light emitter is optically coupled to a high refractive index reflector optic, which reduces the cone angle of the light input to the reflector optic. Reducing the cone angle allows the reflective surface of the reflector optic to be reduced in size compared with a conventional reflector in air. The solid-state light emitter is mounted near the light output surface to further reduce the size of the collimated light source. The highly collimated light beams of different colors generated by multiple collimated light sources enable the lighting assembly to use a decussate optical filter having dichroic filter elements to combine the light beams to provide the compact lighting assembly having a configurable output light color.

Abstract: A flat panel display uses pixels (2060) that are turned on or off by the enabling or disabling total internal reflection, TIR, of a light guide (2010). A reflective surface (2070) directs the switched light towards the viewer. An optional mask may be employed to provide extremely high contrast ratios in low and in high ambient lighting conditions. The elements (2080) that enable TIR may be enabled quickly because of their small size and weight, resulting in a very fast switching speed. The fast switching speed allows colors to be generated and displayed in a sequential manner.

Abstract: A light guide with optics guides light exiting the guide. The device achieves accurate control of the reflected light by extracting light from a limited area of the light guide. The configuration of the reflectors used for the selective extraction determines the nature of the output light. The reflectors may be located on a side of the light guide opposite to an output side of the light guide.

Abstract: A hollow bicycle crankshaft includes a hollow shaft assembly having a first shaft member fastened to a second shaft member, a hollow left crank arm, a hollow right crank arm, a tubular housing member, a first shaft bearing, a second shaft bearing, and a sprocket bracket. The first shaft member matingly engages the second shaft member. Non-mating ends of the shaft assembly are attached to respective hollow crank arms, where the shaft extends through an aperture in each arm. The union of the first and second shaft members is proximate the midsection of the constructed shaft assembly. The shaft assembly is housed within the tubular housing member. The first and second shaft bearings, disposed at each end of the housing member, secure the tubular housing member about the shaft assembly in coaxial and concentric alignment.

Abstract: Acoustic resonator means are embodied through successive stages of molding. A first stage pre-forms resonator enclosures without solid forms inside. After resonator enclosures have been pre-formed they advance to a second stage. A jig form molds pre-formed resonator bulbs and concrete together in a panel molding region to form a resonator panel.

Abstract: A front or rear derailleur for a bicycle comprising a base, an actuating assembly and a generally U-shaped chain guide. The base is a cylindrically shaped portion of flexible material that attaches the derailleur to a host frame member of a bicycle. The actuating assembly includes an actuating arm, two actuating links, a lip, a spring and adjusting screws. The actuating assembly responds to tension from an attached shifting cable, which in turn varies the compression on the spring, forcing a first actuating link to move outwardly from, or inwardly toward, the base. The chain guide, which is integral with the actuating link, moves concomitantly with the first actuating link. The second actuating link is formed between the base and the chain guide, and maintains the chain guide in a position parallel to the host frame member of the bicycle.

Abstract: A reflector includes a plurality of cylindrical bands having reflective outer surfaces and arranged about a common axis. The bands are sized and spaced such that, when mounted in front of a convergent beam spotlight, they prevent the rays of light from converging at a point so as to generate an intense heat which could damage a filter material, for example.