Patents by Inventor James B. Franklin

James B. Franklin has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5548490
    Abstract: A lighting system for an interior of a building includes a device for collecting and converting sunlight into concentrated light consisting of a stack of fluorescent sheets. The collecting device is optically coupled, preferably by way of an optical joint to a channelling member such as an optical cable, so that the concentrated light passes to the channelling member and is channelled to a light emitting fitting for the interior of the building. The channelling members are formed such that their cross-sectional shape changes from the cross-section of the collecting device to the cross-section of the channelling members with an approximately constant cross-sectional area being maintained throughout the change of cross-sectional shape, whereby the coupling device is an optical joint created by a medium having a refractive index close to that of the collecting device and channelling members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignees: Skydome Industries Limited, University of Technology, Sydney
    Inventors: Geoffrey B. Smith, James B. Franklin