Patents Examined by Danielle Allen
  • Patent number: 7862220
    Abstract: A relatively thin printed LED backlight device with an integral diffuser may be integrated into an interior trim component using a molding process, such as injection molding, compression molding and reaction injection molding. The display portion may be placed behind a textile surface or molded grille or may form a portion of the outer surface of the trim component to provide light to low light areas of the vehicle. Electronic circuitry and components may be printed on to the substrate of the device as part of an in-line continuous process at the molding station to allow low inventory and customization of each backlight device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: International Automotive Components Group North America, Inc
    Inventors: Carter Scott Cannon, Oliver Hierl
  • Patent number: 7850338
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can comprise a method, which can comprise controlling illumination of a set of illumination sources. The set of illumination sources can comprise a first subset of illumination sources and a second subset of illumination sources. Light from the set of illumination sources can be adapted to pass through a diffuser comprising a first zone and a second zone. The first zone can be physically and/or optically segregated from the second zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Microscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael C. Messina, Sheila Bergeron Dunn, Brian Thompson
  • Patent number: 7850358
    Abstract: A light source device, a backlight unit, and a liquid crystal display device are each capable of improving uniformity of a luminance and a color of a display surface. The light source device includes a board; a plurality of point light sources arranged on a surface of the board and connected in series; and a variable resistor, wherein the variable resistor is disposed on the surface on which the plurality of point light sources are arranged of the board; at least one point light source arranged on an end side among the plurality of point light sources is connected in parallel to the variable resistor; and the board has a through-hole in a region where a variable resistor is located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuya Hamada
  • Patent number: 7850324
    Abstract: A backlight chassis that is capable of preventing an unusual noise caused by vibrations of a backlight unit or a tubular lamp houses tubular lamps arranged behind a display panel via optical sheets. The backlight chassis includes lamp holding members provided on a lamp housing surface of the backlight chassis, for holding the tubular lamps at an approximate midpoint thereof, wherein the lamp holding members and the backlight chassis are defined by a unitary molded resin member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuya Ohnishi, Satoshi Ono, Takeshi Ogura, Kazuki Nakamichi, Yoshihiro Murakami, Takafumi Hara
  • Patent number: 7845831
    Abstract: A light fixture (10) is provided having a wall housing (11) and lighting arms (12). The light fixture includes a heating source (17) mounted within the wall housing. The wall housing includes an external wall (19) adapted to be mounted to a vertical wall of a structure. The external wall has a top (19a), bottom (19b), two oppositely disposed sides (19c), and a front face (19d). The housing top has an air intake opening (20). The housing bottom has an air exhaust outlet (21) which directs air in a downwardly direction. The wall housing also includes an air channel (23) which commences at air intake opening and ends at air exhaust outlet. The heat source includes a heating element (25) mounted within the airflow channel and a motorized fan (26) to create an air flow through the channel which exits through the air exhaust outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Hunter Fan Company
    Inventor: Brendan Patrick Byrne
  • Patent number: 7841741
    Abstract: An LED lighting assembly including a plurality of individual LEDs mounted on a common, bendable heat sinking member designed to remove heat from the LEDs during operation and also to be formed (bent) to provide the desired light direction and intensity. Several such assemblies may be used within an LED lamp, as also provided herein. The lamp is ideal for use within medical and dental environments to assure optimal light onto a patient located at a specified distance from the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Benson Chan, John E. Kozol, John M. Lauffer, How T. Lin
  • Patent number: 7837351
    Abstract: The present invention provides a luminous assembly, more particularly, a decorative luminous assembly having a fiber-formed shaped part. The luminous assembly includes a light source and a shaped part of fiber with a predetermined shape. The light source is installed on the shaped part of fiber. The luminous assembly may further comprise a light reflecting element arranged in the back thereof. Light from the light source to the light reflecting element is reflected back substantially towards the shaped part. The luminous assembly has advantages of simple manufacturing process, lower cost, and convenience for mass production etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Inventor: Shu-Hung Lin
  • Patent number: 7837349
    Abstract: A lens has a main body for use with at least one light source. The main body has a light-emitting face, a light-collecting face disposed opposite the light-emitting face, and a plurality of focal points, the latter of which form a focal ring. A central axis extends through the light-collecting face and the light-emitting face. The main body is substantially radially symmetrical about the central axis and the focal ring extends around the central axis of the main body of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeyachandrabose Chinniah, Edwin Mitchell Sayers, Christopher L. Eichelberger
  • Patent number: 7828469
    Abstract: A light source module adapted to a projecting device including a light bulb, a fan, and an air tunnel structure is provided. The fan is located by the light bulb for cooling the light bulb. The air tunnel structure is located respective to the location of the light bulb, for removing the heat generated by the light bulb. The air tunnel structure has a curved inner wall, a plurality of fins, and a tank. The curved inner wall is located inside the air tunnel structure respective to the location of the light bulb. The fins are formed on the curved inner wall for blocking the fragments generated by the explosion of the light bulb. The tank is located by a side of the curved inner wall for carrying the fragments clashing the fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventors: I-Hsien Liu, Tzu-Tse Huang
  • Patent number: 7828472
    Abstract: A light guiding strip and a backlight module and display using the same are provided. The light guiding strip of the present invention includes a plurality of light reflecting surfaces and a plurality of light emergent surfaces. Each of the light reflecting surfaces has a light diffusion pattern. The light guiding strip of the present invention has the advantages of light weight, wide LED pitch, low cost, thickness and so on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Ying Liu, Danding Huang, Chen-Jung Tsai
  • Patent number: 7824082
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention features a flexible base receptacle configured to be coupled to a lighting unit. The base receptacle includes a lower portion, which has a lower portion perimeter. The base receptacle includes a neck portion, which is movable relative to the lower portion. The neck portion has a lower neck portion perimeter that is proximate the lower portion. The neck portion has an upper neck portion perimeter. The neck portion has an intermediate neck portion perimeter, which is smaller than the lower neck portion perimeter and the upper neck portion perimeter. Some embodiments enable outdoor lighting assemblies to absorb forces due to bumping, thereby making it more difficult to break the outdoor lighting assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Touchstone Accent Lighting, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Hanson
  • Patent number: 7824046
    Abstract: An emergency lighting system comprising a housing further comprising a flat cover, wherein the flat cover automatically opens during an emergency condition; a removable light source located inside the housing further comprising a rechargeable battery and a wide angle LED light bulb, wherein the removable light source remains off under a normal condition and the light source automatically turns on in response to an emergency condition. The emergency lighting system may further comprise a fixed light source for continuous illumination during an emergency condition. Furthermore, the emergency lighting system may further comprise an electrical outlet for use during normal conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Emerge Products, LLC
    Inventor: Patrick Martinez
  • Patent number: 7824047
    Abstract: In a cellular phone, a light guiding plate, which linearly guides light emitted by a plurality of light emitting elements (LEDs), and an LED display unit, which displays predetermined LED displays, are laminatedly arranged in a movable-side housing. A slit formed in the substantially central portion of the light guiding plate partitions the light guiding plate into a first light guiding region and a second light guiding region. A first light emitting group of the light emitting elements emits light to the first light guiding region and a second light emitting group of the light emitting elements emits light to the second light guiding region. The first light guiding region and the second light guiding region are illuminated alternately by alternately switching ON the first light emitting group and the second light emitting group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Yoshiya Matsumoto, Shigeru Yamaguchi, Manabu Sotodate, Ken Shoji, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Ryou Hattori
  • Patent number: 7824070
    Abstract: A light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixture is provided as a potential solid state lighting (SSL) replacement fixture for a conventional HID lamp fixture. The LED lighting fixture includes a main housing having a bottom surface supporting an array of LEDs, a top surface and sides, and at least one driver provided in a side housing attached to a side of the main housing to drive the LED array. The thickness of the side housing is equal to or greater than the thickness of the main housing. A plurality of heat spreading fins is arranged on the top surface of the main housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Higley, Yuming Chen, Carleton Coleman
  • Patent number: 7824076
    Abstract: A lamp having a reflective surface, a pedestal positioned within the interior defined by the reflective surface, and one or more light emitting diodes (LED's) mounted onto one or more occluding faces on the pedestal, such that each occluding face blocks light emitted from the LED's from a portion of the reflective surface. The occluding faces are oriented parallel to or at an acute angle to the central axis of the reflective surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Inventor: George H. Koester
  • Patent number: 7824092
    Abstract: A backlight module includes a light source and a light guide plate. The light source includes a light-emitting surface and at least two mean points. The light guide plate includes an incident surface, an emitting surface adjacent to the incident surface, a reflecting surface opposite to the emitting surface, and at least two groups of microstructures formed on the reflecting surface. Each group of microstructures is arranged concentric relative to a respective mean point of the light-emitting surface of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Bo Yang, Guo-Fan Jin
  • Patent number: 7806574
    Abstract: An LED-based lighting system includes a printed circuit board (“PCB”) having conductors on a front-side thereof, one or more LEDs mounted with the conductors, and a structural element. The PCB is mounted with the conductors near to the structural element so that heat dissipation from the LEDs is primarily through the conductors and the structural element. A method of dissipating heat generated by an LED-based lighting system includes configuring a PCB with conductors on a front-side of the PCB, such that when one or more LEDs mounted to the conductors generates heat, the heat dissipates from the one or more LEDs to the conductors. The method also includes integrating a structural element such that at least portions of the conductors face the structural element, and the heat dissipates from the conductors to the structural element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Albeo Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Van Laanen, Jeff Bisberg
  • Patent number: 7806572
    Abstract: A headlamp assembly which employs semiconductor light sources includes an optics chamber that is isolated from the surrounding environment to prevent the ingress of water, dirt, or other foreign materials into the optics chamber. At the same time, the headlamp assembly includes a plenum chamber, separated from the optics chamber, and airflow through the plenum chamber provides the necessary cooling for the semiconductor light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Magna International Inc.
    Inventors: James R. McFadden, Chad D. Lambert
  • Patent number: 7798669
    Abstract: A remotely adjustable lighting device configured to an operational mode customized for the geographic location of the device. The lighting device is powered by a battery provided with solar charging. The lighting device, under control of an integral controller, is turned off and on for an illumination period as a function of both local sunrise and sunset times determined by a combination of time and date information and GPS positioning. The luminosity of the lighting device is autonomously controlled as a function of battery charge and the determined required illumination period. The solar charging system is oriented by the controller to optimize its energy collection by periodical adjustments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Automatic Power, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Trojanowski, Gregory Lei Fan
  • Patent number: 7798687
    Abstract: An automotive modular light system, comprising a common base light device and a multitude of exchangeable lens cover means of which each has significantly distinct automotive light styling features, is invented here as a cost-effective way of customizing the exterior styling of motored vehicles. The common base light device of simple construction can be used for multiple vehicle models to provide the lighting function at a low cost. An exchangeable lens cover means, which provides the styling features of the modular light system, is removably installed to the common base light device. Each exchangeable lens cover means has a simple construction so that it can be cost-effectively manufactured. Therefore a multitude of exchangeable lens cover means of significantly distinct styling features may be offered to customers with different styling tastes at very affordable prices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Inventor: Meiyin Lin