Patents Examined by James Cranson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8840271
    Abstract: In certain embodiments there is provided a blank for a printed circuit board and methods pertaining to same. In some embodiments, the blank is provided in a generally straight configuration and is capable of being deformed in-plane into a bent configuration, such as, but not limited to, a generally ring-shaped configuration, a generally square shape, or a generally S-shape. In some embodiments, the PCB is used with a lighting fixture and is populated with light emitting diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC
    Inventors: Marvin L. Otterson, Forrest Starnes McCanless
  • Patent number: 8827496
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus that includes a housing assembly made up of a housing, seat and top with optional attachment. A light source, power source, switch and controller are further included with the assembly. A light-altering device is also included in or proximate to the housing. The light source emits light through a light-altering surface. An optional motor is included to move the light alternating surface or light source, such as about a central axis. The switch and controller connected are programmable to control and vary the light source and motor among preselected and selectable patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Inventor: Carl R. VanderSchuit
  • Patent number: 8827522
    Abstract: A moisture generation preventing apparatus of a vehicle head lamp, may include a phase change material (PCM) unit mounted in a housing of the vehicle head lamp having a lens mounted at a front end portion of the housing to prevent moisture from being generated in the lens when an internal temperature of the head lamp drops below a predetermined degree, wherein the PCM unit sprays gaseous phase change material (PCM) to an inner portion of the head lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeong Gyu Yang, Byung Ook Park, Sae Jun Park
  • Patent number: 8820957
    Abstract: A lighting device for electronic equipment is provided. The electronic device has an outer casing. The lighting device comprises a light mounted to the casing of the electronic equipment wherein the light provides a directed illumination source. The light is recharged when the hand held electronic equipment device is being recharged at the same time using the same recharger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Inventors: Kelley Rowe, Sr., Colleen Rowe
  • Patent number: 8814374
    Abstract: A system for combining exterior light with artificial lighting, comprising a light shielding arrangement (2) for shielding exterior light from a space (5) and at least one light source (6) arranged to emit artificial light that is directed toward the exterior side of the light shielding arrangement (2), which light source (6) is controllable in response to current exterior lighting conditions. The system further comprises a controller (8) connected to said light source (6), which is arranged to control light emission of the light source (6) in response to a current position of the light shielding arrangement, so as to emulate an effect of exterior light escaping through the light shielding arrangement. The artificial light can thus be controlled (manually or automatically) to compensate for lack of sufficient exterior light, and the controller ensures that the artificial light is emitted in such a way as to be perceived as exterior light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Lucas Leo Desiree Van Der Poel, Dorien Cato Van Der Lans
  • Patent number: 8814386
    Abstract: A lighting device, system, and method are disclosed. The lighting system includes a connector configured to be coupled with a relatively stationary object. The connector may have a first coupling face. A light source support may be configured to support a plurality of light sources. The light source support may have a second coupling face configured to mechanically and electrically couple with the first coupling face. The second coupling face may be radially symmetric and able to couple with the first coupling face in a first orientation and in a second orientation. The second orientation may be substantially opposite the first orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Inventor: Leon So
  • Patent number: 8807769
    Abstract: Provided is a wavelength plate that can increase incident angle tolerance. The wavelength plate in which a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer are alternately stacked, each layer having a concave-convex structure the period of which is equal to or shorter that a wavelength in one direction within a plane, includes, as periods in the thickness direction of the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer: a first period defined so that a used wavelength can belong to the first band of a photonic band structure; and a second period defined so that the used wavelength can belong to a wavelength side longer than the center wavelength of the second band of the photonic band structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Ryuichi Katayama
  • Patent number: 8807817
    Abstract: Extended area lighting devices include a light guide and diffractive surface features on a major surface thereof. The diffractive surface features include diffractive features of different pitches in non-overlapping regions of the major surface tailored to extract guided-mode light of different colors from the light guide in different directions. The diffractive features extract light such that an ordinary user observes substantially different colors in different regions of the light guide, providing a colorful appearance. Notwithstanding this, the diffractive features also extract light such that the lighting device illuminates a reference surface, disposed at an intermediate distance from the light guide, with illumination light that is substantially uniform in color and substantially white. Optical films having diffractive features that can be used to construct such devices and light guides are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Zhaohui Yang, David S. Thompson, Vivian W. Jones
  • Patent number: 8794817
    Abstract: A plurality of adjacent capsules, each comprising a base component, a body component carrying an LED circuit board, and a lens component, wherein the body and the base snap together and the lens snap-fits to the body. Such capsules are attached to a flexible electrical power cable by electrical connector components internal to the body and which conduct power from the power cable through the body to the LED circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Tempo Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Dennis Pearson, Wesley Scott Dochnahl, Guang Jin, Jorge Santana
  • Patent number: 8794813
    Abstract: The present invention provides a back frame of flat panel display device, which includes at least two primary assembling pieces. The at least two primary assembling pieces are joined to for a main frame structure of the back frame. The at least two primary assembling pieces includes a primary assembling piece that has a heat source arranged thereon. The primary assembling piece that has the heat source arranged thereon has a first heat transfer capability. The remaining one or more primary assembling pieces of the at least two primary assembling pieces that have no heat source arranged thereon have a second heat transfer capability. The first heat transfer capability is greater than the second heat transfer capability. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a back frame of flat panel display device and a backlight system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yi-Cheng Kuo, Yu-Chun Hsiao, Jia-He Cheng
  • Patent number: 8789958
    Abstract: A flat panel display device includes a display panel and a backlight system including a light source, a light homogenization mechanism, and a back frame that includes at least two assembling pieces joined to each other. The back frame includes a bracing piece fixed to the assembling pieces and including a bracing body fixed to the assembling pieces, a first suspension section extending from the bracing body toward one side of the bracing body, a first bearing section spaced from the bracing body and extending from the first suspension section toward one side of the first suspension section, and a first resilient bent section located between the first bearing section and the bracing body and bent from the first suspension section toward one side of the first suspension section. The first bearing section and the first resilient bent section resiliently clamp a first side edge of the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Chun Hsiao, Cheng-Wen Que, Yi-Cheng Kuo
  • Patent number: 8777464
    Abstract: A rotatable illumination device includes a first casing, a light emitting module, a first fixing member and a second fixing member. The first casing has a first rotating portion and a first protruding portion is formed on the first rotating portion. The light emitting module is disposed in the first casing. A first indentation is formed on the first fixing member and the first protruding portion can pass through the first indentation. A second indentation and a second protruding portion are formed on the second fixing member and the first protruding portion can pass through the second indentation. The first and second fixing members are fixed together, and the first and second protruding portions are coplanar. The first protruding portion cooperates with the second protruding portion to limit rotating angle of the first casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignees: Dongguan Masstop Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd., Wintek Corporation
    Inventors: Chien-Ku Lin, Zhi-Ting Ye, Chin-Liang Chen, Ming-Chuan Lin, Ju-Fen Yang
  • Patent number: 8777451
    Abstract: A method for providing uniform flood exposure of LED light onto large area substrates is disclosed herein. The substrates can be up to several square meters in surface area. A method for providing uniform cooling of the LEDs within the apparatus is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Air Motion Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Aaron D. Martinez
  • Patent number: 8777475
    Abstract: The present invention provides a back frame of flat panel display device. The back frame includes at least two primary assembling pieces and the at least two primary assembling pieces are connected through joining; the at least two primary assembling pieces includes one primary assembling piece that carries a light source thereon and the primary assembling piece that carries the light source is provided with a heat dissipation fin assembly. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a back frame of flat panel display device and a backlight system. Through above arrangement, the back frame mold is made simple in structure and can reduce the expenditure of the back frame mold, and can also save the material used for back frame so as to lower down the cost of flat panel display device, and at the same time facilitates heat dissipation from a light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yi-Cheng Kuo, Yu-Chun Hsiao, Chong Huang, Jia-He Cheng, Cheng-Wen Que, Quan Li
  • Patent number: 8770793
    Abstract: The present invention provides an LED bulb, which includes a light source portion including at least one LED chip); a housing including a bottom portion supporting the light source portion and a sidewall portion surrounding the light source portion, and opening at one side of a first direction; a base disposed on the other side of the first direction relative to the housing; and a light guide body disposed in a space surrounded by the sidewall portion, and including an incident surface facing the light source portion, a light-emitting surface for making the light from the incident surface emit toward the one side of the first direction, and a peripheral side surface located between the incident surface and the light-emitting surface, wherein the cross-sectional area of the peripheral side surface becomes increasingly larger from a side of the incident surface toward a side of the light-emitting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Mizuta, Saizo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8770818
    Abstract: The present invention provides a side-edge backlight module including a light guide plate having first and second mounting sides opposite to each other. The first mounting side forms a first positioning hole, a first positioning slot, and a second positioning slot. The second mounting side forms correspondingly a second positioning hole, a third positioning slot, and a fourth positioning slot. A backplane includes six rivet pins respectively received in the first and second positioning holes and the first, second, third, and fourth positioning slots. The first and second positioning slots and the third and fourth positioning slots are of a right-angled trapezoidal shape having a straight side that is open and an inclined side that is inclined downward in a direction toward the first or second positioning hole. The rivet pins received in the first, second, third, and fourth positioning slots respectively abut against the inclined sides of the trapezoids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Jianfa Huang
  • Patent number: 8756782
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and system for assembling lighting fixtures where reflective inserts are installed into a reflector frame to create a reflective surface for the fixture. According to one aspect of the method, some type of worker-perceivable indication prompts a worker as to which reflective insert should be installed at which mounting location on the reflector frame. The worker does not have to guess or translate written instructions. The method can be used sequentially to provide such assistance for each of a plurality of reflective inserts for a plurality of mounting locations. The method is particularly helpful if the reflective inserts are not identical for each mounting location. According to one aspect of an apparatus according to the invention, a reflector frame is removably mounted to a machine that holds the reflector frame in an indexed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Musco Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas A. Stone
  • Patent number: 8757848
    Abstract: A double reflecting structure may include a first reflecting portion reflecting light that may be emitted from a light source, and a second reflecting portion formed on one side of the first reflecting portion to reflect again the light that may be reflected by the first reflecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignees: Kia Motors Corporation, SL Corporation
    Inventors: Jin Ho Na, Seong Je Kang
  • Patent number: 8752990
    Abstract: A vehicle light can allow light to be emitted more uniformly through an elongated area from a fewer number of light sources as compared with a conventional one. The vehicle light can include an outer lens, a plurality of light sources arranged along the outer edge of the outer lens for emitting light in an optical axis direction orthogonal to the arraying direction thereof, an inner lens including a light guide portion elongated in the arraying direction of the light sources and disposed along the optical axis of the light sources, for dispersing the light in a longitudinal direction of the lens and emitting in the optical axis direction, and a first diffusion reflector and second diffusion reflectors configured to be elongated in the longitudinal direction of the inner lens and disposed in the optical axis direction of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidetaka Okada, Takuya Matsumaru, Kazuya Makiuchi
  • Patent number: 8753000
    Abstract: A light head, light device, assembling method of light head and light device are provided. The light device includes a light head and a third unit. The light head includes a first unit, a second unit, a cable, a fixing sheet, a first pin, a conducting sheet, and multiple second pins. The first unit has a side surface, a bottom surface, a pair of slots, and a protrusion portion. The slots are on the bottom surface. The second unit encircling the first unit exposes the protrusion portion. The fixing sheet electrically connected to a first conducting terminal of the cable is inserted into the slots. The first pin inserts into the protrusion portion to make the cable contact the first pin and the protrusion portion. The conducting sheet is under the second unit. The second pins make the conducting sheet, the first and second units assembled together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignees: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited, Kinpo Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Hsien-Chang Wu