Patents Examined by Ronald E. Delgizzi
  • Patent number: 6070997
    Abstract: A symmetrical safety light for wheeled vehicles is turned on by relative rotation of a removable plug in a housing that pushes a battery in the housing against the resistance of a spring. The light is turned off by relative rotation of the components in the opposite direction, which allows the spring to push the battery out of contact with a conductor from the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: MJM, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike A. Duke, Gerald D. Reed
  • Patent number: 6071001
    Abstract: A fiber optic light source module (FOLSM) of a hybrid fiber optic lighting distribution system for distributing light from the FOLSM to various lighting features. The FOLSM includes a base, a lamp holder connected to a forward portion of the base and an access cover connected to a rearward portion of the base independent of the lamp holder. The base has a lamp cavity, a communicating lower rod support and an electrical lead port. The lamp holder has a front cover for covering the lamp cavity, an upper rod support and an annular lamp support member for interfacing with a lamp having a concave mirror. The upper and lower rod supports collectively form a rod support, wherein a square cross-sectioned light transmission connecting rod is seated therein via a resilient grommet. Accordingly, because the lamp support member is integral with the upper rod support, when the concave mirror is seated at the lamp support member the lamp is automatically aligned with respect to the light transmission connecting rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: John V. Denuto, Alan B. Toot, Matthew S. Mrakovich
  • Patent number: 6070988
    Abstract: A control panel that includes printed information cards used in conjunction with status indicators to give the user detailed information about printer operations. The invented control panel includes a series of status indicators, such as the indicator lights used on low cost printers, and a corresponding series of card holders. Each card holder is linked to one of the status indicators by, for example, positioning each card holder immediately adjacent to the corresponding status indicator. One or more information cards are attached to each card holder. Where more than one information card is used with a single card holder, each card is, preferably, swing mounted to the card holder so that the user can flip through the cards to view pertinent information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Mike H. Okamura
  • Patent number: 6068392
    Abstract: A motor vehicle headlight is disclosed which has a lamp body having a open front end closed by a lens to define a lighting chamber, and a light source with a reflector mounted in the lighting chamber. Also disposed in the lighting chamber is a reflector extension of approximately tubular shape interposed between the reflector and the lens for concealing the gaps between the reflector and the lamp body. The reflector extension has a mounting fin extending upwardly therefrom which is frictionally engaged between the lamp body and the lens, thereby dispensing with fasteners. Extending downwardly from the reflector extension, another mounting fin may be screwed to either the lens or the lamp body because the screws under the reflector extension are hardly visible from outside the headlight in its use on a motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sumito Ohtaki, Kenichi Nakayama
  • Patent number: 6062710
    Abstract: This invention is a light fixture concept using geometrical optical elements and optical diffusors which produce a controlled light beam from a large lighting aperture. The object of this invention is to provide for both low surface luminance of the light fixture aperture and directional control of the light distribution. The geometrical optical elements are placed so as to result in a magnification of the light source, and diffusor elements are used to shape the light beam. A wide range of light sources can be used with this concept. The resulting light fixture will have reduced glare characteristics due both to the decreased luminance of the fixture aperture and to the restricted lighting angle distribution. These light fixtures should find application in a large number of lighting situations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Lighten Up Trading Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Fred G. Hewitt
  • Patent number: 6056412
    Abstract: Disclosed is a waist mounted illuminating device comprised of a belt having a length sufficient to fit around a person's waist. A compartment comprised of flexible material is located on the belt. The compartment has an opening. A battery operated light having an illuminable face is disposed in the compartment and directs light through the opening in the compartment. The compartment and belt may be formed of a flexible material such as neoprene. When the belt is firmly adjusted around a user's waist, the compartment and belt firmly and steadily maintain the battery operated light on the user's waist, even while the user is running or jogging. This stable mount of the light to the waist provides steady illumination of the user's path for general illumination and for exercise activities such as running or jogging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Inventors: Elizabeth Eckhardt Atlee, Steven David Atlee
  • Patent number: 6056424
    Abstract: A vehicle having glare-reducing apparatus has a windshield and a driver's seat disposed rearwardly of the windshield. An elongated light source is disposed adjacent to and extends across a substantial portion of the windshield such that light emitted by the light source will impinge on both eyes of the driver generally equally and constrict the pupils of the driver's eyes. In a preferred form, the light source is substantially continuous and may be a fluorescent bulb or a neon bulb. The light source is preferably positioned above the windshield and has a central axis which is about 1/2 to 1 inch from the exposed uppermost portion of the windshield. A potentiometer or other device may be employed to adjust the light intensity. A related method is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Inventor: Charles DiNunzio
  • Patent number: 6053625
    Abstract: A lighting fixture comprises a housing, an induction lamp inside the housing, a lens disposed to direct light away from the housing in a light pattern, and a light reflector inside the housing which reflects light in cooperation with the lens. The light pattern produced by the lighting fixture has a substantially uniform lateral illumination at a given radial distance from the center of the lens. The lighting fixture also provides a high level of directional illumination in the vertical direction when mounted to a ceiling. The lighting fixture can be surface or recess mounted. The lighting fixture can comprise a tee electrical conduit to allow through feed wiring from one fixture to another fixture. The lighting fixture is particularly suitable for use in conventional walk-in coolers and freezers used in supermarkets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Inventor: James W. Bowker
  • Patent number: 6053623
    Abstract: A light assembly for providing a directed beam of light. The light assembly includes a specially configured lamp-reflector assembly which incorporates a high output lamp. The lamp-reflector assembly also incorporates a multi-faceted reflector for directing the beam of light within a restricted cone angle as it exits the light assembly. The lamp-reflector is housed in a flexible enclosure surrounding a translucent lens at one end and a power cord exiting the opposing end. The flexible enclosure is adapted for waterproof applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: New Option Lighting, LLC
    Inventors: Dale G. Jones, Barbara L. Marcum
  • Patent number: 6050704
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) device including an LCD panel having liquid crystal cells, a color filter, and fluorescent lamps for back lighting located at a rear side of the LCD panel. The light generated by respective fluorescent lamps has different wavelength distributions. Thus, the color of the display can be easily and accurately adjusted by a user. Particularly, the color can be adjusted according to user's choice or circumstances, improving an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Samsung Display Devices Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Eui-yeul Park
  • Patent number: 6050706
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes an amber light bulb covered with a cup-shaped colorless transparent cap, thus emitting an amber light beam. A colorless, transparent, plain lens is employed. Furthermore, the inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the transparent cap is formed into a plurality of side steps, and the inner surface of the front end portion of the transparent cap is shaped into a Fresnel lens, and the outer surface of the front end portion is shaped into a plurality of fisheye lenses, which makes it more difficult to see the amber light bulb. Therefore, the vehicle lamp appears deep and glittering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Ohtuka, Masataka Chouji, Naoki Kakiuchi
  • Patent number: 6048078
    Abstract: A combined table lamp and clock assembly includes a lamp unit and a clock unit. The lamp unit includes a lamp stand base, a lamp stand, and a lamp bulb holder. The lamp stand base has a top side formed with a cavity, and a bottom side adapted to be placed on a table top. The lamp stand extends uprightly from the lamp stand base, and has an upper end portion and a lower end portion that is mounted on the top side of the lamp stand base. The lamp bulb holder is mounted on the upper end portion of the lamp stand, and is adapted for mounting a lamp bulb thereon. The clock unit includes a clock base, an upright clock panel, and a clock mechanism. The clock base is received in the cavity in the top side of the lamp stand base, and is formed with an insert slot therethrough. The upright clock panel has a lower end formed with an insert portion that is inserted removably into the insert slot. The clock mechanism is mounted on the clock panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Inventor: I-Hwa Wang
  • Patent number: 6048075
    Abstract: A sign box includes a box frame fixedly mounted on an outside wall of a building, a plurality of transparent lamp tube holders respectively mounted in the box frame and holding a respective lamp tube, a pair of parallel rails provided at one side of the box frame and defining a sliding track, a cover board inserted into the sliding track to keep the lamp tube holders from sight, and an electric box hinged to the box frame at a bottom side to hold fluorescent ballasts and starters of the lamp tubes in the lamp tube holders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Inventor: Ten-Ta Lai
  • Patent number: 6045235
    Abstract: A DC power supply unit (30) comprising a flashlight (32). A rechargeable cellular telephone battery (34) is provided, having a positive terminal (36) and a negative terminal (38). The rechargeable cellular telephone battery (34) is supported in the flashlight (32). An adjustable structure (40) is in the flashlight (32) for electrically connecting the flashlight (32) to the positive terminal (36) and the negative terminal (38) of the rechargeable cellular telephone battery (34), so that the rechargeable cellular telephone battery (34) can operate the flashlight (32). A facility (42) in the flashlight (32) is for electrically connecting the rechargeable cellular telephone battery (34) to a remote electrical device, so that the rechargeable cellular telephone battery (34) can operate the remote electrical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Inventor: Robert K. Hee
  • Patent number: 6039460
    Abstract: An improved mounting arrangement is provided for supporting a tubular lamp, particularly such as a lamp used in fluid treatment processes, within a protective jacket such as a transparent sleeve of quartz glass or the like. The protective jacket is mounted by a compression nut to a threaded socket adapted for slide-fit reception of the lamp through the socket and into the protective jacket. The lamp comprises an elongated tubular glass lamp body having distal and proximal ends thereof supported by distal and proximal end caps each including spacers for centering the lamp body in spaced relation to the protective jacket. The proximal end cap comprises a lamp base with conductive terminal pins for connection to an electrical power source, and further includes outwardly projecting lock tabs for engagement, preferably with a quarter-turn rotation, with the compression nut to releasibly lock the lamp in position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Aquafine Corporation
    Inventors: Tony Ng, Mike Murphy
  • Patent number: 6039451
    Abstract: Disclosed are a backlight and avionics display using the same to provide light to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device. In the backlight, a day mode light source positioned on a first side of the LCD device and adapted to provide a first source of light for use by the LCD device during day mode operations. A night mode light source positioned on the first side of the LCD device is adapted to provide a second source of light for use by the LCD device during night mode operations. A sculptured transflector positioned between the day mode light source and the night mode light source has, at a first side adjacent the day mode light source, a transflective material and a plurality of arcuate or parabolic surfaces in order to maximize a percentage of light from the day mode light source which is reflected toward the LCD device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Rockwell Science Center, Inc.
    Inventor: Duane A. Grave
  • Patent number: 6036326
    Abstract: A resinous member with a character visually arranged therein, including a resinous body, a character formed by a laser beam machining on a surface of the body, and a light transmittable coating arranged on the surface of the body for covering at least the character. The light transmittable coating is provided with a generally uniform thickness to form a roughened outer surface substantially corresponding to a machined surface of the character. The light transmittable coating may be formed through a spray coating process. The resinous member may be used as a key top member of a key in a keyboard of an electronic machine. The key top member comprises a resinous body, a character arranged on a surface of the body, and optical means arranged in association with the character for highlighting the character in an optical manner using an external light. The optical means may comprise a phosphorescent or fluorescent member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yoshikawa, Tsutomu Takahashi, Tamotsu Koike
  • Patent number: 6033092
    Abstract: A reflective-refractive lighting jacket has a first reflective and second refractive surface for surrounding a tubular light source in the interior of the jacket. A first reflective section reflects light from the source, and a second refractive section transmits light from the source and from the reflecting section. Both sections are forms in cross section that have a focal point in the interior of the jacket. Flutes in the jacket create various images and projected beams so that many different images and projected lines of the source are formed to provide for distributing light while minimizing actual diffusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Inventor: Jerome J. Simon
  • Patent number: 6033085
    Abstract: A lighting fixture has (i) a base, (ii) a support on the base, the support electrically connecting to the fixture, (iii) a light-transmitting cover, removably supported by the base, (iv) end caps covering the open ends of the base, and (v) means for securing the end caps to the base so that the cover can be removed from the base without removing the end caps. This provides easy access to a light for replacement of the light without the need for any tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Inventor: James W. Bowker
  • Patent number: 6033089
    Abstract: Electric luminaria is made by a unique method from a one-piece blow molded container having a neck formed at one end of a base, an intermediate radially outward extending flange at an opposite end of the base and a hollow shell extending from the flange. The flange is peripherally cut to form two flanges, one attached to the shell and one attached to the base. The base has an aperture formed in the neck for receiving a light socket therein, with the electric conductors extending from the light socket passing through the neck and over the peripheral flange of the base. The shell is placed over the base with the peripheral flanges of the base and the shell disposed in an overlapping arrangement. Stakes are inserted through aligned apertures in the flanges of the shell and base to fix the luminaria on the ground. A decorative sleeve is replaceably mounted about the sidewall of the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Inventor: Samuel J. Tesauro