Patents Examined by Sharon Payne
  • Patent number: 8197106
    Abstract: A hot-melt glass pillar lamp and a multi-channel heat dissipation method thereof; the pillar lamp comprises a base, a hollow steel frame which is mounted on the middle of the base, several sections of pillar-shaped hot-melt glass lamp which surround the steel frame and are sequentially arranged on the base from down to up in an overlapping manner, and a lamp cover with air outlets, wherein, each section of the pillar-shaped hot-melt glass lamp comprises a fixing framework which is composed of a plurality of supporting bars and a supporting board; each surface of the fixing framework is separately provided with a hot-melt glass lamp plate; an LED lamp plate is arranged at a certain distance from the inner side of each hot-melt glass lamp plate, and on the corresponding surface of the steel frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Shenzhen Tronsin Illuminating Technique Limited
    Inventors: Haisheng Chen, Naiqun Jiang, Chunping Zhang
  • Patent number: 8197090
    Abstract: The invention relates to an LED package having a large beam angle of light emitted from an LED, simplifying a shape of a lens and an assembly process, and to a backlight unit using the same. The LED package includes a housing with a seating recess formed therein and at least one LED seated in the seating recess. The LED package also includes a lens having a predetermined sag on an upper side thereof, covering an upper part of the LED. The LED package and the backlight unit using the same can emit light uniformly without bright spots formed in an output screen, uses a simpler shaped lens with an increased beam angle, and minimizes a color mixing region to achieve miniaturization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung LED Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dae Yeon Kim, Young Sam Park
  • Patent number: 8172442
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp can include a daytime running lamp with favorable light distribution characteristics. The vehicle headlamp can also include a headlight such as a low beam/high beam, a fog lamp, and the like. The vehicle headlamp can include a parabolic type reflector, a halogen bulb, and a driving circuit. The halogen bulb can include a first filament, a second filament and a shield member if necessary or desired. The first filament can be used as the above headlight, and the second filament adjacent the first filament can be used as the daytime running lamp. Because the second filament can be located at a closer position than the first filament with respect to the reflector, light emitted from the second filament can form a wider light distribution than that of the first filament. Therefore, the vehicle headlamp can provide a daytime running lamp with a favorable light distribution pattern along with the above headlight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sadayuki Konishi
  • Patent number: 8167461
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a light emitting device includes separating a plurality of regions in a film with a thickness not greater than 0.5 millimeters to form a plurality of legs continuous with a body of film, folding the plurality of legs such that each leg terminates in a stack of bounding edges, disposing the stack of bounding edges proximate at least one light source such that light from the at least one light source propagates through the legs and the body by total internal reflection, and treating the film to form a plurality of light scattering features therein such that frustrated totally internally reflected light exits the light emitting device at a visible light emitting area and the light emitting area is at most barely visible when not illuminated by the at least one light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Flex Lighting II, LLC
    Inventor: Anthony J. Nichol
  • Patent number: 8167448
    Abstract: A baseball cap lamp that is suitable for displaying and illuminating a baseball cap when the cap is not being worn includes a lamp shaft having a light socket and a cap stand carried by the lamp shaft at the light socket. An alternative illustrative embodiment of the baseball cap lamp includes a lamp shaft, an LED panel carried by the lamp shaft, a plurality of LEDs provided on the LED panel and a cap stand carried by the lamp shaft at the LED panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Inventor: David Borrows
  • Patent number: 8162515
    Abstract: A lighting device (10) for use within a light box or light panel and comprising a housing with generally parallel upper and lower walls (11, 12) and diverging side walls (13, 14) with one or more LEDs (18) disposed within the housing on a back wall (15) thus to project light outwardly from the housing. Several such devices may be disposed within a light box or light panel to project light across the latter which light is then diffused before exiting from a front display panel or the like. The diffused light conceals the lighting devices within the light box or light panel. Such devices are intended to replace conventional fluorescent or neon lighting tubes or tungsten lights to produce substantially uniform light distribution by diffusion within the light box or light panel and incorporating low voltage and low power consuming light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventor: Morton Graham
  • Patent number: 8147083
    Abstract: Headlights wherein one or more parameters associated with the illumination provided by the associated light source are described. Parameters that can be adjusted, for example, include the intensity of light exiting the headlight assembly, the dispersion of light emitted from the headlight, the direction of illumination, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Underwater Kinetics, Inc.
    Inventor: Alan K. Uke
  • Patent number: 8147082
    Abstract: A Safety reflector suitable as a road stud or hazard reflecting ornament able to utilize ambient light without solar panels batteries or diodes, in order to reflect light multi-dimensionally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Inventor: Leif Eric Tobias Levon
  • Patent number: 8142060
    Abstract: The disclosed subject matter includes light sources that have high use efficiency and a favorable bright distribution, and includes vehicle lamps that have both a favorable light distribution pattern and a capability of being simply composed by using the LED light sources. The light source can include a base board, at least one die bonding pad and wire bonding pad on the base board, at least one LED chip mounted on the die bonding pad and connected to respective bonding pads, and an encapsulating resin over the LED chip. The at least one LED chip can emit a uniform light with a distribution electrode on a top surface thereof and can form a favorable light distribution using a shield electrode on the top surface. The vehicle lamp can include the light source and an optical lens selected according to a kind and/or design of a vehicle lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Saida, Kazuhiko Ueno
  • Patent number: 8136954
    Abstract: A small-size and light-weight backlight system and a planar display device has a structure such that luminance unevenness and chromaticity unevenness in the vicinity of the incident light portion of a light guide plate are not noticeable. The back light system includes a light guide plate arranged to guide the light from a light source and emit the light in a planar direction. The light source includes a linear light source body arranged in the vicinity of the side edge of the light guide plate. The linear light source body includes a linear body in which a plurality of light emitting elements are embedded in the longitudinal direction. A light direction change sheet is arranged on the light emission surface of the light guide plate. The light direction change sheet has a plurality of protruding stripes arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the linear light source body formed on the surface opposing to the light guide plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanobu Okano, Yoshitake Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8132938
    Abstract: An illumination system (1) is based on a window (21) having controllable transmittance and a light guide system (31) arranged for transferring light from a light guide input (33) to a light guide output (34). The light guide output is located in a same space (50) as the window (21), but at a distance therefrom (21). The illumination system includes elements for balancing (40) the transmittance of the window and a throughput of the light guide system. Preferably, the window is an outer window, the light guide input (33) is arranged for gathering day light and the light guide output (34) is arranged to illuminate an area (52) within sight from the window (21). Preferably the transmittance of the window (21) and/or the light throughput of the light guide system (31) are controlled. A method for illuminating a space (50) having a window (21) with controllable transmittance is presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: ChromoGenics AB
    Inventor: Claes Goran Granqvist
  • Patent number: 8128268
    Abstract: A light-emitting element 1 has a rod-shaped light-emitting element 3, an LED lamp 10, and a lens 20 for converging light from the LED lamp to an end face of the rod-shaped light-emitting element. The lens 20 has a scattering area around the centerline of an extremity thereof, and the scattering area scatters light in proximity to the centerline, thereby irradiating an inner peripheral surface of the rod-shaped light-emitting element 3 with the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Umeda, Kazushi Noda
  • Patent number: 8118468
    Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and methods for illuminating a display. In certain embodiments, the illumination apparatus includes a light guide that receives light from a light generator along an edge of the light guide and directs the received light via light extractor features (e.g., grooves) towards a display. The light guide includes at least two sets of light extractor features that are rotated with respect to each other so as to reduce a shadowing effect on the display when the display is viewed from within a specific range of viewing angles. In further embodiments, the spacing or orientation of each or one of the extractor feature sets may also be adjusted so that other visual artifacts, such as a Moiré effect, are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ion Bita, Gang Xu
  • Patent number: 8104935
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating a headlight system in a motor vehicle, wherein the headlights of the headlight system encompass a first operating mode with a first response behavior and a second operating mode with a second response behavior, which is different from the first response behavior. The method includes, but is not limited to the steps of switching from the first operating mode to the second operating mode, rapid change of the response behavior from the first response behavior beyond the second response behavior until a third response behavior is reached, slow reversal of the response behavior from the third response behavior until the second response behavior is reached. A headlight system is also provided that operates in accordance with the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Torsten Kanning
  • Patent number: 8104937
    Abstract: A headlight support structure for a saddle-type vehicle allows a headlight to be easily mounted easily on a handlebar of the vehicle. The headlight support structure includes a support member. The support member, in turn, includes: an attachment portion fixed to a mounting bracket disposed on a handlebar; a first holding portion covering the handlebar from an upward direction; and a second holding portion covering the handlebar from a forward direction. The headlight support member is supported on the handlebar by having the first and second holding portions supported on the handlebar with gaps interposed therebetween, while having the attachment portion fixed to the mounting bracket on the handlebar. The headlight is supported by first and right wall portions, extending respectively forwardly from right and left sides of a front portion of the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Oshima, Tomoko Nagamatsu
  • Patent number: 8104916
    Abstract: This invention provides a flashlight in which locating slots for constraining and fixing conductive strips are provided in a plastic housing. The conductive strips are connected with a conductive heat dissipation element of a light source body and a conductive seat at the tail portion of the plastic housing, and are turned on by the conductive seat and a smart controller such that variation of the light emitted from the light source body is controlled by the smart controller. In addition, the conductive heat dissipation element of the light source body is assembled with the front cover having heat dissipation effect so that the heat dissipation of the light source body is facilitated and hence the lifetime of the light source body is extended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Inventor: Yun-Zhao Liu
  • Patent number: 8104911
    Abstract: A display system with a distributed LED backlight includes: providing a plurality of tile LED light sources, each tile LED light source having a tile and a plurality of similar LED light sources on each tile connected for emitting light therefrom; orienting the plurality of tile LED light sources for illuminating a display from the back of the display; and integrating the plurality of tile LED light sources into a thermally and mechanically structurally integrated distributed LED tile matrix backlight light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Hillman, Gregory L. Tice, William Sauway Law, Sean Bailey, Ann Torres, Efrain Alcorta, Perry Anderson
  • Patent number: 8096670
    Abstract: A diffuser for a lighting device comprises a diffuser region, a hook element and a nose element. A light fixture comprises a housing with an opening and a diffuser as described above, in which the nose element extends through the opening, optionally further comprising an accessory including at least one spring element engaging the hook element. A light fixture structure comprises a housing defining an opening and an first attachment element comprising a nose element, a hook element and a connection region, and optionally further comprising a diffuser engaging a first portion of the hook element, and/or an accessory which engages a second portion of the hook element. An eyeball accessory comprises first and second housing elements pivotably attached to each other. An accessory for a light fixture comprises a housing member and a spring element engageable with a fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary David Trott, Paul Kenneth Pickard, Edward Roger Adams, Antony Paul Van De Ven
  • Patent number: 8092036
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a floor panel and a flooring with a preferably continuous and unbroken front face, which is at least partially light transmitting and which has a light pattern/sign at the front face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
    Inventor: Jan Jacobsson
  • Patent number: 8092060
    Abstract: A cradle includes a housing, an indicator configured to display a status by emitting light, a light-emitting unit serving as a light source for causing the indicator to emit the light, and a reflection unit for guiding the light emitted from the light-emitting unit to the indicator by reflecting the emitted light to the indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuo Osada