Patents Examined by Stephen Husar
  • Patent number: 7111963
    Abstract: A light source includes a light head and a heat transfer arrangement. The light head includes a tubular supporting frame, which has an interior space, and a luminary unit provided on the supporting frame. The heat transfer arrangement, for dissipating heat generated from the light head, includes a heat sink and a heat conductor having a sealed chamber, which has a first portion in the supporting frame and a second portion extended to the heat sink, and a cooling agent contained in the sealed chamber of the heat conductor, wherein the cooling agent is capable of being vaporized by the heat of the luminary unit and condensed by said heat sink so as to substantially enable the heat to flow from the luminary unit towards the heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Inventor: Long Bao Zhang
  • Patent number: 7111958
    Abstract: A portable radial projection light source arrangement includes a shelter housing and an illumination unit. The shelter housing includes a protection base having a light source cavity therein, and a supporting frame mounted on the protection base. The illumination unit includes a power source supported in the protection base, a light source disposed in the light source cavity and electrically connected to the power source, and a reflecting member supported at a position coaxially above the light source wherein the reflecting member has a light reflecting surface radially projected from the light source in such a manner that when the light source emits light, the light is radially reflected by the light reflecting surface of the reflecting member to outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Inventor: Perry Coman
  • Patent number: 7108410
    Abstract: An exterior rear view mirror assembly is disclosed which incorporates a warning light actuatable in conjunction with the vehicle turn signals to alert adjacent motor vehicles of an anticipated turn. The warning light is integrated into a first decorative cover member and may be connected to the vehicle turn signal circuit by way of connectable electrical leads or by an integrally formed plug and outlet arrangement. A second decorative cover member may be substituted for the first decorative cover member when it is not desired to incorporate the warning light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Schefenacker Vision Systems USA Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Stidham, Dale Gathergood, Charles Furlotte
  • Patent number: 7108387
    Abstract: A doorknob and lock light assembly for providing a useful light when for a user attempting to place a key in the lock. The doorknob and lock light assembly includes a door lock assembly including a handle being adapted to be securely attached to a door; and also includes a light-emitting assembly being attached to the door lock assembly and including a battery being disposed in the handle and also including light-emitting members being attached to the handle and being connected with wires to the battery; and further includes a sensor/switch assembly being attached to the door lock assembly and being connected to the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Inventor: Daniel D. Lucas
  • Patent number: 7104678
    Abstract: The invention concerns a lighting or signalling device for a motor vehicle, which comprises: a linear light guide generated by the movement of a circular elementary section along a director line, the elementary section comprising a front peripheral lighting portion and a rear peripheral portion which comprises a rear light-diffusion segment; and a light source emitting rays entering the light guide through one end; of the type in which the rays propagate in the light guide by successive total reflections and in which the rays reaching the diffusion segment are diffused in particular towards the rear outside the length, and towards the front so as to be refracted through the front lighting portion, wherein it comprises at least one reflector which redirects forwards the rays which emerge through the rear peripheral portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventor: Antoine De Lamberterie
  • Patent number: 7101069
    Abstract: A direct backlight module. The direct backlight module includes a diffuser, a reflecting plate, an illumination tube and a support. The reflecting plate is disposed under the diffuser. The illumination tube is disposed between the diffuser and the reflecting plate. The support is disposed on the reflecting plate and between the diffuser and the reflecting plate. In addition, the support has a fitting portion into which the illumination tube directly fits. The support supports the diffuser and the illumination tube simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Au Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Chuan-Pei Yu, Han-Chou Liu, Chin-Kun Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7090371
    Abstract: A headlamp is used as an emergency light by removably mounting the headlamp and connecting the headlamp to a rechargeable battery source separate from and in addition to the connection to the vehicle electrical system, so that the headlamp is operated normally and when needed is removable and has a separate power source. Such a rechargeable lamp can be mounted in the trunk or elsewhere in the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Inventor: George Bonar
  • Patent number: 7090367
    Abstract: A rotating light fixture and method of creating the same is provided. A plurality of members, such as strings and rods, are attached to a rotational device. Each member has a plurality of light sources connected to it. The plurality of members can expand upon rotation to form a canopy shape, or the plurality of members can itself define a canopy shape. Upon rotation, the light fixture has the appearance of a translucent solid shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Inventor: Frederick J. Eversley
  • Patent number: 7086774
    Abstract: A backlight unit of a liquid crystal display device includes a prism light guide plate supported by a frame-like chassis. The light guide plate includes a light incident surface having two ends, near which stainless steel metal stoppers are attached respectively. The metal stoppers include pawls which, upon the attachment, come inward from sides of the light incident surface of the light guide plate to between the light incident surface and a lamp (lamp holders). When the liquid crystal display device is subjected to an impact from outside, the metal stoppers prevent the light guide plate from moving toward the lamp, thereby offering improved impact resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasutoshi Katsuda, Takeshi Ogura, Satoshi Ono
  • Patent number: 7086766
    Abstract: A half-mirror evaporated layer is formed by spattering all over a front face of a resin substrate, and at the front faces of the reflector parts, aluminum evaporated layers are further formed to be reflecting mirror faces on the half-mirror evaporated layer, while at the front face of an extension, the half-mirror evaporated face is exposed as a half-mirror face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruaki Inaba, Hideaki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7086768
    Abstract: An illumination device LK comprises a planar light guiding element 3 having a first face 3c and a second face 3d, which are substantially parallel to each other, and a predetermined number (equal to or greater than one) of light sources 2-1, 2-2 for emitting light from a light emitting side along a main light emission axis A. The planar light guiding element 3 has inserting means 3h for allowing insertion of at least one of the light sources 2-1, 2-2 separately so that the main light emission axis A is substantially parallel to the first face 3c and the second face 3d.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Nitto Jushi Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Suwa, Eizaburou Higuchi
  • Patent number: 7083293
    Abstract: A selectable lighting system and method that uses multiple cool burning compact fluorescent light bulbs of different color temperatures to provide lighting that is a mix of different color temperatures that can be selected and/or mixed to illuminate subjects of video or photographic recording as desired by the videographer. The mix of different color temperature bulbs also makes this lighting system very beneficial as a reading light, a general purpose work light or detail work task light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Inventor: Arthur A. Kalinski
  • Patent number: 7070299
    Abstract: There is disclosed lighting apparatus suitable for being positioned adjacent to an area or an object for indicating the location or orientation of the area or object. The apparatus is provided with a set of light emitters for emitting light and which are positioned side by side relative to one another. The light emitters are staggered for emitting the light outwardly from the apparatus at an increasing angle along the set relative to a plane of reference. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the light emitters are light emitting diodes. The apparatus finds particular application as an airstrip light for indicating the position and orientation of the airstrip to approaching aircraft. Signalling apparatus for being positioned adjacent to an area for indicating the position of the area and which are provided with infrared emitting diodes for emitting an infrared signal are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Inventors: John David Williams, Ian James Maitland, Darryl John Jones
  • Patent number: 7066625
    Abstract: A staircase combination of the gang socket includes a plurality of integrally formed tubular sockets each having a bottom partially connected to the upper rim of the next socket and so on until a last socket partially connected its upper rim to the bottom of the socket positioned at above. Each of the sockets has a vertically cutting opening in a lateral side and closed by a plurality of integrally formed covers which are also connected partially their lower end to an upper end of the next covers, a common contact plate disposed between each of the adjacent sockets, a pair of single contact plate disposed within a first and last sockets opposite to the common contact plates and each connected with an electric wire, a plurality of lamps respectively inserted into the sockets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Inventor: Mei-Lu Lin
  • Patent number: 7066613
    Abstract: A sound and light apparatus including a lamp and a speaker. The sound and light apparatus can be used indoors or outdoors to enhance a landscape plan or an interior design plan. Multiple sound and light apparatuses can be used to further enhance the ambiance of the indoors or outdoors location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Broan-Nutone LLC
    Inventor: Tejaswi Vishwamitra
  • Patent number: 7066628
    Abstract: A jacketed light emitting diode assembly is provided, which includes a light emitting diode including a set of positive and negative contacts, and a lens body containing a semiconductor chip and end portions of the contacts. An electrical wire set of first and second electrical wires are connected to the positive contact and the negative contact, respectively. A light transmissive cover receives the lens body, and has an opening through which at least one of the contact set and the electrical wire set passes. An integrally molded plastic jacket at the opening of the light transmissive cover provides a seal at the opening against moisture and airborne contaminants. A waterproof light string including one or more of the jacketed light emitting diode assemblies is also provided, as are related methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Fiber Optic Designs, Inc.
    Inventor: David Allen
  • Patent number: 7063442
    Abstract: A decorative light string including a plurality of first and second lights is provided. The first lights are distributed along the length of the light string and are spaced apart by a first predetermined distance. The second lights are arranged in a plurality of drops, and each drop is retained in alignment with one of the plurality of fist lights by a coupling means. In one exemplary embodiment, the decorative light string comprises a first light string including electrically parallel-connected C-type lights, a second light string including electrically series-connected mini lights arranged in drops, and a plurality of connectors for coupling the first and second light strings together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Inliten, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Sugar
  • Patent number: 7063452
    Abstract: An assembly of a flash-lamp string system comprising a plurality of flash-lamp strings connected in series so as to form into an elongate lamp string; the elongate lamp string includes at least two different flash-lamp strings in terms of flashing type; the outer shape of the two different flash-lamp strings is the same; the bulb socket and the bulb assembly of every aforesaid flash-lamp string can be mounted together within the same flash-lamp string; in other words, the bulb socket and bulb assembly can not be exchanged with that of the different type of flash-lamp string in order to avoid overload of power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Inventor: Cheng-Ji Kuo
  • Patent number: 7063439
    Abstract: A backlight module which includes at least a U-shaped fluorescent tube, a first and a second heat-dissipating structure is provided. The U-shaped fluorescent tube includes a curved tube portion, two straight-tube luminous portions and two electrode portions. Of which, each of the two straight luminous sections has one end connected to one or the other end of the curved tube portion while the two electrode portions are correspondingly disposed at the other end of the two straight-tube luminous portions which are of equal length, parallel to each other and situated at the same side of the curved tube portion. The first heat-dissipating structure which envelops the entire or partial of curved tube portion is thermal-conductively connected to the curved tube portion. The second heat-dissipating structure which envelops one of the two electrode portions is thermal-conductively connected to the enveloped electrode portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Au Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Chung Peng, Chih-Kang Wu
  • Patent number: RE39162
    Abstract: A small, lightweight, high intensity illumination assembly for use in dental and medical applications. The illumination assembly includes attachment means for removable attachment to headgear such as eyeglasses, face shields, or headbands, and lenses, loupes, and binoculars associated with such headgear. The illumination assembly is able to achieve extremely light weight by using only a single optical element therein, e.g., an aspheric condensing lens, binary optical element, or holographic optical means, and by piping illumination to the optical element from a remote light source by use of a flexible light guide, e.g., a fiberoptic bundle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Kerr Corporation
    Inventors: Charles H. Caplan, Frederick N. Bushroe