Patents Examined by Y My Quach Lee
  • Patent number: 7572045
    Abstract: A compact backlight system has a light-emitting panel (1) with a front wall (2), a rear wall (3) situated opposite thereto, a first edge surface (4) and, opposite thereto, a second edge surface (5) . A first light source (6) is associated with the first edge surface (4) which is light-transmitting. The light-emitting panel (1) widens over a widening section (100) from the first edge surface (4) in a direction towards the second edge surface (5), and the rear wall (3) is provided over the widening section (100) with a multiplicity of steps (13, 13?, . . . ) each having a surface (17) facing the front wall (2) which is substantially parallel to the front wall (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Christoph Gerard August Hoelen, Gerard Harbers, Nicola Bettina Pfeffer
  • Patent number: 7568828
    Abstract: A light guide plate includes a light incidence surface, a light reflection surface, and a light emission surface. The light reflection surface forms a plurality of light-guiding structures extending in a direction substantially parallel to a light source. The light reflection surface has an edge margin section adjacent to the light incidence surface and having opposite end zones each containing auxiliary light-guiding structures that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the light source and has an irregular V-shaped cross-section defined by a long inclined side, which faces endwise, and a short inclined side. The auxiliary light-guiding structures are distributed from a densest condition at each end portion toward a sparsest condition at a middle portion of the edge margin section. The long side helps to redirect a greater amount of light to a desired light emission direction thereby enhancing uniformity of light emission of the light guide plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Radiant Opto-Electronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Hsuan Chen, Pei-Ling Kao, Chun-Hsien Li
  • Patent number: 7563007
    Abstract: A bumper cover and lamp housing assembly (14) (“assembly”) includes a bumper cover (22) and a lamp housing (24) that is releasably attached to bumper cover (22). Bumper cover (22) has a one-piece construction (30) with one of a tongue fastener (28) and a groove fastener (26). Lamp housing (24) has a single-piece construction (46) with the other of the tongue fastener (28) and groove fastener (26). Tongue fastener (28) is slidably attached directly to groove fastener (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Reeves, George Bowman
  • Patent number: 7559684
    Abstract: The invention provides an electro-optical device that includes: an electro-optical panel; light sources that emit light that enters the electro-optical panel; an optical waveguide board that guides the light emitted from the light sources toward the electro-optical panel; and a flexible printed circuit board on which the light sources are mounted, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is adhered to the optical waveguide board by adhesive members in such a manner that a part of the flexible printed circuit board is opposed to a surface of the optical waveguide board and that the light sources are positioned to be opposed to an edge face of the optical waveguide board, and concave portions are formed in the optical waveguide board at least at positions where the adhesive members are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Epson Imaging Devices Corporation
    Inventor: Tatsumi Okuda
  • Patent number: 7559666
    Abstract: An illuminating imitation plant, comprising a stem, twigs and leaves. Said stem is made as the pattern of a real plant stem and stem light circles and light bands are arranged outside or inside the stem at intervals; the elastic supporting rod is installed in the middle of said stem and interposes pin said stem; meanwhile, the illuminant bodies are installed inside twigs on which multiple leaves are distributed; said leaves imitate the natural leaves and colors and show natural flexible patterns and are also inserted with elastic strips and with distributed light bands made of illuminant bodies and photo conducting materials. The twigs and leaves are ideally elastic and flexible especially can wobble vividly when it is breezy. They also glow more evenly and dimly and the effects of night illuming and decorating are excellent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Inventor: Li Min Liu
  • Patent number: 7556391
    Abstract: A transmittance adjuster unit includes multiple transmittance adjusters arranged in a predetermined pattern, if the pattern density is ?(x, y), the maximum luminance Fmax of the light emitted from the light emission plane of a planar illumination device when the unit is not provided is 1, the minimum luminance is Fmin, and the relative luminance with respect to the maximum luminance Fmax of the light emitted from a predetermined position (x, y) of the emission plane is F(x, y), the relationship between the luminance F(x, y) and the pattern density ?(x, y) satisfies the following expression: ?(x, y)=c{F(x, y)?Fmin}/(Fmax?Fmin), wherein 0.5?c?1. This unit is thin and lightweight, and can reduce unevenness of the luminance without reducing the average luminance of the incident light. The planar illumination device includes the transmittance adjuster unit and a liquid crystal display device includes the planar illumination device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Motohiko Matsushita
  • Patent number: 7553041
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a floating luminary device that includes: (a.) a base saucer having at least one closed air chamber for floatation, the base saucer having a first predetermined maximum width; and, (b.) a candle mantle located on the base saucer and projecting upwardly from the base saucer and having sufficient space therein for encompassing a candle, the candle mantle having a second predetermined maximum width wherein the first predetermined maximum width is at least 10% greater than the second predetermined maximum width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Inventor: Diane D. Terhune
  • Patent number: 7553053
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp is provided with a lens and a metal wire for a heater. The metal wire is embedded in the lens by thermal wiring. A coating layer is formed on a side of the lens to which the metal wire is distributed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsuyuki Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 7553045
    Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED) package includes a base, a body and several LED chips. The body having an end surface is disposed on the base. A peripheral recess is formed in the end surface. The LED chips are disposed on a bottom of the peripheral recess for providing sidelight of the LED package. The LED package is connectable to a light guide pipe including a column having an external circumferential surface and an internal reflection surface, and a plurality of prism structures disposed between or on at least one of the external circumferential surface and the internal reflection surface for scattering light received by the light guide pipe from the LED package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Chen-Pin Hung
  • Patent number: 7553058
    Abstract: An exemplary optical plate (23) includes a transparent plate portion 231, a plurality of brightness enhancement structures (232) and a light diffusion layer (233). The transparent plate portion has a light input interface (2311), and a light output surface (2312) opposite to the light input interface. The brightness enhancement structures are formed at the light output surface. The light diffusion layer are formed on the light input interface, which includes a transparent resin matrix material and a plurality of first light diffusion particles and a plurality of second light diffusion particles dispersed in the transparent resin matrix material uniformly. A refractive index of the second light diffusion particles is greater than that of the first light diffusion particles. An exemplary method for manufacturing the optical plate is also provided. The optical plate and an associated backlight module (20) can increase the light energy utilization ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shao-Han Chang
  • Patent number: 7543967
    Abstract: A rotatable vehicular lamp assembly includes a main frame having spaced-apart top and bottom main plates, a lighting unit, and a drive unit. The lighting unit includes a lamp seat holder connected pivotally to the top and bottom main plates for rotation relative to the main frame, and a lamp seat connected to and rotatable synchronously with the lamp seat holder. The drive unit includes a motor mounted on the main frame to rotate the lamp seat holder relative to the main frame. A vibration-limiting element is disposed between the main frame and the lamp seat holder to limit vibration of the lamp seat holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Inventor: Chian-Yin Tseng
  • Patent number: 7540624
    Abstract: Active and spare battery holders are removably disposed within a battery compartment of a battery operated device such that battery cells in the active holder provide electrical power to operate the device, while battery cells in the spare holder are electrically isolated to prevent their discharge. In one embodiment, upon discharge of the battery cells of the active holder the cells of the active holder and the spare holder are exchanged, providing the active holder with fresh cells to operate the device. In another embodiment, the active and spare holders are simply interchanged, so that the spare holder becomes the active holder and the active holder becomes the spare holder. According to the latter embodiment, a unitary battery holder includes a first and second battery holder in a single unit, so that to interchange active and spare holders the unitary battery holder is reversed within the battery compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Inventors: Ricky Eugene Hull, Steven Lynn Batdorff
  • Patent number: 7534015
    Abstract: An LED lamp includes a hollow, prism-shaped heat sink (30), a plurality of LED modules (20) attached on sidewalls (320) of the heat sink, a cover (40) mounted on a top of the heat sink, a lampshade (10) secured to a bottom of the heat sink, and a fan (50) fixed on the top of the heat sink and through the cover. A plurality of fins (340) extends inwardly from inner faces of the heat sink to cooperatively define two crossed slots in the heat sink. When the fan is in operation, an airflow produced by the fan flows through the fins from the top through the bottom of the heat sink, thereby dissipating heat absorbed by the heat sink from the LED modules rapidly and efficiently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignees: Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd., Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fang-Wei Xu, Guang Yu, Cheng-Tien Lai
  • Patent number: 7534001
    Abstract: A key pad assembly includes a printed circuit board, a first elastic layer, a second elastic layer, a light-shielding layer, a keycap group, a light-emitting element and a light-shielding piece. The second elastic layer has a light-guiding plate thereon. The light-guiding plate has a chain-like light-shielding structure. The light-shielding structure is constituted of a plurality of penetrating holes with neighboring ones arranged alternatively and divides the light-guiding plate into two light-guiding sections. When the lights with different colors are introduced from the outside of the two light-guiding sections into the light-guiding plate, and the light of either light-guiding section passes through the light-shielding structure, the intensity of the light passing through the penetrating hole is so reduced that it cannot achieve the other light-guiding section, thereby to avoid the mutual interference and mixing of the lights of the two light-guiding sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Ichia Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Chang-Li Liu
  • Patent number: 7534013
    Abstract: In one form, there is a luminaire for providing uniform color and brightness from multiple small light sources, which includes a shallow plate of transparent material having a first surface which is substantially flat, and a second surface which includes patterned planes acutely disposed to the first surface. Each second surface is adjacent to an entry face into which light from the multiple small light sources is projected into the plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Inventor: Jerome H. Simon
  • Patent number: 7534002
    Abstract: A lighting device having: a light-emitting diode lamp having a light-emitting diode device sealed by a glass sealing part; and a fluorescent layer disposed on the side of an illuminated object of the light-emitting diode lamp. The fluorescent layer is operable to radiate a wavelength-converted light by being excited by light emitted from the light-emitting diode device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Yamaguchi, Yoshinobu Suehiro
  • Patent number: 7530712
    Abstract: A reflective illumination device is disclosed, which is comprised of a light-guiding screen with light reflecting ability and at least a directional light source; wherein the light-guiding screen includes a reflecting surface having a semi-Fresnel lens structure arranged thereon. The semi-Fresnel lens structure, being designed basing on the principle of Fresnel lens, is the equivalent of a parabolic mirror that has spiral cut ridges for focusing light to a focal point, whereas the profile of the ridges can be a planar surface, a curved surface or the combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignees: Industrial Technology Research Institute, Toalux Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Jian-Shian Lin, Jian-Chiuan Wang, Chieh-Lung Lai, Hsiu-Chen Hsu, Yi-Ting Sun
  • Patent number: 7527407
    Abstract: An optic film includes a surface on which a plurality of densely distributed rib-like light guides is formed. Among the light guides, some are straight linear, while the others are of a continuous left-and-right wavy configuration. Thus, when light passes through the optic film and is converged thereby, the converged light is not completely in a regular distribution. In a backlight module using the optic film, light emitted from the backlight module does not cause diffraction and thus interference pattern is prevented from occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignees: Gamma Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chien-Chin Mai
  • Patent number: 7527414
    Abstract: A direct-type backlight module includes a light-guide plate. The light-guide plate has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface has at least one first groove. The backlight module may also include at least one light source. The light source corresponds to the first groove so that light emitted from the light source is reflected by the first groove. One or more optical films may be disposed on the first surface of the light-guide plate and a reflector may be disposed below the second surface of the light-guide plate. With the light-guide plate in place, the overall thickness of the backlight module is reduced, and the lamp mura is avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Chen-Pin Hung, Stanley Huang, Tzu-Chang Wang
  • Patent number: 7527400
    Abstract: A light emitting device, comprises: a light emitting element; a plurality of lead frames electrically connected to the light emitting element; and a package that extends in the lengthwise direction, has an opening in its front face for taking out light from the light emitting element, and makes one end of the lead frames to protrude to the outside thereof and sandwiches at least a part thereof, wherein the package has cut-outs in part of its outer surface on both sides in the lengthwise direction of the opening on the front face side, and the width of the cut-outs in the lengthwise direction increases from the rear face side toward the front face side, and the depth from the top face side toward the bottom face side increases from the rear face side toward the front face side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Nichia Corporation
    Inventors: Saiki Yamamoto, Hideo Asakawa