Illuminated ornamental purse
A flexible, translucent polymer purse that illuminates on its entire exterior surface for an appealing visual effect. The structure of the purse 10 is composed of a translucent polymer, to which is interchangeably attached a compact LED illumination unit 30 that shines light into a dimple 12, “pumping” light into the purse structure, causing it to glow from an internal refraction illumination. A purse that is manufactured with a process called “dip-molding,” which yields a product that is soft and compliant to touch, yet which retains a semi-rigid shape from its original manufacturing mold. A purse that uses the same refractory illumination method in its flexible polymer shoulder strap or carrying handle 40 as in its shell structure 10.
Not Applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCHNot Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAMNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the INVENTION
This invention relates to plastic handbags, specifically to a flexible vinyl handbag that illuminates on its entire exterior surface for an appealing visual effect.
2. Prior Art
Of the many designs for purses, a number include the ability to illuminate by electric light, either on the interior, the exterior, or occasionally both. Of the purses that can illuminate in this way, some are composed of a translucent or semi-translucent plastic that creates an unusual visual effect and can facilitate viewing of the purse's contents. Prior art related to the illumination of purses includes a number of examples.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,390 to Stone, et al, proposes a purse of transparent or semi-transparent material that uses a cable-like electroluminescent light source to illuminate the interior of the purse and radiate light waves exteriorly. While this approach uses a transparent material for the structure of the purse, the illumination occurs only from light passing from the electroluminescent cable from the interior to the exterior surface of the purse, rather than illuminating the structure by refracting light from within the structure material itself By creating light with an electroluminescent cable, the illumination around the purse structure is less bright than using a refractory method and creates a fundamentally different visual effect. The visual effect of the Stone patent is more akin to glowing wires as seen through a window rather than the outer surface of an entire pane of glass glowing brightly at night. Furthermore, using electroluminescent cable requires inverting DC current to AC, thus more electrical output from a battery pack and more heavy batteries than a compact light emitting diode (LED) illumination unit. Multiple batteries require more space inside the purse and create more dead weight for the person carrying the purse.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,390 to Stone also proposes a design composed of rigid polymers, such as Plexiglas, rather than a softer, more pliable and flexible polymer material that is more pleasing to touch and more comfortable to wear close to the body. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,390 proposes a construction of rigid polymer panels into a metal frame of extruded aluminum and a lid structure attached by a hinge, all of which require costly manual fabrication.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,063 to Granneman proposes using an electroluminescent panel mounted into the side of a purse, primarily for interior illumination. Yet this electroluminescent panel comprises only a portion of the exterior surface, not the entire exterior surface, and electroluminescence is a fundamentally different method of illuminating a flexible material than internal refraction of light through a structure material from an LED illumination unit. Internal refraction occurs when an illumination unit is inserted into the surface of a translucent or semi-translucent substrate, allowing the light to illuminate the material completely and evenly. An electroluminescent lamp is a thin laminated light-emitting capacitor that typically requires an inverter from direct to alternating current, not an LED powered by direct current from a battery. U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,063 also stipulates a permanently mounted battery and a removable light source rather than a unified battery and illumination unit that is removable from the structure of the purse. Though a purse structure composed entirely of electroluminescent panels is conceivable (while not claimed in the Granneman patent), such a design would be prohibitively costly and complex to assemble, power and protect from wear and tear.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,857 to Lumley proposes the installation of a plurality of individual lights and gem-like members on the exterior surface of a purse. This approach may provide a pleasing visual effect, but does not illuminate the entire exterior surface of the purse using the material from which the body of the purse is made. Instead, only small lights or gem-like members attached to the outer surface are illuminated, with the rest of the purse remaining un-illuminated. This partial illumination issue is similar to that of the Granneman patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,059 to Leibowitz proposes a satchel with an electroluminescent exterior display and display holder. While this design provides illumination to a portion of the exterior of the satchel, it does not illuminate the entire exterior surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,054 to Dalgleish proposes an illuminated bag with a chemiluminescent wand that can be activated to light a portion of the external surface. Chemiluminescence is a fundamentally different illumination technology from an LED and has different visual effect in relation to any polymer container to which it is connected. This effect is one of a bar of light in or on a bag rather than a completely illuminated purse structure.
There are several other patents related to interior illumination of purses, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,232 to Burns, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,605 to Rivera and U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,142 to Weir, that use incandescent bulbs instead of LED-driven refraction and have no provision for external, decorative illumination.
In summary, there are neither patents nor prior art known by this applicant that combine complete exterior illumination, an LED light source and a refractory method of illumination.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGESThere are several objects and advantages to the proposed purse:
1. To provide a purse which can illuminate and glow across its entire exterior surface, not just in discrete places, nor solely in individual panels, nor with individual lights or gem-like members attached to the exterior surface.
2. To provide a purse which illuminates with great brilliance over its entire exterior surface by using a light refraction method of “pumping” light into the purse structure material itself rather than shining light across or through its surface.
3. To provide a purse that uses a compact LED illumination unit to supply the needed illumination and refraction, saving battery energy, storage space, and weight.
4. To provide a purse that uses an LED illumination unit capable of pulses of light (a “strobe” effect), which greatly enhances the visual effect of the illumination and the attractiveness of the purse.
5. To provide a purse with an LED illumination unit available a plurality of different colors and which can be modularly removed and installed by the wearer in order to change the illuminated color of the purse structure.
6. To provide a purse that is manufactured with a flexible polymer, such as vinyl Plastisol, which is soft and compliant to touch, yet which retains a semi-rigid shape from its original manufacturing mold.
7. To provide a purse that is manufactured using a widely known technique called “dip molding,” which simplifies the design to eliminate mechanical hinges and other hardware that require costly manual assembly.
8. To provide a purse whose vinyl Plastisol structure is highly resistant to scratches, cracks and general wear, preserving the purse's appearance and durability.
9. To provide a purse that uses the same refractory illumination method in its flexible polymer shoulder strap or carrying handle as in its shell structure, thereby increasing the purse's visual appeal and attention to the wearer.
10. To provide a purse with an LED illumination unit that can be easily attached to or removed from the interior of the purse with a hook-and-loop fastener.
11. To provide a purse that uses one or more die-cut slits in the purse structure to permit access to its contents when it is manually bent, folded or compressed by the wearer (eliminating mechanical closures from the manufacturing process).
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from the consideration of the ensuring description and drawings.
SUMMARYIn accordance with the present invention a purse that has a structure that illuminates on its entire exterior surface, with a structure composed of a flexible polymer (plastisol).
DRAWINGS—FIGURESIn the drawings, related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.
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- 10. structure of purse
- 12. dimple in structure of purse for LED illumination
- 20. accordion fold
- 30. purse structure LED illumination unit
- 32. purse structure LED bulb
- 34. purse structure LED illumination unit on/off switch
- 36. purse structure LED illumination unit hook-and-loop fastener
- 38. light rays produced by LED illumination unit
- 40. handle
- 42. alternative LED illumination unit
- 44. alternative LED illumination unit on/off switch
- 45. alternative LED illumination unit function switch
- 46A. alternative LED illumination unit bulb—first color
- 46B. alternative LED illumination unit bulb—second color
- 48. dimple in handle of purse for LED illumination
- 50. access slit
- 60a. hook material of hook-and-loop fastener
- 60b. loop material of hook-and-loop fastener
- 70. integral hinge
A preferred embodiment of the purse of the present invention is illustrated in
The LED illumination unit 30 is connected to the shell structure of the purse 10 by a hook-and-loop fastener 36, which attaches to the structure of the purse and the LED illumination unit by its adhesive backing. The LED illumination unit is attached to the structure of the purse in such a way that LED bulb 32 slips into a dimple 12 that is molded into the structure of the purse when it is dip-molded.
Operation of Preferred Embodiment—
When the purse is opened in
Ideally, the wall thickness of the vinyl plastisol for the shell structure should be between 5-6 millimeters (0.200″ to 0.250″), allowing for a deep dimple into which to “pump” the light from the LED. This material thickness also allows for a purse structure that is resilient over time, retaining its original structure even in hot atmospheric conditions.
When the owner of the purse is done using it, she can use the LED illumination unit switch 34 to turn off the light. If she desires to illuminate the purse in a different color, she can interchangeably remove the LED illumination unit 30 from its hook-and-loop attachment 36 and install a separate LED illumination unit having a different color LED bulb. This interchangeability of LED illumination units expands the range of colors available to the owner, adding to the novelty and attractiveness of the purse.
Several variations upon the core design embodiment cited above are possible. Generally, the variations fall into three categories: shape of the structure of the purse, various types of handles/carrying straps and methods of illumination.
Variations of the purse include, but are not limited to:
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- 1.
FIG. 5 , which shows an alternative LED illumination unit - 2.
FIG. 6 , which shows a cylindrical design - 3.
FIG. 7 , which shows a spherical design - 4.
FIG. 8 , which shows a “teardrop” design - 5.
FIG. 9 , which shows a flat, round design
- 1.
In the spherical embodiment shown in
There are multiple advantages of the present invention:
a. The process of illuminating the shell structure of the purse with the “internal refraction” method cited above creates a complete illumination of the entire exterior surface of the product, maximizing the brilliance of light it emits, creating a novel visual effect and attracting maximum attention to the wearer.
This internal refraction method is fundamentally different from all other methods of illuminating the exterior surface of a purse, as the shell structure material of the purse itself illuminates from light “pumped” into it. Other methods in patents cited above are limited to:
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- i. Illuminating “gems” applied to the exterior
- ii. Illuminating the interior and/or limited areas of the exterior with incandescent lights
- iii. Lighting an electroluminescent cable that shines through panels of rigid translucent plastic
- iv. Attaching electroluminescent panels to the exterior or interior of a purse
- v. Using a chemiluminescent wand to light part of the exterior of a bag.
None of these methods have the same degree of brilliant, all-encompassing illumination possible with LED-driven internal refraction of the shell purse structure. Additional ramifications include the following advantages:
a. The LED illumination units employed in this illumination process are compact and lightweight, saving interior space for storage of personal articles while minimizing the overall weight of the purse. While style and attractiveness are important to a purse design, lightweight and practical functionality are equally valuable.
b. LEDs are a vastly more energy-efficient source of illumination than conventional incandescent bulbs, electroluminescent panels or electroluminescent cable. This energy efficiency boosts battery life and decreases the need for space-consuming, heavy sets of larger batteries.
c. Using an LED illumination unit that is available in a plurality of different colors and which can be modularly removed and installed by the wearer lowers the cost of having purses to match different outfits or occasions. Instead of buying two or three purses, the wearer only needs to buy one purse, and can accessorize her purchase with multiple LED lighting units.
d. Using an LED illumination unit capable of pulses of light (a “strobe” effect), greatly enhances the visual effect of the illumination and the attractiveness of the purse.
e. Molding the shell structure of the purse with a flexible vinyl plastisol increases the comfort of using the product, as it is softer to touch, complies more easily to the shape of a body, and is more durable than rigid designs made of brittle acrylic plastic.
f. The “dip-molding” process used with vinyl plastisols dramatically reduces the cost of manufacturing and simplifies designs, often enabling purses to be made in a one-piece “clamshell” shape. This simplification also reduces time to market for new models, lowers tooling costs, and lowers production costs when compared with products made from multiple parts.
Although the description above contains many specific details, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustration of the some of its preferred embodiments. For example, the purse can have other shapes, such as cylindrical, spherical, “teardrop,” tetrahedral, etc. It can have additional colors via the interchangeable LED illumination units. And it can have different styles of carrying handles or straps, which also can be illuminated in colors independent of those used on the shell structure of the purse.
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than solely by the examples given.
Claims
1. An illuminated ornamental purse, comprising:
- a. a flexible, translucent polymer shell structure with interior and exterior surfaces, with an opening of a predetermined length cut through both surfaces;
- b. an LED illumination unit comprising a casing, power source, on/off switch and LED bulb, attached to the interior surface of said polymer shell structure;
- c. a flexible, translucent polymer handle, attached to said flexible, translucent polymer shell structure;
- d. means for illuminating the entirety of the exterior surface of said flexible, translucent polymer shell structure by communicating light produced by said LED illumination unit to said polymer shell structure;
- e. means for illuminating the entirety of the exterior surface of said flexible, translucent, polymer handle by communicating light produced by said LED illumination unit through said shell structure into said handle
2. The illuminated ornamental purse of claim 1 wherein said LED illumination unit functions in either constant illumination or intermittent illumination modes.
3. The illuminated ornamental purse of claim 1 wherein a plurality of LED illumination units can be installed.
4. The illuminated ornamental purse of claim 1 wherein a single LED illumination unit has two LED bulbs, one of which lights the shell structure of the purse and one of which illuminates the carrying handle of the purse.
5. The illuminated ornamental purse of claim 1 wherein said opening of a predetermined length is connected to a hinged fold of flexible, translucent polymer to prevent personal belongings from falling out of said illuminated purse when opened.
6. The illuminated ornamental purse of claim 1 wherein a predetermined decorative design made of an opaque, flexible polymer is laminated onto the exterior surface of said flexible, translucent polymer shell structure.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 16, 2004
Publication Date: Oct 20, 2005
Inventor: John McCoy (Novato, CA)
Application Number: 10/826,547