Illumination – Light source or light source support and luminescent material
Utility Patent
1999-04-06
2001-01-02
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Light source or light source support and luminescent material
C362S085000, C362S109000
Utility Patent
active
06168283
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of hand-operated illuminating devices, and, more particularly, to a circuit for illuminating a template surrounding push buttons of hand-held devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many devices operated by push buttons are used in low light, such as that available to home users during evening hours. Many such commercially available devices are not easily readable under subdued lighting or illumination, like that light emitted by a television screen. To read such devices under low light, one must usually turn on a light or take the device to adequate lighting to read the device.
Illumination added directly to such push-button devices typically involves an incandescent lamp. Incandescent illumination is often overdone or under-done. Further, unevenness in the area of illumination of the device may be harsh to the eye and distracting when the use of the device is merely ancillary to other activities. In situations in which safety and security are primary, turning on an incandescent lamp may expose the user to danger, and may result in a momentary loss of night vision. Exposing the controls in harsh, uneven light makes the use of the remote control device more difficult for the elderly or the visually impaired.
Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus and a method for illuminating such push-button devices that is not under or over done, is not harsh or uneven in illumination for the user or others in the vicinity, and is not distracting to the main activity for which the push-button controller is being used. Such a method of illumination should not unduly expose the user to harm by drawing attention to the use of the device, should not cause a momentary loss of night vision, or make the device more difficult to use. It should allow the user to turn on the light only momentarily. Also, the process of illuminating the device should not cause a change in the normal pattern of using the device, such as by requiring different fingering to turn on other functions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses these and other drawbacks of the prior art by providing a templated evenly illuminated source for addition to such push-button devices without relying on unwanted pinpoints of light and in a manner that is pleasing to the eye, is not distracting or attention-gathering, and is an aid rather than a hindrance to regular users of such devices. The illumination method includes an electroluminescent lamp in which a light-emitting phosphor layer and a dielectric layer are sandwiched between conducting surfaces. The electroluminescent layer is activated and illuminated by an alternating current.
The invention includes a power supply and a thin, flexible electroluminescent planar sheet. In one preferred embodiment, the power supply comprises an electrical voltage inverter and a power source. The planar sheet is profiled on the border of the device and contains a templated series of openings placed around push buttons of the device. The planar sheet may be attached to the device by means of an adhesive matrix in the interface between the planar sheet and the surface of the device. The planar sheet has electroluminescent properties due to embedded circuitry which can be powered by the power source, such as a battery, to evenly illuminate the entire surface of the sheet, at a current of approximately 1.0 mA/sq. in. The circuitry is accessed by a terminal that receives a power clip. The power clip is connected to an electrical inverter with electrical leads. Further, additional electrical leads connect the inverter to the battery. A controlled interval or variable interval timer may be added to the circuit such that when a switch is closed, current flows to the timer and the lamp is turned on for a specified interval between arbitrarily selected high and low values.
The invention can be applied to any number of underlying devices. Underlying devices represent finger actuated electrical devices with push buttons which derive some benefit from being illuminated. Such underlying devices may be hand operated. Examples of such underlying devices include but are not limited to stereo and television remote controllers, keypads for security systems, telephones, computer keyboards, beepers, video games, night lights, portable emergency lighting, baby monitors, citizens band radios, money converters, control panel labels, garage door openers, hospital wall and portable intermittent and constant suction devices, intravenous pumps, oxygen wall units, digital ear and oral thermometers, walkie talkies, conventional and microwave ovens, thermostats, clock radios, answering machines, hospital bed controls, and calculators.
When the thin electroluminescent lamp portion of the invention is placed around push buttons of an underlying device, that device can be used under low-level illumination, or even in complete darkness. The invention can be added during the manufacturing process to make such devices usable under low-level illuminating conditions, or it can be retrofitted by the end-user to upgrade devices already in use. The planar sheet can be manufactured to glow in a variety of colors, to suit the needs of the manufacturer or end-user.
The present invention permits lighting an underlying device by template illumination, rather than by back lighting the device. Template illumination allows the invention to be added to preexisting devices without requiring extensive disassembly of such devices, or it may be added to newly manufactured devices. Template lighting also allows custom labels, such as telephone extension names, to be illuminated. Such labels can be added by any available method including but not restricted to sub-surface labels, screen printed or laser printed labels, adhesive fixing of pre-prepared labels, and pen-based hand labeling.
Additionally, the present invention allows augmentation of any existing illumination of push-button devices by bathing the surrounding templated area with an even area of illumination. Because the templated area is lighted, larger, more visible lettering can be used to aid elderly or visually impaired users of such underlying devices. Low-vision users, those whose vision cannot be corrected to generally accepted values in spite of using special magnifiers and optical devices to allow visual imaging, are helped by such lighting. A light background with dark letters offers more visibility to such users than would dark buttons illuminated with tiny pin-points of light.
In addition to aiding low-vision users, the present invention allows the underlying push-button device to be engulfed in an artistic glow of one of several luminous and attractive colors. Such colors can be changed to suit the needs or desires of different users, The different available colors make it practical to differentiate similar devices, such as remote controllers for two distinctive televisions.
Further, although the electroluminescent planar sheet can be made to display different colors of illumination by changing individual phosphors; by actuating a series of phosphors contained in the electroluminescent planar sheet, the background color of the device can be changed to accept programmatic commands when actuated by a computer-like chip. Using combinations of primary colored phosphors of red, yellow and blue, a wide range of background colors can be envisioned. When used for low-level illumination purposes, to satisfy the best scotopic mode, the electroluminescent lamp should be either of white luminescence with black printed indicia thereupon, or of pale yellow luminescence with dark navy blue indicia printed thereupon.
Presently available lights that can be added to such devices by the end-user involve harsh incandescent bulb-type lights. The present invention solves that problem by use of a soothing, evenly illuminated surface. Also, the light source used in the present electroluminescent invention should far outlast incandescent-type illumination sources.
These and other features and advantages of the in
Brown Kurt J.
Husar Stephen
LandOfFree
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