Illumination – Light fiber – rod – or pipe – With optical fiber bundle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-06
2001-03-13
Palmer, Phan T. H. (Department: 2874)
Illumination
Light fiber, rod, or pipe
With optical fiber bundle
C362S556000, C362S560000, C385S031000, C385S032000, C385S033000, C385S901000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06200011
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
This invention applies to the field of lighting spotlights capable of being mounted to a rigid planar surface, such as a ceiling or wall, and being aimable to direct a light beam at an object; and more particularly spotlights capable of also zooming the light beam.
BACKGROUND
Description of Prior Art
Presently known aimable spotlights normally use a collimating lens with a light source, such as an incandescent filament or small arc tube, at the focus of the lens. The emitted beam is normally on an optical axis from the center of the light source through the optical center of the lens.
Aiming the beam of presently-known prior-art spotlights is usually accomplished by aiming the housing holding the light source and the lens. There are many prior-art methods for aiming a such light beams. The first method is by pivotally mounting the housing on the horizontal axis of a yoke, and then rotating the yoke about a vertical axis, forming an azimuth-elevation, or “AZ-EL” mount, such as is shown in FIG. 1 of the Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,292 for track lighting. A second method for aiming a spotlight is by attaching it to a movable or flexible arm, known as a “goose-neck” mount, such as is shown in the Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,848. All of the above methods require the entire luminaire to be within the room in which they are mounted. A third method for aiming a spotlight is to employ a semi-recessed housing in a spherical mounting, commonly called an “eyeball”fixture; a very old configuration used for airline passenger reading lights. This approach can substantially recess the housing, but it makes the luminaire about three times the diameter of the actual lens. A third method for aiming a light beam is to rigidly mount the housing and provide an azimuth-elevation aiming mirror on a bracket mounting, such as is shown in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,125. This is an aesthetic improvement that mounts the housing above the ceiling plane, but it still requires an optical element, i.e., the mirror, to hang down from the ceiling. The primary disadvantages in all the prior-art methods for aiming light fixture beams is that they are generally complex, and most extend into the room, below the ceiling.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a compact, aimable spotlight luminaire that may be entirely recessed into a ceiling surface, in which the lens is fixed, and wherein the beam may be aimed without moving any part of the luminaire that is below the ceiling surface. Such a general configuration is shown in the applicants' U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,648, entitled Aimable-Beam Fiber Optic Luminaire. The primary advantage of such a luminaire is the clean appearance of having only the lens and a thin, surrounding bezel visible, with no visible arm, gooseneck, trunnion, eyeball socket or even a mirror protruding into the room. Another advantage is simplicity and low cost of manufacture.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5303125 (1994-04-01), Miller
patent: 5907648 (1999-05-01), Miller et al.
Miller Jack V.
Miller Ruth Ellen
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