Illustration illuminator

Details Illustration illuminator Illustration illuminator

2001-05-15

2003-05-06

O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)

Illumination

Work-table lighting system

C362S037000, C362S038000, C362S039000, C362S098000, C362S235000, C362S414000, C040S559000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06558014

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an illustration illuminator comprising a leg, a frame projecting upwardly and slightly rearwardly therefrom, wherein the frame comprises a support surface on the front side of the frame, and a light assembly arranged above the frame and illuminating the support surface. Such an illuminator is employed in the graphic design industry in electronic image processing for the purpose of a standardized front illumination of an illustration in order to be able to perform color evaluations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known illustration illuminators comprise a base member which projects, starting at a leg which can be placed onto a support area, in the upward direction and is slightly slanted to the rear. The illustration to be viewed is placed onto the front surface facing the operator. Starting at the base member, above it, an illumination unit is provided which is gallows-shaped and oriented toward the operator. The illustration placed onto the front surface of the base member is illuminated by light emitted by the lamp/lamps of the illumination unit. A disadvantage of this known solution is, in particular, that the illumination of the illustration is not absolutely glare-free and non-dazzling. This is referred to as a non-uniform illumination of the illustration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an illustration illuminator with which the illustration to be viewed is illuminated significantly more uniformly in comparison to known devices, basically in a glare-free and non-dazzling way.
In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that the light assembly comprises a reflector with which the light rays emitted by the lamps pass through the light outlet only after being reflected at least once on the reflector and only then impinge onto the support surface.
The gist of the invention and the important feature in connection with the novel illustration illuminator resides in the light assembly and, in particular, its reflector which makes it possible that no direct light will be emitted by the lamps onto the illustration (specimen) so that the illustration to be viewed and arranged on the support surface is illuminated basically in a glare-free and non-dazzling way and with a uniformness which has been unattainable before.
The novel feature of the light assembly, i.e., its characteristic feature, is primarily that its lamps, at least one, are/is arranged substantially in or behind an imaginary frontal plane which is positioned behind the upper edge of the support surface receiving the illustration and not, as is the case in the prior art, in front of the illustration.
Moreover, it is important that the light assembly cover, provided at its inner surface with a reflective layer, begins at a base which supports the lamps and ends with its forward edge in a frontal plane which is positioned in front of the forward frontal plane of the support surface.
In particular, as a further feature of the configuration, it is provided that the light assembly cover has several successively arranged, and preferably seamlessly connected, sections, wherein the sections, in particular, neighboring sections, have curvatures of different magnitude. The section with the greatest curvature is arranged at the rearward end of the light assembly cover facing away from the viewer, while the significantly more weakly curved light assembly cover section, beginning at the latter, extends to the front edge of the light assembly cover.
Preferably, the curvature of the light assembly cover is selected such that, starting at the planar base, any location on the curved sections of the light assembly cover has a different radius of curvature. In the direction toward the front, i.e., toward the viewer, the lamps of the light assembly are shielded by a screen (screen plate or bar or rail).
The light rays emitted by the lamp or lamps of the light assembly, which are formed to bundles of rays by an inner aperture, which is formed by the upper edge of the screen rail or bar and the area of the strongly curved section of the light assembly cover positioned at a right angle thereto, are reflected at the respective reflective layer of the sections of the light assembly cover at least once, preferably several times.
Only after at least one reflection, preferably two to five reflections, the bundles of rays exit through an outlet or outer aperture, which delimits a ray channel directed toward the support surface, from the light assembly and impinge as directionally oriented, homogenous, indirect light-generating bundles of rays on the support surface.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2472624 (1949-06-01), Schwartz
patent: 4517631 (1985-05-01), Mullins
patent: 4748543 (1988-05-01), Swarens
patent: 5016153 (1991-05-01), Gixmondi et al.
patent: 6238066 (2001-05-01), Iwasaki

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