Electric lamp and discharge devices – With optical device or special ray transmissive envelope – Reflector
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-16
2001-12-18
Patel, Vip (Department: 2879)
Electric lamp and discharge devices
With optical device or special ray transmissive envelope
Reflector
C110S112000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06331750
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of light source apparatus for separating white light into light components of a plurality of colors, and more particularly to a novel lamp device having multi-colored radiant output with high efficiency for use in decorating or display applications.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, conventional colored floodlights, colored spotlights or colored lights have been employed for use in architectural, landscaping and various display lighting. In such prior uses, conventional colored floodlights or the like emitted a single hue and were used in multiple lamps in order to produce alternate color lighting effects. Since the light source within a single lamp emits multiple hues, pairs of filters or mirrors are sometimes employed so as to permit only a selected hue to be emitted. The unselected or undesired hue is then dissipated or absorbed within the lamp. Some lamps use light-absorbing filters to remove the unwanted wavelengths and to dissipate the energy as heat. Others use dichroic filters in the form of thin film to reflect the undesired wavelengths to a surface within the lamp where the undesired wavelengths are dissipated as heat. Efficiency of such prior lamp construction is very low, especially when saturated hues, such as red, green or blue are transmitted.
Such a conventional light source is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,280 which describes a light source apparatus for separating a white light into light components of a plurality of colors. However, only a single color is eventually emitted with undesired or unselected colors or hues being blocked by dichroic filters. Therefore, such a prior light source apparatus is inefficient and usage is very limited. The lamp disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,553 pertains to a light source that divides color rays out and unwanted or non-selected rays are absorbed into a housing and are not used.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a multi-colored light source for decoration or display applications that is more efficient than that described by the prior art and which includes a single multi-colored lamp source which not only emits a plurality of colors or hues but selectively emits the colors or hues in appropriate directions by employing dichroic coatings or filters and reflectors to direct and redirect colored rays to desired display locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides a novel light source device for separating a light into several light components or rays composed of a plurality of colors or hues and which includes a single source of high efficiency light and at least one dichroic filter carried on an envelope of the light source device. The filter selects a particular wavelength band from the viable high efficiency light and transmits only light from the selected wavelength band therethrough. The filter, including a reflector or mirror, reflects or redirects the wavelength band other than the selected wavelength band so that all rays of the transmitted wavelength band exit the lamp. Several filters and/or mirrors may be arranged adjacent to each other and with respect to the light source and the apparatus therefore transmits ideally 100% of the light from the single light source and no additional means are required for dissipating or absorbing the undesired wavelength bands or rays.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a lamp that employs a single light source and at least one dichroic filter and reflector arrangement to separate selected wavelengths or color groups of the visible spectrum and that distributes the selection in a desired direction to produce multi-colored emission.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-colored lamp device wherein the emitted light can range from high color saturation to low color saturation and wherein many lamp arrangements are employed for floodlight purposes, spotlights or other omnidirectional emission lamps.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a lamp device having multi-colored radiant output wherein the visible wavelengths that are emitted from a single light source are transmitted through the lamp envelope through dichroic filters and reflectors to produce a desired effect and provide high efficiency without utilizing light ray dissipating or absorption means.
Another object resides in allowing higher wattages to be placed in smaller lamp envelopes than conventional colored lighting systems can be housed.
Further, an object resides in the ability of the inventive concept to separate colors by wavelengths and to redirect selective wavelengths so that efficiency is increased by utilizing most of the visible spectrum from a single source.
Marrs Roger A.
Patel Vip
LandOfFree
Lamp having multi-colored radiant output does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Lamp having multi-colored radiant output, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Lamp having multi-colored radiant output will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2560119