Lighted handle

Details Lighted handle Lighted handle

2001-10-31

2003-07-15

O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)

Illumination

Supports

Handle or bail

C362S577000, C362S551000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06592240

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to handles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Handles have been positioned adjacent steps and along walkways for gripping by and assistance to a person moving therealong. For instance, recreational vehicles and boats have often included such handles. For example, such a handle is often located near a door of a recreational vehicle on the outside wall to aid a person stepping up into, or down from such a vehicle. In addition, such a handle may be located near the cockpit-to-cabin steps and/or along walkways in a boat to steady a person against boat movement in a seaway.
However, it is sometimes difficult for a person to easily see such a handle, which can blend in to its surroundings, and/or be hidden by twilight or the darkness of night. Such a handle can be made more visible by illumination by a nearby independent light source. However, such a light source may cause extra expense for materials and installation, and, in the case of the visual incandescent fixture, electric power use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,621 of Bach, et al. (hereafter the '621 patent) discloses a handle comprising a light transmitting rod
12
carried by end brackets. A '621 patent disclosed bracket encloses an incandescent light bulb
14
which “emits light in all directions”. Some of this light is emitted directly toward the adjacent end of the rod
12
. A first curved mirror
18
behind the bulb
14
reflects a remaining portion of the light toward the adjacent end of the rod
12
. A lens
16
located at the first end
11
of the rod
12
“reflects light in different directions”. Thus, the '621 patent disclosed device is complicated by its requirement for a divergent lens
16
, as well as a curved mirror, or reflector,
18
. Absent the curved mirror
18
, for example, most of the light emitted by the bulb
14
would radiate away from, rather than into, the light transmitting rod
12
.
The objects and purposes of the present invention include improvement on prior art devices including the '621 patent device above discussed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a new and useful lighted handle. The lighted handle of this invention includes a light transmitting member having a first end portion, a second end portion and a central portion. A first end bracket carries the first end portion and a second end bracket carries the second end portion. Positioned between the light transmitting member and the first end bracket is a narrow beam light emitter, conveniently a light emitting diode (LED).


REFERENCES:
patent: 1203576 (1916-11-01), Broadhead
patent: 2242981 (1941-05-01), Pedersen
patent: 2479500 (1949-08-01), Longberg
patent: 4231077 (1980-10-01), Joyce et al.
patent: 4274131 (1981-06-01), Praamsma
patent: 4924357 (1990-05-01), Yamashita et al.
patent: 5339228 (1994-08-01), Baethge et al.
patent: 5396740 (1995-03-01), Bocchi
patent: 5692822 (1997-12-01), Dreyer
patent: 5957566 (1999-09-01), Chiu
patent: 6058230 (2000-05-01), Ward
patent: 6135621 (2000-10-01), Bach et al.
patent: 6139174 (2000-10-01), Butterworth
patent: 6267492 (2001-07-01), Reid et al.
patent: 6488397 (2002-12-01), Masutani et al.

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