Illumination – With liquid container
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-12
2003-09-02
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With liquid container
C362S318000, C362S806000, C362S096000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612712
ABSTRACT:
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a novel lighting technology, and a lighting device incorporating such technology. The lighting device is a fluid-filled, hand-held signal light that is safe, durable, and energy efficient. The present lighting device lends itself to a wide spectrum of indoor and outdoor applications.
2. Description of Related Art
Lighting devices are known that are used for both aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. Lighting devices conventionally comprise a housing containing a light element, a power source for the light element, and a medium through which the light travels from the light element to the exterior of the housing. For example, in a flashlight, the light element is a light bulb, the power source a couple of batteries, and the medium is air between the light bulb and the clear plastic cover.
Many of the prior art lighting devices suffer from limitations, including that such devices are incapable of producing intensely visible light from many yards away, and that the few devices that are capable of producing such illumination are not durable or energy efficient. Bulbs bum out, batteries weaken, water shorts electrical components, and housings break easily when dropped or jarred.
Specific prior art is discussed below, and the art generally categorized into three groups. Some lighting devices utilize a light-emitting diode as the light element, while others immerse the light element in a fluid. The addition of a fluid to a lighting device not only adds to its durability, but the fluid also promotes an even distribution of light. The following groups of prior art are the permutations of lighting devices with and without the light element being a light-emitting diode, and lighting devices with and without the medium being a fluid.
A. Non-LED Lighting Devices Lacking Fluid
U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,019 to Warner discloses a device for a multicolored hand-held signal light. This device is designed for attachment to a flashlight. It illuminates a translucent tube with selectively visible multicolored light from an incandescent white light source. It features a mechanism for changing light colors. The bulb is mounted in an opaque section of the housing resulting in low light intensity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,305 to Kolm discloses a portable electronic safety flare system comprising a high-intensity signal strobe visible up to two miles. A transparent tube contains a xenon strobe light, circuit board, and two AA batteries as the power supply.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,321 to Cimock is a flashlight wand designed as a children's toy. The wand contains two DC batteries, a small incandescent bulb, and light reflecting objects. Light production of the Cimock device is limited. U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,203 to Harris, Jr. discloses a waterproof taxi light to guide aircraft on a tarmac. The device includes a lighted signal member with an elongate, translucent tubular member adapted for providing both daytime and nighttime illumination. The light source is a DC battery powered flashlight bulb. The translucent tube provides for light dispersion. Harris, Jr. discloses the use of a clear fluid within the translucent tubular member (column 6, lines 10-15), but the light element, a bulb, is not even partially submerged in the fluid. Thus, the light is not as intense as it could be if the light element were at least partially submerged in the fluid.
B. Non-LED Lighting Devices with Fluid
U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,777 to Lo Giudice discloses a novelty display device incapable of producing intensely visible light. Designed for amusement, this device uses miniature lamps strung through the length of a liquid-filled housing to illuminate a continuous flow of bubbles through a liquid contained within a hollow glass tube. Boiling liquid heated by lighted bulbs is the bubble source. The device is not only an inadequate means of producing high intensity lighting, but it is also not durable because the glass housing will likely shatter if dropped. U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,458 to George, Jr. discloses decorative light tubing for lighted tube displays. The device comprises a flexible tube containing a dielectric fluid (such as mineral oil or glycerin) and low voltage filament bulbs. However, this device is incapable of producing high-intensity lighting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,974 to Lew et al. discloses an optically decorated light baton with multiple purposes similar to the present prototype. It is a portable light tube with reflective platelets suspended in a medium, and in one embodiment phosphorescent or fluorescent material coats the light-emitting tube. The device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,781 to Orak is a novelty flashlight with color producing chambers intended for use as a toy or amusement. It comprises a low heat generating filament bulb and colored-fluid-containing transparent cups mounted to a power receiving housing. The light is not intensely visible because the bulb is at one end of the housing, which itself lacks fluid. The device requires continuous agitation to swirl the liquid colors. Although the housings of these two devices are fluid-filled, the light is not intensely visible partly because the light sources are located at only one end of the device where there is no fluid. Furthermore, although both devices utilize fluid mediums, both require agitation to obtain the full effect of the fluid: the Orak device requires agitation to swirl the liquid colors and the Lew et al. device requires agitation to make the light reflecting particles move through the fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,406 to Mattice discloses a lighted baby bottle designed for easy location in the dark. A filament bulb produces a low intensity glowing light and some heat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,021 to Lin discloses a decorative lamp designed for aquarium accent lighting. A tube containing water and artificial fish is illuminated by a low-intensity, heat-producing filament bulb not immersed in the fluid. A bubble valve produces air bubbles which cause the artificial fish to move.
C. Lighting Devices Employing LEDs
U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,784 to Yokogawa et al. discloses an electric fishing float designed for nighttime visibility. The upper section of the tubular float contains LEDs or a miniature incandescent bulb and the lower section contains energizing cells not immersed in fluid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,442 to Brown discloses an illuminated, waterproof signal device. Its tubular wand contains a power source, circuit board, switch, compressible spring to maintain electrical contact, and a plurality of incandescent or LED (preferred) light sources.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,695 to Lin et al. discloses a hand-held signal stick designed to flash different colored light signals in a particular sequence. The tubular device contains batteries, a circuit board, a plurality of LEDs usually of different colors connected between positive and negative wire rods, and an LED selector switch. Although this device is capable of producing visual signals of a particular light and of flashing color signals in a predetermined sequence, connecting the LEDs to wire rods is not as stable as connecting the LEDs to the structure of the device. Thus, this device is not durable as a blow to the signal stick can disconnect one of the connections. Finally, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,524 to Campman is a durable, submersible hand-held light wand designed for visual signaling. Its tubular translucent housing has egg-shaped ends to withstand pressures at great depths. The housing contains multicolored LED light sources connected to a power source by magnetic switches and resistor elements, operated by a rotating ring switch containing a magnetic portion.
Therefore, it can be seen that a need still exists in the lighting system art for a safe, reliable, durable, long lasting, and energy-efficient device that produces intensely visible light of controllable intensities under a wide variety of outdoor and indoor circumstances and conditions. It is to such a lighting device that the present invention is primarily directed.
BRIE
Lee Guiyoung
O'Shea Sandra
Schneider, Esq. Ryan A.
Troutman Sanders LLP
LandOfFree
Lighting system and device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Lighting system and device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Lighting system and device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3109021