Illuminating apparatus

3,486,261

Dec. 30, 1969

G. K. C. HARDESTY

ILLUMINATING APPARATUS

Filed Oct. 22, 1965

2- Sheets-Sheet 1

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G. K. C- HARDESTY

ILLUMINATING APPARATUS

Dec. 30, 1969

Filed Oct. 22, 1965

3,486,261

Sheets-Sheet 2

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ATTORNEYS

3,486,261

Patented Dec. 30, 1969

United States Patent Office

3,486,261

ILLUMINATING APPARATUS

George K. C. Hardesty, P.O. Box 156, Mayo, Md. 21106

Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 502,135 5

Int. Cl. G09f 13/00

U.S. CL 40—130 4 Claims

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE io

A light source is provided which emanates a selective continuously variable plurality of light emissions of a respective plurality of selected spectral bandwidths, which are uniformly changeable over an elongated dimension. This light source is particularly adapted to the selective ^υillumination of edgelighted panels and comprises an endless driven belt with a plurality of uniform filter bands therein, in the form of parallel strips or bands arranged askew of the axis of translation of the belt. A light source is provided behind the obverse face of the belt, preferably “ an elongated uniform source such as a fluorescent lamp, and an elongated light aperture or plurality of edgelighted panels are provided in parallel with and of the same transverse dimension as one or more of the filter strips or bands on the endless belt and which are positioned immediately adjacent thereto. The edge lighted panels may be provided with photoluminescent indicia and an overlying filter layer to preclude transmission of selected spectral bandwidths from the light source through the obverse surfaces of the edge-lighted panels. ³⁰

This invention relates to illuminating apparatus and more specifically to new and novel electric lighting devices embodying uniformly illuminated light-emitting ^3opanels for the display of indicia and other purposes of illumination.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 471,019, for Illuminating Ap- ₄₍₎paratus filed July 12, 1965, the latter being a continuationin-part of my prior application Ser. No. 245,720 for Illuminating Apparatus, filed Dec. 19, 1962, now abandoned.

It is an object of this invention to provide new and novel lighting devices embodying a light-emitting surface characterized by its brilliance, relatively uniform 45 illumination, simplicity and low cost.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel lighting device embodying a panel radiator and wherein the light source means for illuminating said radiator is completely concealed from view and optically 50 coupled to the panel to effect optimized light transfer from the source means to the panel radiator.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel lighting means having twenty-four-hour-per-day effectiveness in the display of indicia, thus providing ef- 55 fective visual color and luminance contrast under conditions of external daylight, dawn, twilight, and darkness in a practical device of widely versatile, pleasing decor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel lighting device for the illuminated display of ₆₀indicia and the like that is compact, affords a relatively high degree of brilliance for uniformly illuminating such indicia and in addition provides other special lighting effects.

Still another object of this invention is to provide new g₅and novel changeable color means for lighting devices.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel lighting device comprising a panel radiator, light source means for illuminating said panel radiator, the said source means being completely concealed from the observe surface of the lighting device and panel radiator and optically coupled to the panel to effect optimized light transfer from the source means to the panel radiator, and changeable color means cooperating with said light source to modulate the visible radiant energy emanated from said panel radiator.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide new and novel illuminated indicia display means which is highly efficient, of a practical size, exhibits uniform brilliance of illumination, is readily fabricated and requires an optimally minimum amount of normal, simple maintenance.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide new and novel illuminated indicia display means having new and novel continuous color changing apparatus and associated optical coupling means incorporated therein.

These and other objects of this invention will become more fully apparent with reference to the following specification and drawings, which relate to several preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of a color changing light source of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the color changing apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective of a first embodiment of image display means of the present invention incorporating the color changing apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2 in a down-lighted display configuration;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective of a second embodiment of image display means of the present invention incorporating the color changing apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2 in an edge-lighted display configuration;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective of a bi-directionally illuminated edge-lighted display means of the type shown in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a multiple effect, compositely lighted display configuration of the present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, a color changing illumination source 10 of the present invention is shown as including an opaque housing 12 having upper and lower rectangular emission slots 14 and 16, respectively, in the upper and lower walls thereof. The said emission slots 14 and 16 are set at respectively opposite but equal acute angles with respect to the longitudinal axis of the housing 12.

A rear compartment 18 in the housing 12 encloses a drive motor 20, lamp ballast 22, and a spring loaded tension means 24, all mounted on an inner wall 26 of the compartment 18.

The motor 20 includes an output drive 28 passing through the wall 26 and mounting a drive pulley or drum 30 within the housing 12 at one end thereof.

The tension means 24 includes an anchor pin 32 on the wall 26, pivot pin 34 on the wall 26, rocker arm 36 pivoted intermediate its ends on the pivot pin 34, tension spring 38 connected from the anchor pin 32 to one end of the rocker arm 36, and a bushing 40 at the other end of the rocker arm 36. The bushing 40 mounts the axle 42 of an idler pulley or drum 44, the said axle extending through the wall 26 to mount the drum 44 within the housing 12 at the opposite end thereof from the drive drum 30. The axes of rotation of the drums 30 and 44 are parallel.

3.486.261

A fluorescent lamp FL of a length at least that of the emission slots 14 and 16 is mounted in suitable socket means S the wall 26 between the two drums 30 and 44.

The drums 30 and 33 mount an endless belt 46 which passes between both the upper and lower sides of the fluorescent lamp FL and the upper and lower emission slots 14 and 16, respectively.

On the belt 46 are a plurality of continuous bands 46A, 46B. . .46N (N being equal to the number of color or transmittance changes desired) of selectively varied light transmittance properties having a skewed disposition on the endless belt 44 of the same pitch as the emission slots 14 and 16, such that as the belt 46 travels over the drums 30 and 44, the bands will be travelling transversely of the emission slots 14 and 16 in parallel disposition therewith.

The belt 46 is composed of Mylar polyester film or the like with the color bands 46A. . ,46N comprising printed color tones, opaque aluminized strips to prevent heat absorption, and other desired media of various transmittance characteristics.

Referring next to FIGURE 3, the color changing apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2 is shown in a display means 46 in which only the lower emission slot 16 is utilized in the color changing source 10.

The display means 48 is constructed to effect minimum structural expense and includes an internal display surface 50 bearing legends or art work 52, the said surface 50 being slightly concave in cross-section to afford an efficient “wash” of illumination thereacross as emanated from the lamp FL through the color changing belt 46 and the lower emission slot 16 (the latter not shown but being immediately beneath the belt 46). The display surface extends downward from the rear longitudinal lower edge of the illumination source 10 to an apex 54. The display means 48 is completed by the inclusion of a selective transmittance characteristic viewing lite or filter 56 which is concave in cross-section with respect to the obverse surface of the display means 48 and which extends from the apex 54 to the front longitudinal lower edge of the illumination source 10.

In a specific exampe of this embodiment, selected portions of the legends or art work 52 are comprised of fluorescent pigments which will fluoresce when subjected to black light radiations; the lamp FL is characterized by a substantial “black light” output such as ultra-violet and near ultra-violet; the color changing belt 46 has color bands which are alternately transparent and opaque to the black light emanations of the lamp FL; and the filter 56 precludes the transmittance of the ultra-violet and blue portions of the spectrum to the obverse surface of the display means 48.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 3, the display means 48 is shown as being suspended by a chain 58 or the like from a support means 60 but may readily be inverted and supported in any conventional manner on the (as shown) upper surface 62 of the illumination source 10. The latter configuration is particularly well adapted for store windows wherein a floor mounted display is desired or on the roof portion of commercial vehicles such as taxicabs and the like for advertising and/or other analogous purposes.

Thus, by the alternate transmittance of black light and other than black light onto the display surface 50, variegated aesthetic effects of marked eye-appear and attention engendering qualities may be effected, the filter 56 passing only the light from the fluorescent pigments of the legends 52 to the eye of an observer, thereby creating a very dark or black field effect around the starkly illuminated fluorescent legends 52, and subsequently passing substantially all of the alternate light transmittance from the source 10 as reflected from the display surface 50, presenting an alternate bright or light field effect to the eye of an observer.

With reference now to FIGURES 4 and 5, the color changing light source 10A is shown in conjunction with a horizontally laminated or stacked edge lighted panel complex 64, including coextensive layers 64A. . .64M (M _β being any desired number of layers having various respective transmittance characteristics) which layers are of a thickness T no greater than the lateral dimension of the transmittance bands 46A. . .46M with which they are associated on the color belt 46. The stacks 64 are to IQ be placed in parallel, edge-adjacent relationship with the transmittance bands 46A. . .46M such that the said bands will pass transversely of and parallel to the stack layers 64A. . .64M, respectively, thereby effecting uniform color changes as will be hereinafter more fully described.

As shown in both FIGURES 4 and 5, the source 10A, comprises a driven endless belt 46 and a fluorescent lamp FL as in the source 10 of FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. There is no housing 12 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 since edge lighting effects and parallel alignment of the stack 64 20 with the transmittance bands 64A. . .46M are utilized in lieu of the emission slots 14 and 16. A suitable structure similar to the housing of FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, maintaining the source 10A in proper assembled relationship with the panels 64 is intended to be used in any physical 28 embodiment of FIGURES 4 and 5.

Thus, upon translation of the endless color belt 46, the transmittance bands 46A . . . 46M will move in a parallel transverse manner across the stack laminations 64A . . . 64M and multi-color edge lighting effects in 30 three dimensions will be effected, the depth resulting from the placing of individual legend indicia 66A . . . 66M on the respective stack laminations 64A . . . 64M.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, there is shown a multiple lighting effect embodiment of this invention which 35 combines some of the special effects of the embodiments of FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 to provide still further aesthetic effects for illuminated display means.

An illumination source 10B comprises the base portion of this embodiment, and is substantially identical to the ⁴⁰ source 10 in FIGURE 3 with the following exceptions:

The housing 12 is provided with an obverse translucent wall portion 68 having legend indicia 70 or the like suitably printed thereon or attached thereto.

There are three upper emission slots 14A, 14B and 14C 45 in the upper surface of the housing 12 and the color belt 46 is made sufficiently wide and with sufficient individual sets of selective transmittance bands, as fully disclosed with reference to FIGURES 4 and 5, such that there is effectively provided an individual color changing 50 means for each of the said emission slots.

A first curvilinear, planar reflector 72 is provided beneath the lamp FL and an internal, dependent cooperating second reflector surface 74 is provided along the front edge of the front emission slot 14A.

In the specific multiple effects example of the embodiment shown, the front emission slot 14A cooperates with a section of the color belt 46 which is similar to that described in the embodiment of FIGURE 3; the central emission slot 14B is adapted to cooperate with a second 60 section of the belt 46 and additional structure to be hereinafter described to effect edge-lighting effects; and the rear emission slot 14C is adapted to cooperate with a third section of the belt 46 similar to that described in the embodiment of FIGURE 3.

^6o The rear wall 76 of the display means shown in opaque with its internal surface becoming increasingly concave as it progresses upward from the rear edge of the source 10 to a suitable apex (not shown). Forward of the rear γθ emission slot 14C is a vertically disposed transparent first panel 78 having fluorescent indicia 80 on the rear surface thereof and an obverse lamination of filter material which is opaque to the ultra-violet portion of the spectrum.

Immediately over the central emission slot 14B is a 75 vertically disposed, transparent, second panel 84 which

3,486,261 is in the edge-lighted configuration of the embodiments of FIGURES 4 and 5.

The first reflector 72 directs light from the lamp FL upward through the rear emission slot 14C and belt 46 onto the rear wall 76 from whence it is reflected outward through the first and second panels 78 and 82.

The second reflector 74 directs light from the lamp FL through the front emission slot 14A onto the obverse surface of the second (edge lighted) panel 82, the latter being adapted to be provided with both front and rear display indicia as desired.

Accordingly, the front lite 84 of the display means may either be of a filter medium which is opaque to the ultra-violet and blue portions of the spectrum or may be of some other suitable transmittance characteristics, depending on the purpose intended. A further direct backlighting effect for the legend indicia 70 is provided by light from the lamp FL passing beneath the second reflector 74 and out through the transluscent wall portion 68 of the housing 12.

The rear wall 76, vertical panels 78 and 82 and the front lite 84 all converge in a common apex area (not shown), the said front lite 84 commencing at the front upper edge of the housing 12.

Thus, as the belt 46 traverses the emission slots 14A, 14B and 14C, simultaneous and distinct special lighting effects are created in a unique and appealing composite effect to the eye of an observer of the display means of FIGURE 6.

As can be readily seen from the foregoing description this invention provides a unique and novel illumination modulating means generally characterized by an endless belt having a multiplicity of parallel, selected transmittance zones uniformly delineated therein and skewed with respect to the major axis of translation of the endless belt such that by the use of masking means such as emission slots parallel with said transmittance zones or edge-lighted panel means in parallel with said transmittance zones, uniform color changes or other illumination modulations over the entire extremity of a related display means are readily effected.

It is to be understood that the several embodiments of this invention shown and described herein are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.