Illuminated shelf

• US 20040264160A1
• Filed: 06/25/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gemtron Corporation (SSW Holding Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gemtron Corporation (SSW Holding Company Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bienick, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 7,163,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/602
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 97/00 Furniture or accessories for furniture, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 11/10 Arrangements of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0043 Show shelves shelves in general A47B96/02; brackets or similar shelf-supporting means A47B96/06; advertising or price indication G09F
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0044 Household appliances, e.g. washing machines or vacuum cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/305 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2325/022 Shelves made of glass or ceramic
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/40 Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/02 by shelves
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/00 Lighting arrangements in general F21
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0086 Positioning aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0095 Light guides as housings, housing portions, shelves, doors, tiles, windows, or the like

Abstract

An illuminated shelf includes a tempered transparent glass panel having edges each housed in a slot of a housing defining a chamber through which and/or in which light is generated to illuminate the transparent panel. Each housing is preferably snap-secured together to access the chamber interior for purposes of replacement and/or repair. Each housing can be totally or partially encapsulated and the encapsulation includes conductors which are operative in any position of vertical adjustment or sliding adjustment of the shelf.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising a housing, an opening in said housing, means in said housing for creating light which exits said housing through said opening, a member made of light-transmitting material having an end portion contiguous said opening for receiving the transmitted light, and means in the form of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulating at least part of said housing.

2. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said encapsulating means further encapsulates at least a part of said light-transmitting member end portion.

3. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-transmitting member is a piece of tempered glass, said housing is disposed along at least one edge of said piece of tempered glass, and said encapsulating means is a frame substantially entirely encapsulating a peripheral edge of said piece of tempered glass.

4. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is of at least a two part construction, and means for removably securing said housing parts together.

5. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-transmitting member end portion is located in said housing opening.

6. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-transmitting member end portion is located in said housing opening, and said encapsulating means further encapsulates at least a part of said light-transmitting member end portion.

7. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 including means for securing said encapsulating means to a support.

8. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-creating means includes an LED.

9. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-creating means includes an light pipe.

10. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-creating means includes lens means for directing light from said light-creating means toward said light-transmitting member.

11. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-creating means includes lens means for directing light from said light-creating means away from said light-transmitting member.

12. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 including means for directing light from said light-creating means to said light-transmitting member.

13. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 including means for directing light from said light-creating means to said light-transmitting member from an upper surface through a lower surface.

14. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-creating means includes a lens means for directing light from said light-creating means away from said light-transmitting member inwardly from a free terminal edge of said panel.

15. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 including bracket means for securing said illumination device to a support, and said bracket means being unitized to said housing and light-transmitting member end portion by said encapsulating means.

16. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said light-creating means includes a light pipe housed within said housing.

17. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is of at least a two part construction, means for removably securing said housing parts together whereby said light-creating means can be accessed, and means for securing one of said housing parts to a support.

18. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is of at least a two part construction, means for removably securing said housing parts together whereby said light-creating means can be accessed, means for securing one of said housing parts to a support, and said securing means is a bracket formed as an integral molded portion of said housing one part.

19. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is of at least a two part construction, means for removably securing said housing parts together whereby said light-creating means can be accessed, means for securing one of said housing parts to a support, and said encapsulating means encapsulates only a second of said two part housing to permit said housing parts to be secured together and unsecured relative to each other.

20. The illumination device as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is of at least a two part construction, means for removably securing said housing parts together whereby said light-creating means can be accessed, means for securing one of said housing parts to a support, said encapsulating means encapsulates only a second of said two part housing to permit said housing parts to be secured together and unsecured relative to each other, and said encapsulating means further encapsulates at least a part of said light-transmitting member end portion.

21. A shelf comprising a housing, a chamber within said housing, said housing defining a slot opening into said chamber, a panel of light-transmitting material having an edge portion received in said slot, means for illuminating said light-transmitting panel through said chamber and said panel edge portion, means for supporting said housing relative to a support, said housing including at least two housing parts, and means for securing and unsecuring said two housing parts relative to each other to access said chamber.

22. The shelf as defined in claim 21 including means for directing light from said illuminating means toward said panel.

23. The shelf as defined in claim 21 including lens means for directing light from said illuminating means toward said panel.

24. The shelf as defined in claim 21 wherein a first of said housing parts defines said slot, and a second of said housing parts includes said supporting means.

25. The shelf as defined in claim 24 including means in the form of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulating at least a portion of said first housing part and said panel edge portion.

26. The shelf as defined in claim 24 including means in the form of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulating at least a portion of said first housing part and said panel edge portion but not said securing means.

27. The shelf as defined in claim 24 including means in the form of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulating at least a portion of said first housing part and said panel edge portion but not said securing means and said second housing part.

28. The shelf as defined in claim 21 wherein a first of said housing parts define said slot, a second of said housing parts includes said supporting means, and each of said housing parts is a substantially homogeneous molded one-piece member.

29. The shelf as defined in claim 21 wherein a first of said housing parts define said slot, a second of said housing parts includes said supporting means, and each of said housing parts is a substantially homogeneous molded one-piece member each carrying complementary parts of said securing and unsecuring means.

30. A shelf comprising a housing, means for supporting said housing relative to a support, said housing including first and second substantially parallel longitudinally extending chambers, a panel of light-transmitting material having an edge portion seated in a first of said chambers, and means in a second of said chambers for illuminating said light-transmitting panel.

31. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said housing is a synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulation which encapsulates the edge portion of said light-transmitting panel.

32. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said housing is a synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulation which encapsulates at least a portion of said illuminating means.

33. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said housing is a synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulation which encapsulates the edge portion of said light-transmitting panel and at least a portion of said illuminating means.

34. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said illuminating means includes a light tube within said second chamber.

35. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said illuminating means includes a lens located to direct light in a predetermined direction outwardly of said second chamber.

36. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said illuminating means includes a lens located to direct light in a predetermined direction outwardly of said second chamber and upwardly toward said light-transmitting panel.

37. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said illuminating means includes a lens located to direct light in a predetermined direction outwardly of said second chamber and downwardly toward said light-transmitting panel.

38. The shelf as defined in claim 30 wherein said illuminating means includes means for reflecting exterior light rays toward said light-transmitting panel.

39. The shelf as defined in claim 33 wherein said illuminating means includes a light tube within said second chamber.

40. The shelf as defined in claim 33 wherein said illuminating means includes a lens located to direct light in a predetermined direction outwardly of said second chamber.

41. The shelf as defined in claim 33 wherein said illuminating means includes a lens located to direct light in a predetermined direction outwardly of said second chamber and upwardly toward said light-transmitting panel.

42. The shelf as defined in claim 33 wherein said illuminating means includes a lens located to direct light in a predetermined direction outwardly of said second chamber and downwardly toward said light-transmitting panel.

43. The shelf as defined in claim 33 wherein said illuminating means includes means for reflecting exterior light rays toward said light-transmitting panel.

44. A shelf comprising a housing, a chamber within said housing, said housing defining a slot opening into said chamber, a panel of light-transmitting material having an edge portion received in said slot, means for illuminating said light-transmitting panel through said chamber and said panel edge portion, means for supporting said housing relative to a support, and means in the form of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulating at least in part and thereby unitizing said panel edge portion, housing and supporting means.

45. The shelf as defined in claim 44 wherein said supporting means is a shelf bracket.

46. The shelf as defined in claim 44 wherein said supporting means is a shelf bracket having means for vertically adjustably securing said shelf to a support.

47. A sliding shelf comprising a housing, a chamber within said housing, said housing defining a slot opening into said chamber, a panel of light-transmitting material having an edge portion received in said slot, means for illuminating said light-transmitting panel through said chamber and said panel edge portion, means for supporting said housing relative to a support, means in the form of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulating at least in part and thereby unitizing said panel edge portion and said housing, and said supporting means defines a sliding support relative to said housing whereby said sliding shelf can be slid relative to an associated support.

48. The sliding shelf as defined in claim 47 including conductor means along said sliding support for providing electrical current to said illuminating means.

49. The sliding shelf as defined in claim 47 wherein said support means further includes means for vertically adjustably securing said shelf to a support.

50. An illumination device comprising a housing defining a chamber, an opening in said housing opening into said chamber, means for creating light which exits said chamber through said opening, a member made of light-transmitting material having an end portion contiguous said opening for receiving the transmitted light, means for accessing the interior of said chamber, and means in the form of synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material encapsulating at least part of said housing but not said accessing means whereby said chamber can be accessed.

51. The illumination device as defined in claim 50 wherein said encapsulating means further encapsulates at least a part of said light-transmitting member end portion.

52. The illumination device as defined in claim 50 wherein said light-transmitting member is a piece of tempered glass, said housing is disposed along at least one edge of said piece of tempered glass, and said encapsulating means is a frame substantially entirely encapsulating a peripheral edge of said piece of tempered glass.

53. An illuminated shelf comprising a transparent tempered glass panel, a border peripherally surrounding a peripheral edge of said glass panel, means carried by said border for receiving and redirecting light rays, and aid light rays redirecting means being in situ molded to synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material forming said border.

54. The illuminated shelf as defined in claim 53 including a shelf bracket in situ molded to the synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material of said border.