Low power drain illuminated sign
First Claim
1. An illuminated sign comprising:
- a sign body comprising a plurality of illuminated letters each having a characteristic shape, and a background area surrounding the letters,each letter comprising a trough formed in the shape of the letter,the trough comprising two spaced-apart edge projections having a length forming the shape of the letter and a height, the inward-facing sides of the edge projections forming sides of the trough and the space therebetween forming the bottom of the trough, anda plurality of light sources located in the ends of the trough forming the letter, facing along the axis of the trough to illuminate the inward-facing sides of the edge projections; and
a circuit board centrally mounted intersecting the troughs forming the letters, in which a plurality of light sources are mounted upon both sides of the circuit board.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An illuminated sign apparatus comprised of a reflector with dedicated cavities. Each letter and, optionally, background area, comprises a shaped cavity, illuminated indirectly by a plurality of near-point sources such as light-emitting diodes located in the center of the cavity, either on a separate perpendicular circuit board or on a central projection formed in the bottom of the cavity, with the light emitted by the sources pointed outwards. In another embodiment, the letter cavities and background are illuminated by parallel boards along the top, bottom, and (optionally) middle of the letter cavities, with the light sources directed along the axes of the letter strokes. In another embodiment, the light sources in the center of the cavity are electroluminescent and ultraviolet emitting, and the cavity can be coated with a UV activated flourescent coating which is activated by the EL light source. The light is evenly reflected upward toward the viewer, giving the illusion of a solid letter or background. The cavities may be filled with a transparent substance.
222 Citations
11 Claims
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1. An illuminated sign comprising:
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a sign body comprising a plurality of illuminated letters each having a characteristic shape, and a background area surrounding the letters, each letter comprising a trough formed in the shape of the letter, the trough comprising two spaced-apart edge projections having a length forming the shape of the letter and a height, the inward-facing sides of the edge projections forming sides of the trough and the space therebetween forming the bottom of the trough, and a plurality of light sources located in the ends of the trough forming the letter, facing along the axis of the trough to illuminate the inward-facing sides of the edge projections; and a circuit board centrally mounted intersecting the troughs forming the letters, in which a plurality of light sources are mounted upon both sides of the circuit board. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification