Light fixture including light pipe having contoured cross-section
First Claim
1. A light pipe support assembly for mounting a light pipe on a light fixture, the assembly comprising:
- a support structure having at least one pair of opposed inwardly-extending protrusions; and
an elongated light-transmissive mono-filament core supported on the support structure, the core having a generally constant cross-sectional size and shape along a length of the core;
the improvement comprising;
the core including an elongated upper lobe integrally extending from an elongated lower lobe, the lower lobe having an arcuate lateral profile;
the core including an elongated laterally pinched region between the upper lobe and the lower lobe, the pinched region having a width less than the width of the upper lobe and less than the width of the lower lobe and slightly less that the width of a gap between the inwardly-extending protrusions, the width of the gap between the protrusions being smaller than the width of the upper lobe to allow the light pipe to be supported on the support structure by resting the upper lobe on the protrusions with the pinched region disposed between the protrusions and the lower lobe suspended below the protrusions.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A light pipe support assembly for mounting a light pipe in a light fixture includes a support structure having at least one pair of opposed inwardly-extending protrusions and a light pipe having an elongated light-transmissive mono-filament core supported on the support structure. The light pipe has a generally constant cross-sectional size and shape along its length. The light pipe includes an elongated upper lobe integrally extending from an elongated lower lobe. The lower lobe has an arcuate lateral profile. The light pipe includes an elongated laterally pinched region between the upper lobe and the lower lobe. The pinched region has a width less than the width of the upper lobe and less than the width of the lower lobe. The width of the pinched region is also slightly less that the width of a gap between the inwardly-extending protrusions of the support structure. Because the width of the gap between the protrusions is smaller than the width of the upper lobe, the light pipe can be supported on the support structure by resting the upper lobe on the protrusions with the pinched region disposed between the protrusions and the lower lobe suspended below the protrusions.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A light pipe support assembly for mounting a light pipe on a light fixture, the assembly comprising:
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a support structure having at least one pair of opposed inwardly-extending protrusions; and
an elongated light-transmissive mono-filament core supported on the support structure, the core having a generally constant cross-sectional size and shape along a length of the core;
the improvement comprising;
the core including an elongated upper lobe integrally extending from an elongated lower lobe, the lower lobe having an arcuate lateral profile;
the core including an elongated laterally pinched region between the upper lobe and the lower lobe, the pinched region having a width less than the width of the upper lobe and less than the width of the lower lobe and slightly less that the width of a gap between the inwardly-extending protrusions, the width of the gap between the protrusions being smaller than the width of the upper lobe to allow the light pipe to be supported on the support structure by resting the upper lobe on the protrusions with the pinched region disposed between the protrusions and the lower lobe suspended below the protrusions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A light pipe support assembly for mounting a light pipe on a light fixture, the assembly comprising:
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a support structure having at least one pair of opposed inwardly-extending protrusions; and
a light pipe supported on the support structure, the light pipe having a generally constant cross-sectional size and shape along a length of the light pipe, the light pipe comprising an elongated generally tubular jacket surrounding an elongated light-transmissive mono-filament core;
the improvement comprising;
the light pipe including an elongated upper lobe integrally extending from an elongated lower lobe, the lower lobe having an arcuate lateral profile;
the light pipe including an elongated laterally pinched region between the upper lobe and the lower lobe, the pinched region having a width less than the width of the upper lobe and less than the width of the lower lobe and slightly less that the width of a gap between the inwardly-extending protrusions, the width of the gap between the protrusions being smaller than the width of the upper lobe to allow the light pipe to be supported on the support structure by resting the upper lobe on the protrusions with the pinched region disposed between the protrusions and the lower lobe suspended below the protrusions, the core being disposed in the lower lobe and the upper lobe comprising a portion of the jacket. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for making a light pipe support assembly comprising a support structure having a pair of opposed inwardly-extending protrusions, and an elongated light-transmissive mono-filament core supported on the support structure, the core having a generally constant cross-sectional size and shape along a length of the core, the core including an elongated upper lobe integrally extending from an elongated lower lobe, the lower lobe having an arcuate lateral profile, the core including an elongated laterally pinched region between the upper lobe and the lower lobe, the pinched region having a width less than the width of the upper lobe and less than the width of the lower lobe and slightly less that the width of a gap between the inwardly-extending protrusions, the width of the gap between the protrusions being smaller than the width of the upper lobe;
- the method including the steps of;
providing the support structure;
forming the light pipe by extruding the light transmissive material through a die having a die face opening approximating the desired lobed cross-sectional shape of the core; and
supporting the light pipe on the support structure by positioning the light pipe pinched region between the inwardly extending protrusions of the support structure. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
- the method including the steps of;
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17. A method for making a light pipe support assembly comprising a support structure having a pair of opposed inwardly-extending protrusions, and a light pipe having an elongated light-transmissive mono-filament core disposed within an elongated generally tubular jacket, the light pipe supported on the support structure, the light pipe having a generally constant cross-sectional size and shape along a length of the light pipe, the light pipe including an elongated upper lobe integrally extending from an elongated lower lobe, the lower lobe having an arcuate lateral profile, the light pipe including an elongated laterally pinched region between the upper lobe and the lower lobe, the pinched region having a width less than the width of the upper lobe and less than the width of the lower lobe and slightly less that the width of a gap between the inwardly-extending protrusions, the width of the gap between the protrusions being smaller than the width of the upper lobe;
- the method including the steps of;
providing the support structure;
providing the elongated, generally tubular jacket;
supporting the jacket in a configuration defining a desired cross-sectional shape of the light pipe;
providing the light transmissive core material within the jacket; and
supporting the light pipe on the support structure by positioning the light pipe pinched region between the inwardly extending protrusions of the support structure. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
providing the core material in molten state;
pressure filling the jacket with the molten core material; and
allowing the core material to harden within the jacket.
- the method including the steps of;
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19. The method of claim 17 in which the step of providing the jacket includes the additional step of forming the jacket to include an elongated nub portion that integrally and radially extends outward from along a circumferential wall of the jacket configured to surround the core, the nub defining the upper lobe of the light pipe.
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20. The method of claim 17 in which the step of providing the jacket includes the step of forming a cladding layer of a fluoropolymer material.
Specification