Vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly

• US 6,461,028 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chin-Jeng Huang
• Original Assignee: Chin-Jeng Huang
• Inventors: Huang, Chin-Jeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Sember, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US09/883,535
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 362/505, 362/545, 362/249, 362/520, 362/244, 362/339, 362/800, 362/540, 362/549
• US Class Current: 362/505
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/32 for indicating vehicle sides , e.g. clearance lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/323 on or for doors illuminated exterior door handles B60Q1/2669; illuminated door locks E05B17/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/42 extending primarily along the sides of, or completely encircling, a vehicle ornamental or guard strips B60R13/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/48 combined with, or convertible into, other devices or objects, e.g. bumpers combined with road brushes, bumpers convertible into beds

Abstract

A vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly is constructed to include a hollow bumper having a longitudinal front slot, a signal light circuit board, and a transparent shell holding the signal light circuit board in the bumper. The shell has a lens with raised lens portions. Each raised lens portion has facets that reflect and refract the light of LEDs of the signal light circuit board toward the outside of the bumper through the longitudinal front slot.

Claims

1. A vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly comprising:

a hollow, narrow, elongated bumper, said bumper having a front sidewall, a back sidewall fastened to one side of the body of a motor vehicle, a back chamber cut through said back sidewall, two longitudinal mounting grooves disposed in parallel at two sides of said back chamber, and a longitudinal front slot cut through said front sidewall in communication with said back chamber;

a signal light circuit board disposed inside said bumper, said signal light circuit board comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes; and

a transparent shell mounted in said bumper, said transparent shell comprising two coupling flanges respectively engaged into the longitudinal mounting grooves of said bumper, a receiving chamber, which receives said signal light circuit board, and a lens covering the longitudinal front slot of said bumper, said lens being comprised of a plurality of raised lens portions, said raised lens portions each having a plurality of facets adapted to refract and reflect the light of said light emitting diodes.

2. The vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly of claim 1 wherein said bumper is comprised of a bumper base and a cover plate fastened to said bumper base to secure said transparent shell in position, said cover plate comprising a longitudinal chamber, which receives said signal light circuit board.

3. The vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly of claim 1 wherein said back sidewall of said bumper is fastened to one side of the body of said motor vehicle by glue.

4. The vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly of claim 1 wherein said light emitting diodes are longitudinally arranged in a line on said signal light circuit board.

5. The vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly of claim 1 wherein said transparent shell is molded from acrylic resin.

6. The vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly of claim 1 wherein said transparent shell is molded from polycarbonate.

7. The vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly of claim 1 wherein said transparent shell comprises a positioning groove, which holds said signal light circuit board in the receiving chamber of said transparent shell.

8. The vehicle side bumper and signal light assembly of claim 1 wherein said raised lens portions of said lens have the shape of a pyramid.