Lighting and display apparatus

• US 7,520,633 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cepia LLC
• Original Assignee: Cepia LLC
• Inventors: Hornsby, James Russell, Hornsby, Ashley B., McGowan, Joseph Lee, Keefe, James Augustus III, Benson, Marcellus Rambo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ward; John A
• Application Number:
  US11/327,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20060221599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 362/103, 362/231, 362/240, 362/253, 362/234, 362/249, 362/251, 362/252, 362/294, 362/394, 362/806, 362/357, 563/6, 563/9, 590/5, 446/175, 446/219, 446/484, 446/485
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 97/00 Furniture or accessories for furniture, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/725 for illumination, e.g. lamps
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2009/005 illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 9/1045 shaped as, combined with, or convertible into other articles, e.g. dolls, sound equipments, bags or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0012 Furniture hospital beds F21V33/0072
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0024 Household or table equipment
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/806 Ornamental or decorative

Abstract

A lighting system, apparatus and method that can be integrated into an office or household item. The lighting system has one or more light modules, each comprising three lights of a different color. The light modules further have a cover component having a hole positioned above the lights. The lighting system may further have a cushioned layer coupled to the light modules. The light modules are coupled to a power source and an integrated circuit, wherein the integrated circuit is configured to operate the light modules.

Claims

1. A selectively illuminable plush toy having a body with an exterior surface, the toy comprising:

(a) an electrically conductive web internal to and integrated with the plush toy, the web comprising a plurality of individual light modules and one or more strings, each string comprising at least one of the plurality of light modules, each light module comprising a portion carrying a plurality of LED lights such that light emitted from the plurality of LED lights of an individual light module blends to form one or more colors,

(b) a power source electrically coupled to the web;

(c) an integrated circuit operably coupled to the web, the integrated circuit operating the plurality of light modules such that the blended light emitted by the plurality of LED lights of each light module changes in a selected pattern; and

(d) a soft material surrounding the plurality of light modules, the power source, and the integrated circuit, wherein the soft material is selected to be light transferring or diffusing, and the plurality of light modules are distributed in the plush toy, such that the exterior surface of the body is lighted by the blended light emitted by the plurality of LED lights.

2. The plush toy of claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is configured to individually ramp up and down the intensity of the light of the plurality of LED lights.

3. The plush toy of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of LED lights of the a light module are a different color from each other.

4. The plush toy of claim 3, wherein the colors of the LED lights include at least two of red, blue, and green.

5. The plush toy of claim 4, wherein the plurality of light modules each comprise three LED lights, and further wherein one of the LED lights is red, one is green, and one is blue.

6. The plush toy of claim 1, further comprising a mode switch configured to set the plurality of light modules to one of at least three predetermined operational modes.

7. The plush toy of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light modules each further comprise a cover component comprising a pliable material and an area permitting the passage of light.

8. The plush toy of claim 7, wherein the cover component of each of the plurality of light modules comprises soft polyvinyl chloride (“

PVC”

).