Lighting device with illuminated front panel

• US 7,661,840 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: iLight Technologies Incorporated (Luminii, LLC)
• Original Assignee: iLight Technologies Incorporated (Luminii, LLC)
• Inventors: Eriksson, Eric O.
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, ANABEL
• Application Number:
  US12/020,161
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 362/800, 362230-233
• US Class Current: 362/230
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/04 Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia

Abstract

A lighting device generally comprises a housing, including a base portion and a side wall, which defines an interior cavity with an open end; a plurality of light-emitting diodes positioned within said interior cavity, each light-emitting diode emitting a light of a first hue; a plurality of bulbs, each said bulb being associated with and fitting over a respective light-emitting diode, each said bulb converting the light of the first hue emitted from the light-emitting diode into a light of a desired hue, which is then emitted from said bulb; and a front panel positioned at the open end of the housing and receiving light from the plurality of bulbs for illuminating the front panel.

Claims

1. A lighting device, comprising:

a housing, including a base portion and a side wall, which defines an interior cavity with an open end;

a plurality of light-emitting diodes positioned within said interior cavity, each said light-emitting diode emitting a light of a first hue;

a plurality of bulbs, each said bulb being associated with and defining an internal cavity for receiving a respective light-emitting diode, each said bulb being composed of a light-transmitting material and a light color-converting material, said light color-converting material converting the light of the first hue emitted from the light-emitting diode into a light of a desired hue, which is then emitted from said bulb; and

a front panel positioned at the open end of said housing and receiving the light of the desired hue from said plurality of bulbs for illuminating the front panel.

2. The lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said light color-converting material is one or more fluorescent dyes.

3. The lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said light color-converting material is one or more phosphorescent dyes.

4. The lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said light color-converting material is a combination of fluorescent dyes and/or phosphorescent dyes.

5. The lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said light-transmitting material is an acrylic resin.

6. The lighting device as recited in claim 5, wherein said light color-converting material is one or more fluorescent dyes mixed into said acrylic resin.

7. A lighting device, comprising:

a housing, including a base portion and a side wall, which defines an interior cavity with an open end;

a plurality of light-emitting diodes positioned within said interior cavity, each said light-emitting diode emitting a light of a first hue;

a plurality of bulbs, each said bulb being associated with and fitting over a respective light-emitting diode, each said bulb being composed of a light-transmitting material and a light color-converting material, said light color-converting material converting the light of the first hue emitted from the light-emitting diode into a light of a desired hue, which is then emitted from said bulb; and

a front panel positioned at the open end of said housing and receiving the light of the desired hue from said plurality of bulbs for illuminating the front panel;

wherein each said bulb defines an internal cavity for receiving a respective light-emitting diode, said internal cavity defined by openings through adjacent rear and bottom faces of said bulb, such that the bulb can be readily fit over the light-emitting diode.

8. The lighting device as recited in claim 7, wherein each said light-emitting diode is in a generally horizontal orientation parallel to the base portion of the housing.

9. The lighting device as recited in claim 7, wherein each said bulb includes a front, light-emitting surface which is a curved surface that extends from a top edge of the rear face of the bulb to a front edge of the bottom face of the bulb.

10. The lighting device as recited in claim 7, wherein said light color-converting material is one or more fluorescent dyes.

11. The lighting device as recited in claim 7, wherein said light color-converting material is one or more phosphorescent dyes.

12. The lighting device as recited in claim 7, wherein said light color-converting material is a combination of fluorescent dyes and/or phosphorescent dyes.

13. The lighting device as recited in claim 7, wherein said light-transmitting material is an acrylic resin.

14. The lighting device as recited in claim 13, wherein said light color-converting material is one or more fluorescent dyes mixed into said acrylic resin.