Flexible perimeter lighting apparatus

• US 8,215,786 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sloan Company Incorporated (Sloan)
• Original Assignee: Sloan Company Incorporated (Sloan)
• Inventors: Sloan, Thomas C., Quaal, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US12/581,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20100039813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 362/246, 362/240, 362/235, 362/249.04, 362/145, 362/224, 362/225, 362/230, 362/231, 36221714-21717, 362/227, 362/249.08, 362/244, 362/248
• US Class Current: 362/145
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/20 with light sources held by or within elongate supports
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/005 for several lighting devices in an end-to-end arrangement, i.e. light tracks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/088 Clips; Clamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/06 the elements being coupling devices , e.g. connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2013/1895 Imitating a neon tube
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes

Abstract

An elongated flexible lighting system according to the present invention comprises an array of light sources that are illuminated by electric power. It further comprises an elongated translucent extrusion of flexible material. The array of light sources is integral to the extrusion with said extrusion transmitting and dispersing the light from the array such that the lighting system gives the appearance that the array of light sources is a continuous light source. The elongated lighting system can be used for many different applications including, but not limited to, the lighting of structural features and illumination of sign features.

Claims

1. A system for lighting structural features, comprising:

a plurality of elongated flexible lighting systems, each of which comprises;

an array of light sources that are illuminated by electric power;

an elongated translucent extrusion of flexible material, said flexible material bendable upon application of a bending force and capable of returning to a straight configuration when said bending force is removed, said array of light sources integral to said extrusion, said extrusion transmitting and dispersing light from said array giving the appearance that said array of light sources is a continuous light source;

said flexible lighting systems coupled in a daisy-chain with the electrical power transmitted to each of said flexible lighting systems; and

a mechanism for anchoring said flexible lighting systems to a structure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each said array in each of said flexible lighting systems is cuttable at intervals while allowing the remaining light sources to emit light, said extrusion of each of said flexible lighting systems being cuttable to match the length of said cut array.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said array of each of said flexible lighting systems comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said array of LEDs in each of said flexible lighting systems comprises a plurality of parallel connected sub-arrays of LEDs, said electric power coupled across each of said sub-arrays.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said array of LEDs in each of said flexible lighting systems further comprises a plurality of voltage regulators to control the electrical power applied to array of LEDs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said anchoring mechanism comprises one or more brackets.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of flexible printed circuit materials, each said array of LEDs in each of said flexible lighting systems mounted one of said flexible printed circuit materials, each of said flexible printed circuit materials being integral to a said extrusion.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each said extrusion further comprise a longitudinal cavity, said system further comprising at least one joint tube passing between two daisy-chained lighting systems, said joint tube arranged within the said longitudinal cavities of said daisy chained systems to connect the two together.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said joint tube is made of a vinyl.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one joint cap, adjacent ends of said daisy-chained extrusions mounted within said joint cap to connect said extrusions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said joint cap comprises a clear and flexible material.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one end cap to fit over an uncovered end of said extrusions in said daisy-chained systems.

13. The system of claim 12, where said end cap is made of a flexible material having the same color as said extrusions.