Personal indicator with light emission multiplying microprism array

• US 5,633,623 A
• Filed: 02/21/1995
• Issued: 05/27/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Grace Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Grace Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Campman, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US08/391,011
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 340/321, 340/331, 340/332, 340/691, 340/693, 340/815.4, 340/815.45, 340/815.47, 340/815.55, 340/815.73, 340/815.75, 340/815.76, 345/46, 345/39, 362/83.1, 362/83.3, 362/157, 362/800, 359/40, 359/48
• US Class Current: 340/321
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/38 using flashing light
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A safety device in the form of a compact, battery-operated, personal signalling system for providing light signals for personnel monitoring and detection purposes while operating under hazardous conditions. The device includes a light source that can emit either visible light or non-visible infrared light as periodic flashes. A light emission multiplier is provided between the light source and a protective, overlying panel to increase the visibility of the emitted light. The light emission multiplier is in the form of a thin sheet of vinyl plastic that includes a plurality of pyramidal microprisms on an outwardly facing surface. The microprisms operate to multiply the number of light emission points, thereby increasing the visibility of the safety device.

Claims

1. A personal safety device comprising:

L.E.D. means for providing light, a power source for providing electrical power and coupled with the L.E.D. means, switch means for connecting the power source with the L.E.D. means;

a case enclosing the L.E.D. means and power source, the case including a plastic overcap overlying the L.E.D. means; and

a plastic sheet having a transparent microprism array and positioned between said overcap and the L.E.D. means with the microprism array facing the overcap, wherein the microprism array provides multiplication of light emitted by the L.E.D. means by displaying at the overcap a plurality of spaced concentrations of the light emitted by the L.E.D. means.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said L.E.D. means emits visible light and includes at least one super bright L.E.D..

3. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein said L.E.D. means includes at least three said super bright L.E.D.'"'"'s.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said overcap is colored with a color that emits a penetrating visible light when the L.E.D. means emit visible light.

5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said microprism array is made from vinyl which is colored in a color selected from the group consisting of white, yellow, orange, red, blue, green and fluorescent colors so light emitted by the L.E.D. means and passing through the microprism array will be of a color that is visible through the surrounding atmosphere.

6. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said plastic sheet means is an assembly of a plurality of at least three sheets including a base polyester film, a microprism array made from vinyl and overlying the base polyester film, and a protective cover sheet made from clear polyester plastic and overlying the microprism array.

7. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein the protective cover sheet includes distinctive indicia.

8. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the overcap is made from a polycarbonate plastic.

9. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said case includes wall portions and said switch means is mounted within said case adjacent one of said wall portions and a sealed elastic push button means is located in said one wall portion enabling activation of said switch means from an exterior part of said device.

10. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said case is a waterproof case and includes end wall portions, and said switch means is mounted in one of said end wall portions and is a moisture activated switch including two electrically conductive pins connected to said power source and projecting exteriorly through said one of said end wall portions from interiorly of said case, and seal means around said pins and engaging said one end wall portion for providing a waterproof seal between said pins and said case.

11. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said case is substantially rectangular with dimensions of approximately 23/8" long, 15/8" wide and 7/8" thick;

and wherein said case includes two major parts, a lateral hollow chamber with a convex upper wall defining said overcap, said convex upper wall being curved from side to side in the width dimension and said hollow chamber being open at one end of its length; and

an end cap which abuts and is sealed by a seal means to said one open end of said hollow chamber;

said hollow chamber including an interiorly positioned longitudinal track along each of a pair of opposed side walls, said tracks each having upper edge portions shaped to provide upwardly facing longitudinal interior steps along each side wall and extending the length of said hollow chamber enabling said plastic sheet with the array of microprisms to be placed into said hollow chamber and held by said steps in matching conformity with an interior surface of the curved wall overcap hollow body;

said end cap carrying an integral tray shaped to engage with and to slide along said longitudinal tracks into said hollow chamber;

fastening means including a first fastening member on the tray and a second, cooperating fastening member carried by the hollow chamber for enabling said tray to be securely releasably fastened to said hollow chamber;

said tray providing mounting means for mounting said L.E.D. means and said power source; and

sealing means for providing a waterproof seal between the end cap and said hollow chamber and between said second fastening member and said hollow chamber.

12. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein said switch is located on said tray adjacent said end cap and a sealed elastic push button means is located in said end cap for enabling activation of said switch means from outside said device.

13. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein the tray carries a printed circuit board having a control circuit for controlling operation of the L.E.D. means.

14. A personal safety device as defined in claim 1 in combination with a personal alert safety system.

15. The combination defined in claim 14, wherein an auxiliary plastic overcap is mounted on top of the personal alert safety system case and encloses said plastic sheet with the array of microprisms and said overcap and sheet means overlays the L.E.D. means which are mounted on top of the personal alert safety system;

said overcap having an upper wall and four side walls, wherein said plastic sheet is shaped to fit inside said overcap and against interior surfaces of said overcap.

16. The combination defined in claim 14, wherein said case includes wall portions and said switch means is mounted within said case adjacent one of said wall portions and a sealed elastic push button means is located in said one wall portion enabling activation of said switch means from an exterior part of said device.

17. The combination defined in claim 14, wherein said case is a waterproof case and includes end wall portions and said switch means is mounted in one of said end wall portions and is a moisture activated switch including two electrically conductive pins connected to said power source and projecting through said one of said end wall portions from interiorly of said case to exteriorly of said case, and seal means around said pins and engaging said one end wall portion for providing a waterproof seal between said pins and said case.

18. The combination defined in claim 13, wherein encapsulation means, including a silicon plastic coating, is provided for completely encapsulating said printed circuit board, said L.E.D. means, said power source, and said switch means to render said components as a waterproofed subcombination within said case.

19. The combination defined in claim 18, wherein said switch means is an "on-off" microswitch with an operator stem located adjacent an inner case side of a manually operable, elastic push button means located in said end cap.

20. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said L.E.D. means emit light invisible to the human eye.

21. A device as defined in claim 20, wherein said L.E.D. means include at least one super bright L.E.D..

22. A device as defined in claim 21, wherein said L.E.D. means include at least three said super bright L.E.D.'"'"'s.

23. A device as defined in claim 20, wherein said L.E.D. means emit infrared light.

24. A device as defined in claim 23, wherein said L.E.D. means include at least one super bright L.E.D..

25. A device as defined in claim 23, wherein said L.E.D. means includes at least three super bright L.E.D.'"'"'s.

26. A device as defined in claim 23, including circuit means for enabling said L.E.D. means to emit coded infrared light emissions.

27. A safety device system including at least one safety device as defined in claim 20, and including detector means for detecting emissions of invisible light emitted by the L.E.D. means.

28. A safety device system including at least one safety device as defined in claim 23, and including detector means for detecting emissions of infrared light emitted by the L.E.D. means.

29. A safety device system including at least one safety device as defined in claim 26, and including detector means for detecting coded infrared light emitted by the L.E.D. means, wherein said detector means includes a decoder and an indicator for decoding and indicating a meaning of the coded infrared light emissions from the at least one safety device.

30. A safety device system as defined in claim 29, including a plurality of said at least one safety device, wherein each of said plurality of safety devices emits a different and distinctive coded infrared light emission.

31. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said case is a waterproof case and includes end wall portions and wherein said switch means is mounted inside of said case adjacent one of said end wall portions and is a normally closed, magnetically actuated on-off switch, and a magnet structurally separate and removable from said case is located exteriorly of said case adjacent the magnetically actuated on-off switch and magnetically maintains the switch in an opened condition, so long as the magnet is not removed from the case.

32. A safety device system including at least one safety device as defined in claim 31, wherein a magnet on said at least one safety device has unique identifying indicia thereon.

33. A safety device system as defined in claim 32, including a plurality of said at least one safety device, wherein each of said safety devices includes a separable, switch-operating magnet and each said magnet has different identifying indicia thereon.

34. A safety device system as defined in claim 33, further including an accountability board including holding means for holding and visually displaying the magnets when the magnets are removed from a safety device, to account for particular personnel wearing an activated safety device.

35. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said case includes a hollow chamber with a convex upper wall defining said overcap, said convex upper wall being curved from side to side in the width dimension and said hollow chamber being open at one end of its length, and an end cap which abuts and is sealed by a seal means to said one open end of said hollow chamber, said hollow chamber including an interiorly positioned longitudinal track along each of a pair of opposed side walls, said tracks each having upper edge portions shaped to provide upwardly facing longitudinal interior steps along each side wall and extending the length of said hollow chamber for receiving and retaining said plastic sheet with the array of microprisms against an interior surface of the curved wall overcap hollow body, said end cap carrying a tray shaped to engage with and to slide along said longitudinal tracks into said hollow chamber;

and fastening means including a first fastening member on the tray and a second, cooperating fastening member carried by the case for enabling said tray to be securely releasably fastened to said case, said tray including mounting means for mounting said L.E.D. means and said power source.

36. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plastic sheet includes a first, smooth surface facing the L.E.D. means, and a second surface on which the microprism array is carried and which faces the overcap, wherein the microprism array includes a plurality of individual microprisms disposed in side-by-side relationship on the second surface of the plastic sheet.

37. A device as claimed in claim 36, wherein the microprism array extends over substantially the entire second surface of the plastic sheet.

38. A device as claimed in claim 37, wherein the individual microprisms are in contacting, side-by-side relationship.

39. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microprism array is defined by a plurality of three-sided, pyramidal microprisms.

40. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic sheet is spaced from the L.E.D. means a distance of from about 1 mm. to about 7 mm.

41. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spaced concentrations of light include a central concentration of light opposite from the L.E.D. means and a plurality of secondary concentrations of light spaced from and surrounding the central concentration of light.

42. A device as claimed in claim 41, wherein the secondary concentrations of light are symmetrically positioned around the central concentration of light.