Method and apparatus for using an electrically illuminated attention-attracting device

• US 6,817,734 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lane T. Hauck
• Original Assignee: Lane T. Hauck
• Inventors: Hauck, Lane T.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Payne, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US10/150,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20030214808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 362/231, 362/35, 362/103, 362/101, 362/102, 362/104, 362/105, 362/106, 362/107, 362/108, 362/800, 362/184, 362/185, 315/200.A, 315/185.S, 315/209.R, 315/246, 340/815.45
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/28 using temperature feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/42 Antiparallel configurations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments of the present invention improve the method and apparatus for producing multi-color changeable patterns of multi-colored lights, by using an intelligent circuit to create the drive signals. According to certain disclosed embodiments of the invention, the appearance of the light patterns are changed automatically or in response to external influences.

Claims

1. A method of producing attention-attracting light images, comprising:

causing a light source to emit alternatingly at least two different colored lights from a light-emitting device;

producing a visually perceptible light pattern comprising a sequence of at least alternating first and second colored light bar images visible when moving the light-emitting device at a certain speed;

increasing the length of the first colored light bar images at said certain speed;

decreasing the length of the second colored light bar images substantially simultaneously with the increasing the length of the first light bar images at said certain speed; and

responding to external influences to control said increasing and said decreasing of the light bar images to alter the pattern.

2. A method according to claim 1, further including stopping the increasing and decreasing of the first and second colored light bar images while continuing to move the light-emitting device at said certain speed and while causing the common light source to emit alternatingly the at least two different colored lights.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said increasing and decreasing continues automatically until the second colored light bar images diminish completely, and then increasing the second colored light bar images in length.

4. The system according to claim 1, further including interrupting the causing of the lengths of the first and second colored light bar images to change in response to the external influences to freeze the pattern so that the length of the colored light bar images are maintained.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said external influences include actuating a manual switch.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said external influences include a light detector device.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein said external include sensing temperature.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein said external influences include responding to external audible sounds by using a microphone.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said light source emits at least three different colored lights so that a sequence of alternating first, second and third colored light bar images is emitted when the light-emitting device moves.

10. A method providing attention-attracting images, comprising:

causing a multi-colored light source to emit alternatingly at least two different colored lights;

causing the light source to produce a visually perceptible, changing light pattern including a sequence of at least alternating first and second colored light bar images when the light source moves at a given speed;

causing the length of at least one of said colored light bar images to change continuously as the length of at least another one of said colored light bar images decreases according to a predetermined program as the light source moves at said given speed; and

interrupting said causing the length to change, and freezing the pattern at its interrupted condition to maintain the lengths of the colored light bar images.