Other

Gravity Guidance, Inc.

Ruth Ellen Miller

Jack V Miller

A U-turn lens for a recessed light fixture comprising a tubular, transparent, internally reflective, hollow cylindrical lens having a closed top including a hot mirror receiving focused light from a reflector lamp, an inside diameter extending to an open lower end where focused light is emitted and collimated light is received through the lens outside the inside diameter to an angular reflector reflecting the collimated light transversely to illuminate a concave decorative shade.

U-turn lens for a recessed light fixture

A convection-cooled recessed downlight fixture for an air-tight ceiling, having a reflector, (preferably bright aluminum) held in a hole in a ceiling with knock-outs bent down against the upper surface of the ceiling; a lamp housing (preferably black-anodized aluminum), removably attached to the upper end of the reflector, and a bezel assembly including a decorative trim element, is removably installed in the lower end of the reflector and held therein with screws removably engaging the reflector, whereby the bezel and decorative element may be removed from the fixture for re-lamping.

Decorative hybrid fiber optic ATC downlight

This invention provides a hybrid fiber optic framing projector of high optical efficiency that emits no UV (ultraviolet) or IR (infrared) energy in the projected beam. A preferred embodiment includes a light source on an optical axis at the primary focus of an ellipsoidal cold mirror reflector. The ellipsoidal reflector focuses visible light from the light source to a conjugate focus through a dichroic hot mirror and then into a heat-absorbing, UV-absorbing glass rod. The glass rod transmits light by total internal reflection as an optical fiber from the conjugate focus to the focal plane of a collimating lens. A confocal reflector has a spherical radius about the light source, that radius being equal to the distance from the primary focus to the conjugate focus. The proximal end of the glass rod is positioned on the optical axis in a hole through the confocal reflector at the conjugate focus, whereby light rays from the light source that fall outside the glass rod in are reflected by the spherical confocal reflector back to the light source to be re-reflected or re-radiated as additional light focussed back to the conjugate focus, through the glass rod and to a collimating lens. The foregoing optical components are enclosed in a housing having heat flow paths from the optical elements to the housing exterior.

Hybrid fiber optic framing projector

A lighting fixture has a proximal end fixture adapter connectable at a proximal end to a mounting device attachable to a ceiling. The mounting device may be an elongated track, a fixed canopy or a ceiling ring permitting a proximal portion of the fixture to be above the ceiling. The lighting fixture has a generally cylindrical housing with first and second resilient rings partially engaged into first and second external grooves around the distal end of the housing. A decorative shade has a fitter slidable on the housing and retained between the first and second resilient rings.

Decorative lighting fixtures

A tracklight system includes an elongated an elongated metallic track generally in the shape of a U, having a base and first and second parallel depending legs with proximal ends extending from the base of the U and having distal ends terminating in a common plane. An elongated insulator is attached to one of the depending legs and having longitudinal slots therein including electrical conductors. Track fixtures each include a fixture adapter attaching a luminaire to the track with an incandescent or gas-discharge luminaire disposed within the track U, substantially between the common plane of the legs and the base of the U. In a preferred embodiment the fixture adapter includes a swivel that permits the luminaire to pivot out of the track aim a light beam in azimuth and elevation.

Internal fixture tracklight system

Side-mounted tracklight system

A dual-surface lens for light fixtures and T-bar ceilings includes a first lens panel having a planar perimeter around a decorative or optical control area and a second lens panel having a planar perimeter resting on the planar perimeter of the first lens panel. In a preferred embodiment the first lens panel depends below the planar perimeter and the second lens panel extends above the planar perimeter at an angle of from 5&deg; to 15&deg;.

Dual lighting lens panel

An aimable luminaire has a lamp emitting light at the focus of a beam-forming lens held in a tubular housing having a lens on a central optical axis. The lamp is held in a lamp retainer which is transversely adjustable off the central axis of the housing and lens and axially adjustable with respect to the lens. When the lamp is moved off the optical axis, an off- axis beam is projected, and when the lamp is moved axially moved with respect to the lens the beam angle is zoomed larger or smaller. Rotation of housing in azimuth can then aim the light beam anywhere within a cone inscribed by rotation of the off-axis beam angle, thus providing adjustment in both elevation and azimuth. In a preferred embodiment either the transverse or axial position of the lamp may be the lamp may be adjusted from the proximal direction, above the ceiling, or from the distal direction by removing the lens from the distal end.

Fixed-housing aimable-beam spotlight luminaire

A substantially sealed case for enclosing objects has at least one openable surface and an inlet-outlet port through a surface of the case, permitting the ingestion and expulsion of air during case thermal expansion and barometric pressure changes. The inlet-outlet port has an inlet passage and an outlet passage therethrough, with a check valve in the inlet passage permitting ingestion of air into the case through an inlet filter and blocking the expulsion of air therethrough. The inlet-outlet port also has a check valve in the outlet passage permits the expulsion of air from the case through an outlet filter and blocks the ingestion of air therethrough. A flexible membrane bag encloses the inlet and outlet filters, and may optionally include air treatment means for controlling the relative humidity and the oxygen content of air in the bag.

Sealed case with closed-cycle filter system

This invention applies to the field of light projectors for graphics media, such as movie film, projection slides, liquid crystal cells and fiber optic arrays. High light levels have not been possible with prior art projectors due to plastic media aging and melting in the heat of concentrated light; due to optical inefficiencies in converting circular lamp beams to a rectangular medium format; and due to mismatches between the numerical aperture of the lamp to the graphics media. The present invention solves the heating problem by providing a projector having an elongated, heat absorbing glass coupler between the light source and the graphics medium; it solves the optical inefficiency problem by providing the coupler with a circular light entrance end and a rectangular exit end; and it solves the numerical aperture problem by providing the coupler with a generally parabolic shape that collimates extreme off-axis light rays.

Light projector with parabolic transition format coupler

A fiber optic relay for an individual light guide according to the present invention includes a first light guide from a remote source of illumination, which is coupled to second light guide in series by a relay having a light shut-off means including an electro-magnetic solenoid. In a preferred embodiment the light is fully off when the solenoid is de-energized and has the solenoid plunger disposed between the first and second light guides, blocking light transmission from the first light guide to the second light guide. When the solenoid is energized from a remote source of electrical power the solenoid plunger is withdrawn from between the first and second light guides, allowing light from the first light guide to pass into the second light guide with low attenuation and high efficiency.

Electro-optical relay

An aimable fiber-optic spotlight has a fiber-optic light guide with a first end receiving light from a remote light source and a second end emitting light at the focus of a beam-forming lens held in a fixed tubular housing having a lens on a central optical axis. The light-emitting end of the light guide is held in a tubular light guide retainer within the housing, and which is transversely adjustable off the central axis of the housing and lens. Light emitted from the light guide is off the central axis of the housing and lens, and is thus projected through the lens as an off-axis beam adjustable in elevation angle. Rotation of housing in azimuth can then aim the light beam anywhere within a cone inscribed by rotation of the off-axis beam angle, thus providing adjustment in both elevation and azimuth. In a preferred embodiment the light-emitting end of the light guide is axially adjustable with respect to the lens, whereby the angular diameter of the projected light beam is also adjustable.

Aimable-beam fiber-optic spotlight luminaire

A plastic foam material comprises an aggregate of discrete elements made of substantially individual cellulose fibers combined with a cellulose starch and including a plurality of bubbles produced by a gas-generating agent. The discrete elements are suspended in a matrix also including a plurality of bubbles produced by a gas-generating agent. In a preferred embodiment the matrix is also made of substantially individual cellulose fibers combined with a cellulose starch and formed into a geometric shape. In another preferred embodiment the discrete aggregate elements are substantially closed-cell foam and the matrix is substantially open-cell foam. In yet another preferred embodiment the discrete aggregate elements are substantially closed-cell, and the foam matrix is also substantially closed-cell.

Plastic foam aggregate matrix made from recycled paper and fiber products

A fiber optics illuminator includes a source of illumination on an optical axis and an optical element coaxially disposed on the optical axis, forming an image of the illumination source at an image plane. A housing encloses the source of illumination, the optical element and the image plane. A thermal control bushing is disposed on the optical axis at an exit aperture in the housing and includes an elongated, generally cylindrical glass rod coaxially disposed on the optical axis, having a first end at the image plane of the optical element, receiving illumination and heat, and a second end external to the housing. The thermal control bushing includes a means for dissipating heat from the glass rod by radiation outside the housing and by convection aided by a ventilating fan. An elongated fiber optics light guide has a light receiving end coaxially disposed adjacent to the second end of the glass rod, and a remote light-emitting end. In a preferred embodiment the glass rod includes a series of conjugate refocus planes spaced from the image plane at its light receiving end, and has a length such that the illumination at its light emitting end is substantially out of focus adjacent to the fiber optics light guide.

High efficiency fiber optics illuminator with thermally controlled light

A toy glider in the form of a molded foam plastic animal figure has an animal body form fuselage including a longitudinal axis, generally parallel sides, a front end and a rear end. A pair of wings in the form of animal wings are attached to the fuselage in a horizontal plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. A nose section in the form of an animal head and attached to the front end of the fuselage and a tail section is attached to the rear end of the fuselage. One or more male appendage studs extend distance from a surface of the glider and engage elongated hollow, appendages in the form of animal limbs, each having an elastomeric and hollow recess at an angle to the length of the limb and frictionally engaged onto a respective appendage stud, whereby rotation of the limb changes the angle of the limb with respect to the fuselage. Each limb appendage has a compressive columm buckling strength high enough to support the static weight of the glider in a standing posture, and a bending buckling strength low enough to permit the limb to resiliently collapse under a dynamic bending load.

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Seaford, DE, United States of America

Ruth Ellen Miller