The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 14, 1988
Filed:
Oct. 27, 1986
Donald R Gaines, Farmington Hills, MI (US);
William T Piett, Milford, MI (US);
Novo Products, Inc., Plymouth, MI (US);
Abstract
An illumination device according to the present invention generally includes a housing, electrical plug prongs, a connector portion associated with the housing for receiving and electrically contacting a light bulb, and a heat sensitive electrical circuit for conducting electrical current from an electrical outlet or other electrical power source to a light bulb received within through the connector portion of the illumination device. Preferably, the heat sensitive electrical circuit includes a bimetallic strip or other heat sensitive mechanism that automatically interrupts the flow of electrical current through the connector portion of the night light when the temperature sensed by the bimetallic strip exceeds a predetermined temperature level. In another embodiment of the present invention, an illumination device is equipped with a successive heat sensitive switching mechanism, in which the power conducted to the light bulb is initially reduced in response to ambient temperature levels exceeding a first predetermined temperature level, with the flow of electrical current to the light bulb being interrupted only in response to a second, higher predetermined temperature level.