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:
Mar. 02, 1993
Filed:
May. 16, 1991
Charles L Cranshaw, Monte Sereno, CA (US);
John Piccone, San Jose, CA (US);
Richard C Allen, Los Gatos, CA (US);
James E Sacherman, Palo Alto, CA (US);
John W Toor, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Photonics Corporation, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
The present invention is for an illumination transmitter. The transmitter projects a signal onto a planar reflective surface such as the ceiling of an open office environment. The transmitter includes a plurality of illumination sources positioned in a line wherein the line has a predetermined orientation to the planar surface. The illumination sources are preferably infrared LEDs. The transmitter has means for jointly aiming the illumination sources toward a desired location on the planar surface. The location on the planar surface is usually used to allow multiple transmitters coupled to infrared receivers to allow communication between computers in a LAN. The transmitter also includes means for maintaining the predetermined orientation between the planar surface and the line. The orientation is usually parallel to allow transmitters located large distances from the illumination to project a relatively small illumination spot onto the planar surface.