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. 22, 1999
Filed:
Sep. 17, 1997
Alan Kerskey, Ponpano Beach, FL (US);
Ronald Bruce Smith, Wellington, FL (US);
AIWA Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A light pipe array includes a series of light pipes connected to a runner. The light pipes and runner are preferably molded as a single piece using a clear or transparent plastic. The runner is fabricated to have a relatively small cross-section when compared to the light pipes. The interconnection between the runner and each light pipe is chosen so that each light pipe is oriented to be substantially perpendicular to the runner. Additionally, the interconnection between the runner and each light pipes is chosen so that the runner is in close proximity to the light ray exit end of each light pipe. The small cross-section of the runner, the perpendicular relationship between the runner and the light pipes and the location of the connection between the runner and the light pipes provides a light pipe array exhibiting little or no contamination between the included light pipes.