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.

Date of Patent:
Aug. 03, 1999

Filed:

Feb. 03, 1997
Applicant:
Inventors:

Fumiaki Akahane, Suwa, JP;

Tooru Yagasaki, Suwa, JP;

Tatsuaki Funamoto, Suwa, JP;

Assignee:
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
F21V / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
362 31 ; 362 27 ; 349 64 ; 349 65 ;
Abstract

A background lighting apparatus includes a light entering edge surface around substantially the entire periphery of a highly specular transparent plate wherein light beams enter from peripheral light sources and travel toward the central portion of the plate and are dispersed and diffused by a diffusion system formed relative to the transparent plate. Uniformity of luminance provided from the background lighting apparatus is enhanced as a whole by increasing the incident quality of the input light beams into the transparent plate while easing the incident directivity of the light beams on the transparent plate with the overall substantial enhancement of luminance produced from the apparatus. Further, the temperature distribution on a liquid crystal panel positioned adjacent to the output surface of the background lighting apparatus is substantially uniform across the panel so that the transmission quality of the liquid crystal material, which is dependent upon ambient temperatures, is made substantially more uniform resulting in significantly higher levels of uniformity in luminance across the display as well as uniformity of displayed colors and gradations thereof emanating from the display panel.


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