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:
Jul. 18, 2000
Filed:
Feb. 02, 1998
Mark D Winsor, Seattle, WA (US);
Winsor Corporation, Tumwater, WA (US);
Abstract
An electroluminescent panel is formed on a conductive baseplate by a pair of electrodes that are electrically insulated from the baseplate. The first electrode is a base electrode that acts as the hot electrode. The second electrode is a transparent conductive cover electrode. The cover electrode is grounded to act as a reference electrode. An electroluminescent layer formed from a phosphor-impregnated glass separates the base electrode and cover electrode. Upon application of a voltage between the base electrode and cover electrode, the electroluminescent material emits light that is transmitted through the cover electrode toward a viewer. A passivation layer covers the cover electrode to protect and insulate the cover electrode. In one embodiment, the baseplate is grounded and the cover electrode is referenced to ground through a ground fault interrupt sensor. In another embodiment, a graphical layer overlays the cover electrode, beneath the passivation layer, to present a decorative or informative image. Because the baseplate is not used as an electrode, a substantially thick insulative layer covers the base electrode to insulate the base electrode without affecting the performance of the electroluminescent panel.