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:
Dec. 15, 2015
Filed:
Oct. 16, 2013
Disney Enterprises, Inc., Burbank, CA (US);
Daniel J. Reetz, North Hollywood, CA (US);
Quinn Y. Smithwick, Pasadena, CA (US);
Lanny S. Smoot, Thousand Oaks, CA (US);
Jon Hayes Snoddy, Pasadena, CA (US);
DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC., Burbank, CA (US);
Abstract
A special effects (FX) system for generating a penumbra or glow effect about an object. Briefly, the FX system includes at least one sheet of retroreflective material and a penumbra activator. The penumbra activator is designed to selectively direct light toward a reflective surface of the retroreflective material. For example, the penumbra activator may include an elongated core element extending from a hilt. The body of the core element may include strings or sets of direction light sources, which may be spaced apart along the length of external surfaces of the core element body. A controller is used to operate the light sources such as by sequentially illuminating the lights sources from an end near the base/hilt to an end near a tip/distal end of the core element body, with earlier lit sources remaining on in some cases to cause a light sword blade to grow out of the hilt.