Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Lorne A. Whitehead ·
Assignee(s)	TIR Systems Ltd. ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Chernoff, Vilhauer, McClung & Stenzel ·
Primary Examiner	Ira S. Lazarus ·
Assistant Examiner	L. Heyman ·
Application Number	US7716684
Filing date	06/17/1991
Issue date	09/07/1993
Predicted expiration date	06/17/2011
U.S. Classifications	362/307  · 362/31  ·
International Classifications	F17  ·
Kind Code	A
International Classifications	36232;31;299;300;329 ·

Patent Family

Abstract

A light emitter for emitting partially collimated light in one or more selected directions. The light emitter has a longitudinally specularly reflective internal surface; and, a light emitting area having an inner portion which is both partially longitudinally specular reflective and partially longitudinally transmissive and, a refractive, prismatic outer portion.

Independent Claims | See all claims (14)

1. 1. A hollow light emitter having a length considerably greater than its minimum cross-sectional dimension for receiving light from a partially collimated light source and emitting said light without substantial loss of collimation from a light emitting area of said emitter in one or more selected directions with substantially uniform light output per unit length along said light emitting area, said light emitter comprising:(a) a longitudinally specularly reflective internal surface;(b) said light emitting area comprising:(i) an inner portion which is:(1) substantially longitudinally specularly reflective; and,(2) longitudinally transmissive; and,(ii) a refractive, prismatic outer portion separated from said inner portion by a gap.