Patent Application
20100254131
This invention relates to guideway illuminators and more particularly to automatic guideway illuminators. Still more particularly it relates to guideway illuminators for difficult to light areas such as stairways.
Many procedures have been suggested for illuminating difficult to traverse areas, such as stairways, hallways and closets, from simple light bulbs mounted in ceiling fixtures to complicated structures for illuminating stair edges, treads or risers, the latter often being employed in theaters. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,685,332, 6,606,827 and 6,145,996). Suggested operating mechanisms for these lighting arrays run the gamut from wall-mounted, user-activated switches to various forms of motion detectors that automatically activate the light sources.
While these previous devices have all provided some benefit, they suffer from complicated installation, high cost and difficult maintenance. Further, many employ normal household current and thus may not be available in true emergencies, such as a power failure at night, when illumination would be truly needed.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to enhance the lighting of difficult to light areas.
Yet another object of the invention is the improvement of lighting in difficult to light areas.
Still another object of the invention is the provision of a lighting system in a kit form that can conveniently be installed by a homeowner without the use of complicated tools.
Still another object of the invention is the provision of a lighting system that actuates automatically upon an approach by a user and that does not rely upon the household power supply.
These objects are accomplished, in one aspect of the invention, by the provision of a guideway illumination system comprising: a first member and a second member each having at least one light source and at least one of the first member and the second member receiving a power source, at least the first member having a closed end and a connecting end; at least one intermediate member having at least one light source and a male connecting end and a female connecting end; and at least one flexible joining member, the flexible joining member being capable of bending at least 90° and being joinable to any of the first and second end members and the intermediate members.
In another aspect of the invention the objects are achieved by the provision of a kit comprising: a container; and a number of assembleable parts within the container, the assembleable parts comprising: a first member and a second member each having at least one light source and a motion detector and at least one of the first member and the second member receiving a power source; at least two intermediate members each having at least one light source; and at least one flexible joining member, the flexible joining member being capable of bending at least 90° and being joinable to any of the first and second end members and the intermediate members. The kit is easily assembled and put into operation by virtually any homeowner.
In a further aspect of the invention, the objects are achieved by the provision of a guideway illumination system comprising: a first member and a second member each having at least one light source, at least one connecting end, and a motion detector; at least one intermediate member having at least one light source, a telescoping section, and two opposed connecting ends, the at least one intermediate member being disposed between the first member and the second member; the first member, the second member, and the at least one intermediate member being electrically connected to each other such that they share a power source and their respective light sources may be actuated by one of the motion detectors.
d are perspective views of a flexible joining member used with the invention;
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following disclosure and appended claims taken in conjunction with the above-described drawings.
Referring now to the drawings with greater particularity, there is shown in
At least two intermediate members 24 are provided, each having at least one light source 20 and a female connector 24b and a male connector 24a. At least one flexible joining member 26 capable of bending at least 90° is also provided.
The intermediate members 24 are extensible to accommodate the various distances that may be encountered during installation. For example, as shown in
The flexible member 26 is preferably formed with a plurality of accordion pleats 26c and has a female connector 26b and a male connector 26a and is joinable to any of the first and second end members 16, 18 and the intermediate members 24.
Additionally, the kit 10 contains mounting means 28 which can comprise screws, nails or, preferably, double-sided tape and an end cap 34 connectable to the second member 18 to terminate the assembly.
The first and second members 16, 18 include means 30 for actuating the light sources and, in a preferred embodiment the means 30 comprise motion detectors. If desired, other actuating means, for example, heat detectors or capacitive devices can be employed. Whichever type of actuating means 30 is used at least some adjustment is desirable. For example, as illustrated in
The first and second members 16, 18 can include also timing means 32 for adjusting or selecting the duration of illumination of the light sources 20. The timing means 32 can be mechanical or electrical.
Referring now specifically to
As installed in an exemplary situation, as shown in
Referring now specifically to
Member 16 has an angled front surface 16d having an upward face 16e and a downward face 16f. The actuators 30 (on the first and second members 16 and 18) are positioned on the upward face 16e and the light sources 20 are positioned on the downward face 16f. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the light sources 20 include lenses or diffusers 20a rotatable through about 45 degrees to accurately direct the light from the light sources upon the stair treads.
The light sources 20 are preferably selected to provide at least 50 lux on each tread (when used to light stairways) and the system thus is in full compliance with International Residential Code R303.6. Light sources to meet these requirements can comprises standard 5 mm radial or higher power LEDs such as are available from Osram GmbH.
Thus there is provided an illuminating system that is readily useable by an average homeowner that enables safely lighting difficult to light areas. The system once installed is automatic, adjustable and not dependent upon household electrical supplies.
While there have been shown and described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
