1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to switch plate lens assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to a switch plate assemble with a diffusion lens, a switch plate assembly with three individual lens mounted therein and a switch plate assembly with a frosted plexiglass lens. Each of the switch plate assemblies can be utilized as a night light-type illumination device or a switch plate with a light source formed of a plurality of colored (red, blue, and green) LED's.
2. The Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,442 to Dickie et al. is directed to a night light integral with a low profile cover plate assembly for electrical wall outlets utilizes two parts, a wall plate and a cover plate. The wall plate has a flat rear panel which is attached to the wall outlet, lies against the wall and includes peripheral lips holding a plurality of detent ridges. The cover plate includes the night light assembly which, in turn, includes power blades engaging the slots of the wall outlet to energize a night light bulb. Light escapes from underneath the cover plate through clear plastic lenses filling openings in the cover plate. Snap action projections on the inner surfaces of the cover plate periphery engage the retention ridges on the outer surfaces of the wall plate to ensure that the cover plate night light is attached to the wall plate by forces other than simply the friction of the power blades in the outlet slots. The cover plate may simultaneously be used to cover a low profile plug in the other outlet slots of a standard duplex wall outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,719 to Lau et al. is directed to a self-contained night light that is disposed in a housing containing spaced-apart male AC prongs that mate with an AC socket. The housing contains an array of differently colored, preferably light emitting diodes. Light sources that can dynamically output different patterns of differently colored light in response to drive signals. A microcontroller executes a sequence of instructions causing the controller to output different sequences of signals that are coupled to a driver unit that drives the light sources. The result is that the array dynamically produces different patterns of differently colored light. A user operable control allows a viewer to “freeze” any desired pattern of light, such that until reset, the night light will continue to output a static pattern of colors. The night light may include a manual or light-sensing ON/OFF switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,839 to Coleman et al. is directed to a light emitting device which includes a diffractive optical element, a first light emitting diode emitting first light having a first range of wavelengths, and a second light emitting diode emitting second light having a second range of wavelengths. The first light is directed onto the diffractive optical element at a first range of angles of incidence, and the second light is directed onto the diffractive optical element at a second range of angles of incidence. The diffractive optical element diffracts at least a portion of the first light and at least a portion of the second light into the same range of angles of diffraction to obtain light having a desired range of wavelengths.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,914 to Hoelen et al. is directed to an illumination system for illuminating a display device comprising a light-emitting panel having a light-emission window and at least one edge surface for coupling light into the light-emitting panel. The illumination system further comprises a light mixing chamber provided with a light source. The light mixing chamber is associated with the edge surface. According to the invention, the light source comprises a plurality of clusters of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) having different light-emission wavelengths, the clusters being arranged at a pitch P with respect to each other. The ratio of the height H of the light mixing chamber to the pitch P of the clusters meets the relation 0.1.ltoreq.H/P.ltoreq.10, preferably 0.2.ltoreq.H/P.ltoreq.2. Preferably, each cluster comprises one blue, one green and one red LED, or one blue, two green and one red LEDs. Preferably, each LED has a luminous flux of at least 5 lumen.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,346 to Pashley et al. is directed to a faceted surface that has first and second facets which deflect respective first and second light beams to produce first sub-beams which alternate with second sub-beams. The faceted surface is a reflector having first facets at 120 degrees to second facets for mixing light beams which are incident at 120 degrees to each other. 100% of reflected sub-beams from each source alternate with 100% of sub-beams from the other source.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,363 to Lee is directed to a colored light mixing device which has one light source set and a color mixing plate. The light source set has three light generating units which generate light of different colors. The color mixing plate is made of transparent material, having a lower surface that faces the one light source set with a lower wavelike pattern and an upper surface opposite thereto with an upper wavelike pattern that is oriented differently from the lower wavelike pattern. Being hit by light from at least one light source set, the lower wavelike pattern acts as a plurality of linear light sources for light of mixed colors inside the color mixing plate being illuminated by light from the lower wavelike pattern, the upper wavelike pattern emits light of uniform intensity and mixed hue.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,918 to Hernandex et al. discloses a simple color illumination-type place for stages, dance floors, and ceilings. Apparatus for color illumination of stages, dance floors, skating rinks and the like. Prismatic plates made of a material transparent to light each have parallel triangular prisms. The prisms have an apex of 60 degrees and light sources emitting different primary color light incident on the opposite sides of the individual prisms result in combined beams of primary colors to be emitted by the individual prisms having a width corresponding to a width of a corresponding prism emitting the combined beam. The prismatic plates can be arranged so that the combined beams of the prisms of one prismatic plate are incident on a second prismatic plate having an independent light source emitting a third primary color incident thereon so that each combined beam emitted by the second prismatic plate prisms has three primary colors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,821 to Blaisdell et al. is directed to a plug-in lamp assembly for use as a picture element in large-screen information display systems. The lamp assembly includes red, green and blue discharge lamps for selectively generating different colors. Each discharge lamp has electrical leads extending from a first end and a light output region at a second end. The lamp assembly further includes a base having spaced-apart, plug-in electrical connectors, a cap covering the second ends of the lamps and a sleeve around the discharge lamps and interconnecting the cap and the base. The base provides mechanical support for the discharge lamps and permits easy replacement of the lamp assembly. The sleeve blocks light emitted from the sides of the discharge lamps. The cap includes a diffuser and a filter for altering the output spectrum of one or more of the discharge lamps. The diffuser can be mounted in a spaced relationship to the second ends of the discharge lamps at a distance therefrom selected such that the light from each different color lamp substantially fills the area of the diffuser. As a result, the light outputs from the discharge lamps are merged at the diffuser.
A need exists for a simple and reliable switch plate assembly with either at least three diode lenses, a double diffused lens or a plexiglass lens forming a night light-type illumination device or a switch plate with a light source formed of a plurality of colored (red, blue, and green) LEDs. In one embodiment, the LEDs are covered by a pair of translucent, arcuate diffusers in series. The diffusers aid in uniformly or evenly dispersing the generated colored light from the cover plate or night light housing. In each preferred embodiment, the desired colors are generated in varying intensity for each LED. Additionally, each preferred embodiment includes a color generation control to perform in response to a sensed condition. The sensed condition can be a fire alarm, a doorbell, or burglar alarm. Additionally, the light system can be wired to an alarm signal generation system.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus including a switch plate assembly with a switch plate cover, at least one diffusion lens mounted in the switch plate assembly, the diffusion lens is made of white polypropylene with a corrugated wall, and two standard screw type assemblies or mounting members for securely mounting the switch plate cover to the switch plate assembly.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of plate cover screws, a UL approved electrical plastic box having switch plate cover holes for receiving the pair of plate screws to securely mount the switch plate cover to the electrical box, a base including mounting holes for receiving mounting screws, and the plastic electrical box having, adjacent to the switch plate cover holes, a pair of bracket receiving holes.
A further object of the invention is to provide a rectangularly shaped metal mounting bracket including mounting tabs for mounting the bracket to the plastic electrical box, the mounting tabs having mounting tab holes which are aligned with the bracket receiving holes of the plastic electrical box, the bracket having a bracket base and a pair of legs, each of the legs extends nearly perpendicular from the bracket base to the respective mounting tab, and each of the mounting tabs extend perpendicularly outward from the respective legs with the mounting tabs being parallel to the bracket base.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a pair of bracket mounting screws for entering each of the mounting tab holes and for entering the aligned bracket receiving holes to securely fasten the bracket mounting tabs and the bracket to the plastic electrical box.
An object of the invention is to provide a circuit board mounting to the bracket base, the circuit board including a control circuit with switches and a series of terminals connected to a light source.
Another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of colored LEDs including a color generation controller responding to a sensed condition, and the sensed condition being defined as a fire alarm, a doorbell, or burglar alarm, with the controller being wired to an alarm signal generation system.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus comprising a switch plate assembly including a switch plate cover, at least three individual lenses mounted in the switch plate cover, the at least three individual lenses being a blue lens, a green lens and a red lens, and two mounting members being standard screw type assemblies for securely mounting the switch plate cover to the switch plate assembly.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus comprising a switch plate assembly including a switch plate cover with a rectangular opening, a plexiglass lens mounted in the rectangular opening of the switch plate cover, and two mounting members being standard screw type assemblies for securely mounting the switch plate cover to the switch plate assembly.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed n.
Preferred structural embodiments and preferred subcomponents of this invention are disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
With reference now to
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Base 50 of the plastic electrical box 40 includes a mounting hole 52 for receiving a mounting screw 54. On either side of the plastic electrical box 40, next to the switch plate cover holes 46, 48 are bracket receiving holes 56, 58 for a metal mounting bracket, which is generally indicated by reference numeral 60. The metal mounting bracket 60 is rectangularly shaped with mounting tabs 62, 64 for mounting the bracket 60 on the plastic electrical box 40. The mounting tabs 62, 64 each have mounting tab holes 66, 68 which align with the bracket receiving holes 56, 58 of the plastic electrical box 40. The bracket 60 has a bracket base 70 and legs 72, 74. The legs 72, 74 extend roughly perpendicularly from the bracket base 70 to the mounting tabs 62, 64 and the mounting tabs 62, 64 extend perpendicularly outwardly from the legs 72, 74, such that the mounting tabs 62, 64 are parallel to the bracket base 70. With this arrangement, the bracket base 70 sits down in the plastic base 40, just above mounting hole 52 of the base 50. A pair of bracket mounting screws 76, 78 enter the mounting tab holes 66, 68 and then enter the aligned the bracket receiving holes 56, 58 to securely fasten the bracket mounting tabs 62, 64 and the bracket 60 to the plastic electrical box 40. A circuit board 80 is mounted to the bracket base 70. The circuit board 80 is generally shown and includes a series of terminals 82 as well as three LEDs, a blue LED 84A, a white LED 84B and a red LED 84C.
In
For example, any of the
Examples of various modes of operation when the various colors are either strobed or flashed may easily be indicative of other type alarms. The major utilitarian value of this device is that it easily blends in to room decor because it simply looks like another receptacle type device. The switch plate lens assemblies 10, 20 and 30 meet most electrical codes standards because these units are powered by low voltage (12 volts DC). Additionally, electronic assembly is compatible with all standard UL approved electrical work boxes. There is a choice of all colors of the spectrum. These colors may be flashed or strobed. The primary colors are easily mixed through the double diffusion polypropylene lens, resulting in all colors of the visible spectrum.
Some typical applications are as a night light using diffused white light with LED 84B, a telephone sentinel using the red LED 84C flashing light when telephone rings, as a door bell annunciate using a steady red LED 84C glow light when door bell is pushed, as a smoke alarm using a blue LED 84A as a flashing light, or burglar alarm using the blue LED 84A as a flow sentinel.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60536239 | Jan 2004 | US |