Patent Application
20120188760
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lighting system and method, and to lighting kits, that utilize a directional light source and moving or stationary crystal prisms supported by transparent filaments to create dazzling lighting effects.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well-known to create artwork by manipulating light utilizing LCDs, filters, reflective surfaces, fiber optics, colored light sources, and so forth. An especially notable and ancient example is the stained glass window, in which colored glass is arranged to form patterns or scenes illuminated by ambient light passing through the windows. Also well-known are kaleidoscopes, which use movable crystals illuminated by ambient light to create changeable colored light patterns. In addition, sculptures have been designed to incorporate internal lighting effects, while various art media such as paintings have been combined with lighting arrangements to provide artistic effects unachievable by either lighting or painting alone.
Light paintings or sculptures are known from the following websites:
The invention uses crystal prisms to create effects similar to those of a kaleidoscope, but in three dimensions rather than two dimensions. While the effects of crystal prisms in separating light into multiple colors is of course well-known, and crystal prisms have long been used in connection with non-directional light sources such as chandeliers (see, e.g., U.S. Patent Publication NO. 2004/0141328), the concept of using directed light to illuminate the crystals, and in particular of using transparent filaments (or other invisible suspension or supporting means) to create the illusion of floating crystals, enables the artist to create truly original works of art that go way beyond the pretty but limited effects provided by the hanging crystals of a conventional chandelier, sun catcher, or other hanging prism.
Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the crystal prisms may be made of a particular type of crystal having properties that make it especially suitable for use in creating artwork of the type described above. In this embodiment, the material of the prisms is lead crystal glass, in which lead oxide is added to molten glass to give the lead crystal a much higher index of refraction than normal glass, and consequently much greater “sparkle” by increasing specular reflection and the range of angles of total internal reflection. Ordinary glass has a refractive index of n=1.5; the addition of lead produces an index of refraction of up to 1.7. This heightened refractive index also raises the correlating index of dispersion, which measures the degree to which a medium separates light into its component spectra, as in a prism. This increase in refractive index from 1.5 to 1.7 significantly increases the amount of light reflected, by a factor of 1.68 for light reflecting in the normal direction. In addition, in the case of cut glass crystals that have been hand or machine cut with facets, the presence of lead also makes the glass softer and easier to cut. The preferred crystal prisms can include up to 35% lead, at which point they have the most sparkle.
It is accordingly an objective of the invention to provide a variation of conventional illumination art that utilizes crystal prisms, directed light, and transparent filaments or strings to create novel and artistic visual effects.
It is a second objective of the invention to provide an art kit that enables consumers to create artwork utilizing crystal prisms, directed light, and transparent filaments or strings.
These objectives are achieved by arranging a directional light source and crystal prisms so that light from the light source is transmitted through the prisms onto a surface, such as a wall or screen, that enables viewing of the transmitted light, and by suspending or supporting the crystal prisms by suspension/support means such as transparent strings or filaments that are invisible to a viewer so that the crystals appear to float in front of the surface.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the crystal prisms are made of leaded glass cut into a generally polyhedral shape, such as, by way of example and not limitation, lead octagon crystals. An especially suitable crystal is the Swarovski® Strass® Aurora Borealis 60 mm lead octagon crystal, although cut glass crystal prisms from other sources may also be used. Swarovski® and Strass® are registered trademarks of Swarovski, AG, of Wattens, Austria.
In one implementation of the preferred embodiment, the crystal prisms are illuminated by a cylindrical projection structure with a spotlight or headlight-type incandescent bulb arrangement, or by an LED bulb and projection lenses or reflectors positioned to direct or project light through the crystals.
The crystal prisms may be mounted within the projection structure or suspended between the projection structure and a surface onto which light is projected from the light source through the crystals. In either case, the suspension or support means for the crystal prisms should be invisible, or barely visible, to the viewer so that the crystals appear to float in the image projected onto the surface. Suitable support means include, but are not limited to, transparent filaments (or filaments that are very thin and/or colored to blend into the background).
Especially attractive light effects may be obtained if the crystals are movable, although static arrangement can also yield dramatic results. In implementations where the crystal prisms are suspended by transparent or invisible filaments, movement of the crystal prisms may be effected by natural airflow or by air currents generated with the assistance of a fan, heater, or mechanical device for moving the means by which the crystal prisms are suspended or supported. In addition, implementations of the invention may use combinations of movable and static crystal prisms.
A variety of directed lighting arrangements may be used, including a custom light arrangement and/or a commercially-available LED bulb such the Dragon Fish EES LED Bulb available from TheLEDLight.com, which includes multiple RGB LED bulbs in a housing arranged to fit in an incandescent light socket, and in which color and flashing effects may be controlled by a wireless remote control.
Finally, the invention may further be implemented as an interactive light kit including a plurality of lead crystals or other prism structures, and suspension/support means such as transparent filaments or strings for suspending or supporting the prism structures between a directional light source and a surface on which the light is projected. The light kit may also include the directional light source, means for moving the prism structures or the suspension/support means, and means such as a plurality of color gel filters to provide color effects.
As illustrated in
The housing 1 may be a cylindrical unit such as is shown in
The light source 2 may include any directional light source, or multiple light sources, capable of generating the light beam 4 for projection through the prisms 5 onto the surface 7. By way of example, the light source 2 used in the lighting arrangement may be an incandescent bulb such as the GE 4515 bulb, which includes a parabolic reflector to direct the light beam in a preferred direction. Alternatively, the light source 2 may be an incandescent bulb combined with a separate reflector built into the housing 1, or another type of light source such as an LED bulb of the type available from TheLEDLight.com as the Dragon Fish EES LED Bulb, which includes multiple LEDs on an incandescent light bulb base, the LEDs capable of selectively emitting red, green, and blue light in response to commands from a digital controller.
If the light source 2 emits white light, then one or more color filters may be used to achieve colored lighting effects. If the light source 2 is capable of emitting multiple color light, then no further color filter is necessary. The color filters are represented in
The crystal prisms 5 through which the light beam 4 is projected may be fixedly or movably positioned by any suitable suspension or support means, including by way of example and not limitation, transparent strings or filaments 6 for suspending the prisms from a ceiling or track, the suspension/support means being invisible to a viewer so as to cause the crystals appear to float within the image projected on surface 7. If strings or filaments are used, then the prisms may be movable by air currents, either natural or forced through the use of an appropriately positioned heater or fan 8. Alternatively, the crystals may be suspended from or supported by a movable structure such as a rotating disc or the like (not shown), or disposed in a liquid medium (also not shown), in order to create a more dynamic motion effect, and/or combinations of moving and statically-supported crystal prisms may be used.
The crystal prisms 5 themselves are preferably made of cut lead crystal, although other transparent or translucent materials may be used, including other types of glass and various plastic materials that can be cut or shaped to have refractive properties and thereby disperse light passing through the crystals in visually interesting ways. An especially preferred type of crystal prism is the Swarovski® Strass® Aurora Borealis 60 mm lead octagon crystal, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not limited to a particular size of crystal (dimensions other than 60 mm may be used) or shape (any polyhedral shape, whether regular or not, may be used, depending on the desired artistic effect).
Finally, the surface 7 may be any surface on which light beam 4 can be projected, including the wall of a gallery or a solid or translucent screen. The surface may be viewed from either side, depending on whether it is solid or translucent, and may be fixed or movable, solid colored and/or with additional painted, printed, or sculpted design elements.
In a preferred implementation of the system of
The invention also provides a method of creating illumination art, the method including the steps of positioning a light source and positioning a plurality of crystal prisms between the light source and a surface such that light from the light source is projected onto the surface through the plurality of crystal prisms. As described above, the light source may be an incandescent or LED source, and the prisms may be Swarovski® Strass® lead crystals.
Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the invention and variations of the preferred embodiment in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention, it will nevertheless be appreciated that numerous variations and modifications of the illustrated embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited by the above description or accompanying drawings, but that it be defined solely in accordance with the appended claims.
