Abstract:
A charger plate having illuminated members. The charger plate includes a base, a raised portion, a rim and a circuit. The base is positioned substantially at a center of the charger plate and includes a first plurality of light emitting sources (LES) that outputs light from the base. The raised portion is substantially opaque and circumferentially surrounds the base. The rim circumferentially surrounds the raised portion and includes a second plurality of LES that outputs light from the rim. The circuit may independently control color and brightness associated with the first plurality of LES and the second plurality of LES. The base may include a reflective portion operable to reflect light from the first plurality of LES. The base and the rim may include a light pipe each for distributing the light emitted from their respective LES. The circuit may be powered via power inductive magnets instead of a battery.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The embodiments of the present invention relate to decorative charger plates. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In recent years, dining has become more than just food. For example, the ambience, the lighting, the food decoration, the music, the color coordination, etc., have become indispensable elements of most high-end establishments. To that end, the use of charger plates has increased for decorative purposes in order to improve aesthetic value and visual appeal. 
     For example, charger plates are often used to decorate dinner tables at parties, weddings and other events. Usually, charger plates are left on the table as large coasters for soup, salad, appetizer, etc. 
     Although charger plates improve aesthetic values, they nevertheless are limited to their fixed aesthetic and decorative features. For example, charger plates are incapable of being dynamically adapted and configured to color schemes, lightings, ambience, types of food, etc. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, a need has arisen for providing decorative charger plates enabled with illuminating members. In one embodiment, illuminated charger plates are configurable to emit light where the light color and brightness are user adjustable. Accordingly, the color and the brightness of an illuminated charger plate are user selectable, e.g., based on the desired ambience, desired event type, desired food type, desired color scheme, etc. The illuminated charger plates transform each food serving into an aesthetically pleasing focal point and a center piece. It will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the detailed description of the present invention that the embodiments of the present invention satisfy the above mentioned needs. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a charger plate includes a base portion that is substantially at a center of the charger plate. The charger plate further includes a raised portion that circumferentially surrounds the base portion. The charger plate further includes a circuit that can drive illuminated members of the charger plate. 
     According to one embodiment, the base comprises a transparent portion, e.g., glass. The base may further include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), for instance, that is operable to emit light from the transparent portion of the base. In one embodiment, the base includes a reflective portion that is operable to reflect light emitted from the LEDs. The base may further include a light pipe for distributing light emitted from the LEDs to various portions of the base. It is appreciated that the base may also include an opaque portion, e.g., substantially adjacent to the transparent portion, for housing the circuit and other electronic components. The opaque portion of the base can be used to hide the electronic components from plain view. It is appreciated that other light sources, aside from LEDs, can also be used. For example, small incandescent tubes, light fibers, etc., may also be used. 
     It is appreciated that in one embodiment, the raised portion is substantially opaque. Thus, the circuit and other electronic components can be placed under the raised portion in order to hide the circuit and other electronic components from plain view when the charger plate is placed on a table. 
     The circuit is operable to control the operation of one or more LEDs independently. The circuit may control the color and/or the brightness of the light being emitted from each LED. Furthermore, the circuit may control the timing and the sequence of LEDs being turned on/off. Thus, the circuit may change the color and the brightness of the light being emitted from each LED dynamically over time and it may turn each of the LEDs on/off in a desired sequence to be visually appealing. 
     According to one embodiment, the circuit does not house the battery on or within the charger plate. The power source may be external. For example, magnetic strips may be placed on the table along with a battery or power source that is separate from the charger plate. The circuit is then powered via inductive magnets. As a result, the circuit becomes smaller, thereby making it easier to hide from plain view. However, it is appreciated that the circuit may house a battery or the battery may be disposed within the charger plate. 
     In one embodiment, the charger plate includes a rim. The rim circumferentially surrounds the raised portion and may include one or more LEDs. In one embodiment, the rim includes a light pipe that distributes light emitted from the LEDs housed within the rim. It is appreciated that the operation of the LEDs within the rim is controlled by the circuit. According to one embodiment, the rim includes a transparent portion, e.g., glass, for enabling light output from the LEDs housed therein. 
     It is appreciated that the LEDs of the rim are powered by the circuit. For example, a wire along the raised portion may be used to power the LEDs on the rim. The wire may be hidden from plain view by placing it underneath the raised portion. In one embodiment, however, the wire may be place within a channel that runs within the raised portion. As a result, the wire is hidden from plain view and enhances the visual appearance of the charger plate. 
     In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the illuminated members of the charger plate act to increase the overall decorative nature of a table place-setting, e.g., for a dining event, etc. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  show a side view and a top view of a charger plate in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1C  shows a side view of a base portion of a charger plate in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  show a side view and a top view of a charger plate in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C show a side view of charger plates in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, and  4 C show visual appearance of LED enabled charger plates in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows a circuit of a charger plate in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a system for using charger plates without a use of a battery in the charger plates in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the invention. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a side view and a top view of a charger plate  100  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention are shown. The charger plate  100  includes a base  145 , a raised portion  130 , and a rim  120 . The base  145  is substantially located at the center of the charger plate  100 . 
     According to one embodiment, the base  145  includes an opaque portion  150  and a transparent portion  140  that may act as a light pipe. The opaque portion  150  may be made of glass, plastic, ceramic, melamine resin, stone, etc. The transparent portion  140  may be made of any transparent material, e.g., clear glass or colored glass that is still transparent. 
     In one embodiment, the opaque portion  150  may house a circuit  170  that controls one or more light sources, e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)  160 . It is appreciated that other light sources, aside from LEDs, can also be used. For example, small incandescent tubes, light fibers, etc., may also be used. It is appreciated that the use of LEDs throughout this application is exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Placing the circuit  170  within the opaque portion  150  substantially hides the circuit  170  from plain view, thereby maintaining the visual appeal of the charger plate  100 . 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the LEDs  160  are placed in the transparent portion  140  for outputting light there through. It is appreciated that the transparent portion  140  may further include a layer of reflective material disposed underneath for reflecting light emitted from the LEDs  160 . In one embodiment, the reflective material layer may be deposited over the opaque portion  150  between layers  150  and  140 . 
     The circuit  170  is operable to control the operation of each of the LEDs  160  independently. According to one embodiment, the circuit  170  controls the color of the light being emitted by the LEDs  160 . Moreover, the circuit  170  is operable to control the brightness of the light being emitted from each LED. In one exemplary embodiment, the circuit  170  may have a timing component that is operable to control the sequence of which each LED is turned on/off and the amount of time which each LED remains on/off. 
     In other words, the light output from the LEDs  160  may be configured, e.g., light sequencing, light colors, light brightness, timing or any combination thereof. As such, sequencing the on/off state of the LEDs  160 , their respective colors and their brightness over time may appear as an animation. Any combination of LED colors with different or the same brightness may be turned on/off to appear as an animation. For example, different colors of light output may snake around the base  145  in sequence. In one embodiment, the same color of light may snake around the base  145 . Other embodiments may employ different brightness values as the light output varies in illumination around the base  145 . In one exemplary embodiment, the light output is turned on sequentially and kept on until the last LED is turned on before the first LED that was turned on changes color, brightness, or turned off, etc. Accordingly, a sequence of specific LEDs may be selected, their colors may be configured, their brightness may be adjusted and their timing may be altered all dynamically based on user preferences. 
     It is appreciated that wire  180  may couple the circuit  170  to each LED. It is noted that only one connection from the circuit  170  to the LED  160  is shown not to obscure the figure. 
     According to one embodiment, the raised portion  130  may be opaque. For example, the raised portion  130  may comprise glass, plastic, ceramic, melamine resin, stone, etc. 
     According to one embodiment, the rim  120  includes a plurality of LEDs  110 . The rim  120  includes a transparent portion, e.g., a light pipe, to enable light output from the LEDs  110  to pass there through. According to one embodiment, the transparent portion may include any transparent material, e.g., clear glass, colored glass that is still transparent, light pipe material, etc. The wire  180  couples each LED to the circuit  170 . It is appreciated that the circuit  170  is operable to control each LED of the plurality of LEDs  110  independently in a similar fashion to LEDs  160 . 
     According to one embodiment, the wire  180  may be routed underneath the raised portion  130  that is opaque. Thus, the wire  180  is substantially hidden from plain view. In an alternative embodiment, the wire  180  may be placed within a channel that is integrated within the raised portion  130 , thereby hiding the wire  180  from plain view. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1C , a side view of a base portion  145  of a charger plate in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The base  145  includes the transparent  140  portion and the opaque  150  portion. In this embodiment, the LEDs  160  may be placed within the opaque  150  portion but flushed to the transparent  140  portion for emitting light. The circuit  170  is placed within the opaque portion, thereby hiding the circuit  170  from plain view. As such, the site of circuitry, wires and electronic components are hidden from plain view. 
     It is appreciated that the number of LEDs in each portion may vary depending on the design. As such, the number of LEDs shown is exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a side view and a top view of a charger plate  200  in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention are shown. The charger plate includes a base  245 , a raised portion  230 , and a rim  210 . The base  245  is substantially at the center of the charger plate. 
     According to one embodiment, the base  245  includes an opaque portion  260 , a reflective portion  250 , and a light pipe  240 . The light pipe  240  and the reflective portion  250  form a transparent portion. The opaque portion  260  may be made of glass, plastic, ceramic, melamine resin, stone, etc. The reflective portion  250  operates substantially similar to that discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 1A-1C . The light pipe  240  is operable to distribute light from a light source, e.g., LED  280 , within the base  245  to another point within the base  245 . The light pipe  240  may be a fiber optic line in one embodiment. 
     In this embodiment, the raised portion  230  is opaque similar to the raised portion  130 . A circuit  270  may be placed underneath the raised portion  230  in order to hide the circuit  270  from plain view. As such, the visual appeal of the charger plate is maintained. It is appreciated that the circuit  270  may be placed in the opaque portion  260  instead in order to substantially hide the circuit  270  from plain view. 
     The circuit  270  controls one or more light sources, e.g., LEDs  280  and  220 . The operation of the circuit  270  is substantially similar to that of  FIGS. 1A-1C . The circuit  270  is coupled to the LEDs  280  and  220  via wireline  290  similar to that of  FIGS. 1A-1C . It is appreciated that the wireline  290  may be routed underneath the raised portion  230  that is opaque in order to hide the wire from plain view. Alternatively, a channel within the raised portion  230  may be used to hide the wirelines  290 . 
     The rim  210  includes the LED  220  and is substantially similar to the rim  120 , as discussed above. In this embodiment, the rim  210  comprises a light pipe. It is appreciated that the number of LEDs shown is exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C, a side view of charger plates in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are shown. A charger plate  300 A may include a base portion  345  and an opaque portion  370 . The base  345  is substantially in the center of the charger plate  300 A and may include a reflective portion  340  and a transparent portion  330 . The reflective portion  340  and the transparent portion  330  are substantially similar to that of  FIGS. 1A-1C  and  FIGS. 2A-2B . The opaque  370  portion is substantially similar to the raised portion of the charger plates described in  FIGS. 1A-1C  and  FIGS. 2A-2B . 
     In this embodiment, the opaque  370  portion houses the base light sources, e.g., LEDs  320 , that are flush against the transparent portion  330  for outputting light. The base LEDs  320  are coupled to a circuit  350  via a wireline  360 . The circuit  350  operates substantially similar to that of  FIGS. 1A-1C . The circuit  350  is placed under the opaque  370  portion in order to substantially hide the circuit  350  from plain view. Moreover, the wireline  360  is routed under the opaque  370  portion or through a channel within the opaque  370  portion in order to hide the wireline  360  from plain view. 
     The charger plate  300 A further includes a rim that houses LEDs  310 . The LEDs  310  are coupled to the circuit  350  and operate substantially similar to the LEDs of the rim in  FIGS. 1A-1C . The LEDs  310  are powered via a wireline under the opaque  370  portion or through a channel within the opaque  370  portion (not shown). 
     It is appreciated that the circuit  350  may be placed in a different location within the charger plate  300 A in order to be substantially hidden from plain view. For example, the circuit  350  may be placed underneath the opaque  370  portion that is substantially underneath the base  345 . Thus, the location of the circuit  350  is exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is further appreciated that the number of LEDs shown are exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is also appreciated that the use of the reflective portion  340  is exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example, the transparent portion  330  may be used alone without using the reflective portion  340 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3B , a charger plate  300 B is shown. The charger plate  300 B is substantially similar to that of  FIG. 3A  except that the rim of the charger plate  300 B does not include any LEDs in this embodiment. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3C , a charger plate  300 C is shown. The charger plate  300 C is substantially similar to that of  FIG. 3A  except that in this embodiment, the charger plate  300 C does not include the illuminated base  345  portion. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, and  4 C, visual appearance of illuminated charger plates in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are shown.  FIG. 4A  shows a base  410  and a rim  430  of a charger plate being lit while the raised portion  420  is opaque and does not emit light.  FIG. 4B  shows a charger plate without an LED enabled base. For example, the center  420  of the charger plate is opaque and does not emit light while the rim  430  emits light.  FIG. 4C  shows a charger plate where the base  410  is lit and the rim  420  is not. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a circuit  500  of a charger plate in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The circuit  500  includes a brightness controller  510 , a color controller  520 , an optional battery  530 , a timer component  540 , and an on/off switch  550 . 
     The brightness controller  510  is operable to control the brightness of light being output from each of the LEDs of the charger plate. For example, the brightness may be controlled via one or more user input dials. The color controller  520  is operable to control the color of the light being output from each of the LEDs, e.g., via one or more user input dials. The battery  530  provides the operating power for the circuit  500  and the LEDs on the charger plate. The timer component  540  controls the timing for turning each of the LEDs on/off. The on/off switch  550  is operable to turn the circuit on or off. 
     Each LED may be independently controlled. Moreover, the light output from the LEDs may be configured, e.g., light sequencing, light colors, light brightness, timing or any combination thereof. As such, sequencing the on/off state of the LEDs, their respective colors and their brightness over time may appear as an animation. Any combination of LED colors with a different or the same brightness may be turned on/off to appear as an animation. For example, different colors of light output may snake around the base and/or the rim. In one embodiment, the same color of light may snake around the base and/or the rim. Other embodiments may employ different brightness values as the light output snakes around the base and/or the rim. In one exemplary embodiment, the light output is turned on sequentially and kept on until the last LED is turned on before the first LED that was turned on changes color, brightness, or turned off, etc. 
     Accordingly, a sequence of specific LEDs may be selected, their colors may be configured, their brightness may be adjusted and their timing may be altered based on user preferences. Thus, the charger plate is dynamically configurable based on user&#39;s preference, event, type of food, ambience, color scheme, food type, etc. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a system  600  for using charger plates without use of an internal battery on the charger plate in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is shown. The system includes two or more charger plates with an LED enabled base  610 , a raised portion  620 , and an LED enabled rim  630 . The raised portion  620  is opaque in this embodiment. Each charger plate includes a circuit  640  that operates substantially similar to that of  FIGS. 1A-1C  and  FIG. 5 . However, the circuit  640  does not house the battery on the circuit  640  or within the charger plate. The circuit  640  is powered using a magnetic strip  610  placed under or near the plates and the battery or other power source  530  housed separate from the circuit  640  and the charger plates. For example, the battery or power source  530  may be placed somewhere on or near the table. The table may be covered with table cloth  650  in order to hide the magnetic strip  610  and the battery  530  from plain view. The circuit  640  is powered using inductive magnetic fields. As a result, the circuit  640  becomes smaller and less bulky. Therefore, the circuit  640  may be hidden from plain view more easily. Accordingly, aesthetic features of a charger plate are maintained. 
     It is appreciated that more than one magnetic strip  610  may be used. Thus, the number of magnetic strips shown is exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example, four magnetic strips may be used. The magnetic strip may take any shape, e.g., square, circle, strip, etc. 
     Accordingly, the illuminated charger plates may be user configurable by controlling the color, brightness, their timing, sequencing, etc. being emitted from the LEDs on the charger plate. Thus, LED enabled charger plates transform each food serving into an aesthetically pleasing focal point and a center piece. 
     In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. Thus, the sole and exclusive indicator of what is, and is intended by the applicants to be, the invention is the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction. Hence, no limitation, element, property, feature, advantage or attribute that is not expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim in any way. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.