Abstract:
The present invention is a cover/diffuser for a lampshade. The cover/diffuser has a first pattern or theme printed on the first side and a second pattern or theme printed on the second side making the cover/diffuser reversible. The patterns are meant to complement the decor of the room in which the lamp is located or to assist in providing festive atmosphere for a specific holiday.  
     It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to home furnishing accessories and, more particularly, to a cover and/or diffuser for an existing lampshade.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Most sources of electrical light, for example, incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs and even the newer flourescent bulbs, produce a source of light that is usually too bright (or “harsh”) to look at directly. Accordingly, lampshades are designed to cover the source of light to prevent the temporary blinding of a person looking directly at the light, to disperse as much light as possible, and/or to direct light in a particular direction (e.g., onto the floor) while simultaneously blocking light in another direction.  
           [0003]    Lampshades are typically manufactured of relatively stiff material that is stretched around a rigid metal frame. The material is preferably opaque so that the source of light cannot be seen by others in the room in which the lamp is situated.  
           [0004]    Most lamps manufactured today include some type of shade. It is common for the material which the lampshade is made to be a neutral color so that it coordinates with many decors. However, many “high-end” lampshades have a theme or pattern printed thereon in order to complement the lamp or other furnishings in the room.  
           [0005]    Covers for lampshades are well known. However, there are a number of problems associated with placing a cover over a lampshade; for example, a common problem of covers for lampshades is that they create undesirable shadows as stated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,566 to Cohon.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention relates to a reversible cover and diffuser for a lampshade that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to employ. The cover does not require any framing or other metallic support and can be draped over an existing lampshade.  
           [0007]    The cover/diffuser has a first pattern or theme printed on the first side and a second pattern or theme printed on the second side making the cover/diffuser reversible. The patterns are meant to complement the decor of the room in which the lamp is located or to assist in providing festive atmosphere for a specific holiday.  
           [0008]    The present cover is also designed to diffuse (and in one embodiment project a specific pattern) the remaining light that is generated by a lamp but which does not pass through the existing lampshade (especially the light that escapes from the top of the lampshade and immediately below the lampshade). The ability to diffuse the light from an existing lamp/lampshade is useful in order to set the mood in a room or to prevent the initial “blinding” effect when turning on the light in a completely dark room.  
           [0009]    An aperture may be cut in the cover in order to produce a desirable pattern or other effect on the ceiling or wall. The pattern may be in keeping with a particular theme and preferably complements the decor of a room or other decorations in the room (e.g., in order to celebrate a particular holiday like Christmas, Easter, Yom Kippur, Halloween, etc.). 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the following description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific instrumentality or the precise arrangement of elements or process steps disclosed.  
         [0011]    In the drawings:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a cover/diffuser in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2A is a top view of the cover/diffuser of FIG. 1 shown in its assembled state;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2A taken along circle  2 B illustrating the cinch;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a top view of another embodiment of the present invention illustrating a square-shaped cover/diffuser;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the cover/diffuser of FIG. 1 as applied to a typical lampshade with the cinch untied;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4B is a perspective view of FIG. 4A with the cinch tied; and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention illustrating a cover/diffuser with a means of projecting a specific pattern on the ceiling; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention illustrating a cover/diffuser without a cinch. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0020]    In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention, specific terminology will be selected for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.  
         [0021]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which a cover/diffuser in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated at  10 .  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is an exploded view illustrating the major components of a cover/diffuser  10  in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0023]    A bolt of fabric is cut into a circular shape to form a first side  14  of the lampshade cover  10 . Another bolt of fabric, preferably having a different color or a different pattern printed thereon than the color or pattern of the first bolt of material, is also cut into a similarly-sized circular shape pattern to form a second side  16  of the cover  10 .  
         [0024]    An elongated cinch  18  is placed between the first side  14  and the second side  16  just inside the perimeters  19 . The cinch  18  is designed to act as a drawstring in the fully-assembled diffuser  10 .  
         [0025]    Referring now to FIG. 2A, a continuous or outer loop stitching  32  is sewn proximately around the perimeter  19  of the first and second sides  14 ,  16  while a second or inner continuous loop stitching  34  is sewn radially inside of the first stitching  32 . The inner stitching  34  is spaced apart in a radial direction from the outer stitching  32  to define a channel  29  between first side  14  and second side  16 . The cinch  18  is sandwiched between the first side  14  and the second side  16  but is free to move inside the channel  29 .  
         [0026]    Referring again to FIG. 2A, the channel  29  is formed just inside the perimeter  19  of the first  14  and second  16  sides. The outer loop stitching  32  and the inner loop stitching  34  form the perimeter channel  29 . The stitching  32 ,  34  does not go through the cinch  18 .  
         [0027]    It is important to note that the outer stitching  32  does not form a complete circle. A small portion of the sides  14 ,  16  are not closed by outer stitching  32 , thereby defining a relatively small aperture or opening  22  that communicates with and provides access to channel  29 . A first end  26  of the cinch and a second end  28  of the cinch exit through the small opening  22 . The cinch  18  is allowed to move freely within the channel  29  so that the cinch can act as a drawstring as will be illustrated later herein by pulling or adjusting ends  26 ,  28 .  
         [0028]    The small opening  22  and the ends of the cinch  26 ,  28  are illustrated in the enlarged view of FIG. 2B. A portion of the cinch  18  sandwiched between first side  14  and second side  16  is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2B. The outer loop stitching  32  is terminated to form a small opening  22  to allow the ends  26 ,  28  of the cinch  18  to exit from the channel  29 . It is important to note that the stitching  32 ,  34  simultaneously secures the first side  14  to the second side  16  and forms the channel  29 .  
         [0029]    A feature of the present invention is that the subject cover  10  is reversible. The small opening  22  is designed to communicate with the cinch  18  in order to draw it, thereby securing the cover/diffuser about a lampshade, regardless of which side ( 14  or  16 ) faces outward.  
         [0030]    Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the cover/diffuser  11  is shaped as a square.  
         [0031]    Instead of cutting circularly-shaped sides  14 ,  16 , in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the first side  14 A is cut in the shape of a square from a bolt of fabric; similarly, the second side is also cut in the shape of a square.  
         [0032]    It will be apparent to one skilled in the art after a reading of the present application that the cover/diffuser may be made in various geometric shapes including square, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, circular, etc. The shape of the sides does not materially alter the operation of the cover/diffuser. However, the shape of the perimeter of the cover/diffuser  10  may be seen below the lampshade in certain embodiments; this shape can add another aesthetic quality to the cover  10 .  
         [0033]    Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, inner loop stitching  34 A and outer loop stitching  32 A communicate to form a perimeter channel  29 A. The channel  29 A should be wide enough to allow cinch  18 A to move freely within the channel. The ends  26 A,  28 A of the cinch exit the channel  29 A at opening  22 A which is positioned on one side of the square cover/diffuser  11 . However, it may be more convenient to have the opening  22 A proximate a corner of the square-shaped cover/diffuser  11 .  
         [0034]    Regardless of where opening  22 A is positioned on the square-shaped cover  11 , it will again cooperate with the cinch  18 A to allow either side of the cover to face outwards when the cover is in use on a lampshade.  
         [0035]    Referring now to FIG. 4A, a cover/diffuser  10  is draped over an existing lampshade  90  mounted on a lamp  92 . It is not critical where the small opening  22  is positioned; however, it may be convenient to position the small opening  22  proximate the front of the lamp to allow access to the cinch ends  26 ,  28 .  
         [0036]    The cover/diffuser  10  does not have to be accurately sized for a particular lampshade, however, it is desired that the perimeter  19  of the cover/diffuser  10  hang a few inches below the bottom edge of the lampshade  90 . This hangover portion helps to reduce the amount of light that shines from below the lampshade  90 .  
         [0037]    Referring now to FIG. 4B, the ends  26 ,  28  of the cinch are drawn and may be tied in a decorative bow or in any other manner desired in order to complement the decor of the room in which the lamp is placed. If the user does not wish to see the bow or other knot, the cover  10  may be applied so that the opening  22  is behind the lamp. By drawing and tying the cinch ends  26 ,  28 , the cover  10  is removably secured to the lampshade  90 .  
         [0038]    Either first side  14  or second side  16  may be facing outwards for people to view. The outer stitching  32  that defines opening  22  allows the cover  10  to be reversible. As indicated previously, the first side  14  may be a solid color or bear a generic print, while the second side  16  may have a specific theme or holiday print. Therefore, most of the year, the first side  14  may be facing outwards. If the second side  16  had, for example, a bat or pumpkin print, the cover/diffuser  10  may be removed from the lampshade  90  by untying the bow, reversed and then re-draped over the lampshade, and secured by retying cinch ends  26 ,  28  so that the second side  16  is facing outwards for Halloween.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention in which a design or shape is cut out of the cover/diffuser  10  which generally corresponds with the apex of the lampshade. A star-shaped cutout  36  is shown. (Unless the lampshade  90  is of an unusual shape, the apex should correspond generally to the center of the first side  14  and second side  16 .) It may be desirable to stitch around the cutout  36  to ensure that first side  14  does not move relative to second side  16  thereby preventing the distortion of the true shape of the cutout.  
         [0040]    The cut out allows a specific pattern of light to be reflected on the ceiling or other area of the room. It would be evident to one skilled in the art after reading the present application that different-shaped cutouts may be used. Moreover, depending on the brightness of the bulb, distance to the ceiling and other optical effects, the cutout  36  may have to be “fine-tuned” to obtain the desired shape on the ceiling.  
         [0041]    Referring now to FIG. 6, another embodiment of the present invention, a cover/diffuser  12  without a cinch, is illustrated. In this embodiment, the first and second cover are stitched together around their perimeter without an opening  22  and without sandwiching a cinch between the sides  14 ,  16 . In this embodiment, the cover/diffuser  12  is just draped over an existing lampshade. Again, the perimeter  19 C of the cover/diffuser  12  extends below the bottom of the lampshade. Also, since there is no cinch, the weight of the cover/diffuser  12  keeps it positioned on the lampshade. In this embodiment, the perimeter of a different-shaped cover (e.g., octagonal) is more easily viewed since a cinch does not draw the perimeter snugly about the bottom of the lampshade.  
         [0042]    In another embodiment, the cover/diffuser  12  shown in FIG. 6 may be provided with an elastically stretchable band sewn in the perimeter to allow the bottom of the cover  12  to snugly attach to the lampshade.  
         [0043]    The cover/diffuser according to the present invention is used to partially block the light coming from an existing lamp. This is a useful feature when a lamp is turned on in the middle of the night such as when entering a room to attend to a crying baby, or to prevent a bright light from disturbing others (e.g., a sleeping spouse). Also, the cover/diffuser is meant to have aesthetic features that can be seen regardless of whether the lamp is off or on.  
         [0044]    The present cover/diffuser  10  is versatile in that it is reversible, and may be designed with a particular pattern on one or both sides. For example, the second side  16  may have a Halloween, Easter, Christmas or Hanukkah design in keeping with a particular holiday. In this manner, the cover/diffuser can be used as a festive decoration for a specific holiday. The first side  14  is meant to have a different design than that printed on the second side  16  so that the cover/diffuser may be used for a second holiday or may remain plain to complement the existing furniture/decor in a room.  
         [0045]    It would be apparent to one skilled in the art after reading the present application to make at least one side, but preferably both sides, of the cover/diffuser from a heat-resistant material depending, for example, on the type of lightbulb, distance of the lampshade from the lightbulb and shape of the lampshade to prevent the subject cover/diffuser from being scorched or damaged by the heat generated by the lightbulb. Also, heat treatments may be applied after the cover  10  is manufactured.  
         [0046]    The cover/diffuser is designed to reduce the amount of light emanating from a lamp. The opaqueness of first side  14  and second side  16  may be specifically chosen before assembly of the cover/diffuser  10  to determine the reduction of the total amount of light that is given off by the lamp. If used in a baby&#39;s room, the user may choose to use a high opaqueness to reduce most of the light given off by the lamp; in contrast, if the cover/diffuser is to be used on a lamp in the living room, the user may choose a lower opaqueness. The cover/diffuser may be packaged so that the “opaqueness factor” is printed on the outside of the packaging.  
         [0047]    It is important to note that the opaqueness of the first side  14  does not have to equal the opaqueness of the second side  16 ; this may result in a unique cover/diffuser that has different properties depending on which side faces outward.  
         [0048]    Although this invention has been described and illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made which clearly fall within the scope of this invention. The present invention is intended to be protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.