Patent Publication Number: US-2003223228-A1

Title: IEEE 1394 or USB powered computer light

Description:
1. RELATED APPLICATIONS  
     [0001] This application claims the benefit, under Title 34, United States Code 119(e), of Provisional Patent Applications: No. 60/206,096, filed May 20, 2000, entitled “IEEE 1394 or USB Powered Computer Light”. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0003] This present invention relates to a LED lamp for use with desktop, laptop and palmtop computers. More specifically, to a LED illuminator powered via the USB or the IEEE 1394 port.  
       [0004] 2. Related Art  
       [0005] One prior art computer light is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,201, issued to Friedman, which is essential a flashlight with its own power supply affixed to a computer. Absent from the art is a light or illuminator powered by the USB or IEEE 1394 port of a computer.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0006] The present invention is a light emitting diode (LED) illuminator that plugs into a USB or IEEE 1394 port and draws its power from the USB or IEEE 1394 port. The LED is supported on a flexible neck for easy positioning.  
       [0007] One or more LEDs one or more flexible necks may be powered by the same port. Current drain on the computer can be minimized with current limiting circuitry.  
       [0008] Some computers have only a single free USB or Firewire (IEEE 1394) port, accordingly the within computer light may also be configured attached to an auxiliary USB or IEEE 1394 port to allows additional connections to the computer through the same port powering the light.  
       [0009] The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to configuration, and method of operation, and the advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the computer light.  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment.  
     [0012]FIG. 3A is an component view of the computer light of FIG. 1.  
     [0013]FIG. 3B is an another embodiment with pass-through connectivity, of the computer light.  
     [0014]FIG. 4 is a circuit schematic for the preferred embodiment.  
     [0015]FIG. 5 is an alternate circuit schematic for the computer light. 
    
    
     MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
     [0016] Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.  
     [0017] For the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 &amp; 2, a single light-emitting diode “LED”  11  is affixed to a LED receiving head  12   a  at the end a flexible neck  12   b  which in turn is attached to a male jack  13  via two long conductive lead wires (not shown), which extends the male jack  13 . In a dual LED dual flexible neck configuration dual switch may be used, or a multi-function single switch controlling the current to both LEDs. In FIG. 3B an auxiliary female USB or IEEE 1394 port  22  is connected to, or formed as part of, the connector body  21  which is able to receive a USB or IEEE 1394 plug  250  from a peripheral component such as a printer, keyboard, mouse, or zip drive.  
     [0018] The current to the auxiliary female USB or IEEE 1394 port  22  is non-switched (not interrupted when the “on/off” slide switch  14  on the connector body  21  is switched (FIG. 5)).  
     [0019] Referring now to FIG. 4 there are illustrated a circuit schematic for the preferred embodiment, generally designated  400 .  
     [0020] The current to the LED  11  may be limited by placing a resistor  401  in the circuit an additional voltage controlling device may also be added  402 . The on/off switch  403  is used to power the LED  11 .  
     [0021] Referring now to FIG. 5 there are illustrated an alternate circuit schematic for the computer light, generally designated  500 .  
     [0022] The LED  11  is run efficiently by placing a resistor  501  in the circuit, a capacitor  502  may be added to strobe the LED  11  at a rate above the visual threshold. A fully powered USB or IEEE 1394 female port  503  shunts off the computers powered port, and is thereby not effected by the on/off switch  504 .  
     [0023] Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, as shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted in an illustrative, and not a limiting sense.