Patent Publication Number: US-8113686-B2

Title: Guideway illuminator

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to guideway illuminators and more particularly to automatic guideway illuminators. Still more particularly it relates to guideway illuminators for difficult to light areas such as stairways. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Many procedures have been suggested for illuminating difficult to traverse areas, such as stairways, hallways and closets, from simple light bulbs mounted in ceiling fixtures to complicated structures for illuminating stair edges, treads or risers, the latter often being employed in theaters. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,685,332, 6,606,827 and 6,145,996). Suggested operating mechanisms for these lighting arrays run the gamut from wall-mounted, user-activated switches to various forms of motion detectors that automatically activate the light sources. 
     While these previous devices have all provided some benefit, they suffer from complicated installation, high cost and difficult maintenance. Further, many employ normal household current and thus may not be available in true emergencies, such as a power failure at night, when illumination would be truly needed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     It is another object of the invention to enhance the lighting of difficult to light areas. 
     Yet another object of the invention is the improvement of lighting in difficult to light areas. 
     Still another object of the invention is the provision of a lighting system in a kit form that can conveniently be installed by a homeowner without the use of complicated tools. 
     Still another object of the invention is the provision of a lighting system that actuates automatically upon an approach by a user and that does not rely upon the household power supply. 
     These objects are accomplished, in one aspect of the invention, by the provision of a guideway illumination system comprising: a first member and a second member each having at least one light source and at least one of the first member and the second member receiving a power source, at least the first member having a closed end and a connecting end; at least one intermediate member having at least one light source and a male connecting end and a female connecting end; and at least one flexible joining member, the flexible joining member being capable of bending at least 90° and being joinable to any of the first and second end members and the intermediate members. 
     In another aspect of the invention the objects are achieved by the provision of a kit comprising: a container; and a number of assembleable parts within the container, the assembleable parts comprising: a first member and a second member each having at least one light source and a motion detector and at least one of the first member and the second member receiving a power source; at least two intermediate members each having at least one light source; and at least one flexible joining member, the flexible joining member being capable of bending at least 90° and being joinable to any of the first and second end members and the intermediate members. The kit is easily assembled and put into operation by virtually any homeowner. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, the objects are achieved by the provision of a guideway illumination system comprising: a first member and a second member each having at least one light source, at least one connecting end, and a motion detector; at least one intermediate member having at least one light source, a telescoping section, and two opposed connecting ends, the at least one intermediate member being disposed between the first member and the second member; the first member, the second member, and the at least one intermediate member being electrically connected to each other such that they share a power source and their respective light sources may be actuated by one of the motion detectors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic plan view of a kit according to an aspect of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevation view taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a motion detector according to an aspect of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic perspective of an environment with which the invention can be employed; 
         FIGS. 5-5   d  are perspective views of a flexible joining member used with the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic perspective view of another environment with which the invention can be employed; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic elevation view of one of the members; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of one of the members in more detail. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following disclosure and appended claims taken in conjunction with the above-described drawings. 
     Referring now to the drawings with greater particularity, there is shown in  FIG. 1  a guideway illuminator kit  10  comprising a container  12  and a number of assembleable parts  14  within the container. The assembleable parts comprise a first member  16  and a second member  18  each having at least one light source  20 . While the choice of light sources is large, in the preferred embodiment of the invention the light sources are light emitting diodes (LED or LEDs) whose long life and low power requirements are ideal for this situation. At least one of the first member  16  and the second member  18  receive a power source  22 . Again, while it is possible to employ conventional house current to operate the system, in a preferred embodiment of the invention a direct current source such as replaceable batteries is used. In a still more preferred embodiment both the first member  16  and the second member  18  are provided with batteries and, when actuated, the necessary power to operate the system is shared between the two sources. The first member  16  has a closed end  16   a  and at the opposite end  16   b  is provide with a male electrical connector  16   c . The second member  18  is provided with a female connector  18   a  and a male connector  18   b . It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the location of male and female connectors can be reversed, if desired. 
     At least two intermediate members  24  are provided, each having at least one light source  20  and a female connector  24   b  and a male connector  24   a . At least one flexible joining member  26  capable of bending at least 90° is also provided. 
     The intermediate members  24  are extensible to accommodate the various distances that may be encountered during installation. For example, as shown in  FIG. 7  the intermediate member  24  has a telescopic section  24   c  that can be extended. In a preferred embodiment, the intermediate member  24  can have a length of 18 inches and be extendable to 30 inches. 
     The flexible member  26  is preferably formed with a plurality of accordion pleats  26   c  and has a female connector  26   b  and a male connector  26   a  and is joinable to any of the first and second end members  16 ,  18  and the intermediate members  24 .  FIGS. 5-5   d  illustrate the diverse bends available with the member  26  and  FIG. 6  diagrammatically illustrates the usage of the member  26 . 
     Additionally, the kit  10  contains mounting means  28  which can comprise screws, nails or, preferably, double-sided tape and an end cap  34  connectable to the second member  18  to terminate the assembly. 
     The first and second members  16 ,  18  include means  30  for actuating the light sources and, in a preferred embodiment the means  30  comprise motion detectors. If desired, other actuating means, for example, heat detectors or capacitive devices can be employed. Whichever type of actuating means  30  is used at least some adjustment is desirable. For example, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the actuator  30  is oriented at an angle of about 45 to 50 degrees from the vertical and has a vertical span of about 40 degrees and a horizontal span of about 120 degrees. When the actuating means  30  is a motion detector it is of course possible to modify the device to eliminate the detection of motion from selected entities, such as pets, by merely masking the lower portion of the detector. 
     The first and second members  16 ,  18  can include also timing means  32  for adjusting or selecting the duration of illumination of the light sources  20 . The timing means  32  can be mechanical or electrical. 
     Referring now specifically to  FIG. 4 , a guideway illumination system  100  is shown illuminating a stairway. As shown actuators  30  are positioned at the top and bottom of the stairs for detecting the presence of a user. Preferably, the actuators  30  include a photocell for monitoring the ambient level of light in the stairway. If the ambient level of illumination is determined to be insufficient, the actuators  30  will activate the light sources as a person approaches the stairway. 
     As installed in an exemplary situation, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a guideway illuminator  110  comprises an area  112  to be illuminated, such as a stairway and landing. The guideway illumination system  110  is mounted to illuminate the area  112 . As shown, the system  110  comprises a first member  16  positioned at the start or bottom of a stairway and having at least one light source  20  and a means  30  for actuating the light sources  20  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). A second member  18  (not shown) would terminate the assembly at the opposite end. A plurality of intermediate members  24  each having at least one light source  20  and a male connecting end  24   a  and a female connecting end  24   b  are fitted between the first and second members (as shown in  FIG. 7 ). Where a directional change is encountered the flexible joining members  26  are utilized. For example, in  FIG. 6  a flexible joining member  26  is used where the stairs merge from a first direction  130  into a horizontal landing  140  and again where 90 degree bends are required. 
     Referring now specifically to  FIG. 8  there is shown a preferred form for the first and second members, the intermediate members and the end cap. The first member  16  will be described; however, it will be understood that the other members preferably have the same configuration. 
     Member  16  has an angled front surface  16   d  having an upward face  16   e  and a downward face  16   f . The actuators  30  (on the first and second members  16  and  18 ) are positioned on the upward face  16   e  and the light sources  20  are positioned on the downward face  16   f . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the light sources  20  include lenses or diffusers  20   a  rotatable through about 45 degrees to accurately direct the light from the light sources upon the stair treads. 
     The light sources  20  are preferably selected to provide at least 50 lux on each tread (when used to light stairways) and the system thus is in full compliance with International Residential Code R303.6. Light sources to meet these requirements can comprises standard 5 mm radial or higher power LEDs such as are available from Osram GmbH. 
     Thus there is provided an illuminating system that is readily useable by an average homeowner that enables safely lighting difficult to light areas. The system once installed is automatic, adjustable and not dependent upon household electrical supplies. 
     While there have been shown and described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.