Patent Description:
Flying insect traps manufactured over the last thirty years have typically incorporating the basic design elements disclosed by James White in <CIT>. These elements include a housing, a ballast, a starter, an ultraviolet fluorescent tube powered by the starter and ballast, and a glue board. Ultraviolet light emitted by the fluorescent tube attracts flying insects to the interior of the housing. Flying insects landing on the glue board adhere to the glue board and are thus trapped.

Variations of this basic design exist. In many traps, for example, an electrocution grid that kills insects entering the trap is substituted for the glue board. In other traps, insect attracting scents are employed in addition to (or in lieu of) the fluorescent tube.

Fluorescent tubes are a specific type of gas-charged luminaire that produce light through a chemical reaction occurring inside a glass tube. More specifically, that chemical reaction involves gases and mercury vapor interacting to produce ultraviolet light. For general lighting, the inside of the tube is coated with a phosphor coating. This coating emits a white "fluorescent" light. This coating is either less densely applied or eliminated altogether in the ultraviolet fluorescent tubes used in flying insect traps.

Since <NUM>, environmental and pest control experts have identified problems with fluorescent tubes. First, the mercury and the phosphorus materials inside a fluorescent tube are hazardous. If the tube breaks, the surrounding environment is contaminated by the mercury. The phosphor on the broken glass is potentially even more hazardous. Environmental Protection Agency, in recognition of these hazards, has published recommendations related to cleaning up a broken fluorescent tube.

Disposal of fluorescent tubes, even when not broken, is problematic. Various governmental regulations exist requiring special disposal separate from general commercial and household waste.

Fluorescent tubes age and degrade significantly over a relatively short period of time. Most ultraviolet fluorescent tubes used in insect traps only emit optimum ultraviolet light attractive to flying insects for up to <NUM> hours. This is less than a year if the tube is energized continuously, as is commonly the case. As such, pest control experts and trap manufacturers recommend replacing the tube at least once a year.

While the glue boards and fluorescent tubes needs to be regularly replaced, the housings, starters and ballasts can last for decades.

Today there is a real need for a lamp adapted to (a) generate light that is highly attractive to flying insects over a long period of time, (b) be installed in a standard flying insect trap without modification or removal of the electronic components external to the lamp (e.g., the starter or ballast), and (c) overcome each of the problems associated with the use of ultraviolet fluorescent tubes.

<CIT> discloses providing a glue board having an adhesive coating on its front surface and forming a pattern of insect attractant UV light on that front surface, the pattern including areas of bright UV light generated by light-emitting diodes that generate light at different wavelengths behind and visible through the glue board by flying insects, dimmer areas of light generated by said light emitting diodes that bounce off other portions of the device onto the glue board, and areas of shadow on the glue board where no or little light from said light-emitting diodes is present.

<CIT> discloses a light trap for insect killing, emitting the electromagnetic waves which an insect (mainly flight insect) likes, and draws an insect.

<CIT> discloses an insect disablement device comprising an insect disablement housing adapted to disable an insect, an electromagnetic radiation source for attracting the insect which is mounted to the insect disablement housing and which is capable of pulsed emission of electromagnetic radiation at a plurality of pulse frequencies and a controller mounted to the insect disablement housing which is connected to the electromagnetic radiation source. During use of the device, the controller enables the electromagnetic radiation source to pulse at a first pulse frequency for a first period of use and pulse at a second pulse frequency for a second period of use.

The foregoing problems are solved by a flying insect trap lamps made in accordance with the present invention. Such lamps typically include a translucent sleeve. The sleeve has a cylindrical substrate (surface) coated with fluorinated ethylene propylene. An elongate mounting panel is positioned within the sleeve. A plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are mounted on the elongate mounting panel and positioned, along with the elongated mounting panel, within the translucent sleeve.

For optimal insect attraction, three sets of light LEDs are provided. Each LED of the first set operates to emit light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. Each LED of the second set operates to emit light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers, i.e., white light, having a color temperature of <NUM> to <NUM> Kelvin. Each LED of the third set emits light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers.

The third set of LEDs may have three distinct subsets. The LEDs of the first subset emit light within the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. The LEDs of the second subset emit light within the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. The LEDs of the third subset emit light in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers.

The lamp is designed to be installed in fixtures designed for use with fluorescent tubes without modification of the preexisting circuitry external to the lamp. As such, the lamp of the present invention includes the same four pin connectors found on a standard fluorescent tube. Electrical current is delivered to the lamp by the circuitry of the trap external to the lamp in the same manner as when a standard fluorescent tube is installed.

Such current, if applied directly to a standard set of LEDs, would quickly destroy the LEDs and generate too much heat. Therefore, the lamp of the present invention includes internal circuitry physically positioned within the sleeve and electrically mounted between the connecting pins and the LEDs. This circuitry includes a power supply that adapts the current and voltage to safely power the LEDs. This power supply will typically include an A/D converter. For example, the A/D converter may comprise a pair of bridge rectifiers including a total of eight discrete diodes to rectify the electrical input provided to the pins of the lamp via the external circuitry of the trap, including any ballast or starter that is present. The power supply will also rectify the current supplied to the lamp even if a ballast and/or starter are not present in the external circuitry. The power supply will also typically include a voltage regulator and a capacitor. As such, the lamp of the present invention is universal in the sense that it may be used in either (a) preexisting traps with a starter and/or ballast in place, (b) pre-existing traps of which the starter and/or ballast has been removed, or (c) traps specifically designed for use with LED lamps rather than fluorescent tubes.

In addition to the power supply, the internal circuitry of the lamp will include an LED controller. The controller may be adapted to cause the LEDs to provide steady light, flickering light, or provide light in patterns. In certain cases, the patterns involve turning individual LEDs (or groups of LEDs) on and off. In other cases, the patterns involve modulating the intensity or the wavelength of the light illuminated by individual LEDs or groups of LEDs. Such patterns can be predetermined or random depending on how the controller is programmed. A switch (or series of switches) may be employed to alter the lamp between a steady light mode, a flickering light mode, and such pattern modes. Alternatively, the controller may have a radio frequency module, such as a Bluetooth or WIFI transceiver. Such a transceiver is adapted to allow remote switching between modes or to create new modes providing a different pattern. The flickering mode may emulate the flickering associated with ultraviolet fluorescent tubes.

The features and attributes which may be employed to practice the present invention will be better understood from a review of the detailed description provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

This description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as "lower", "upper", "horizontal", "vertical", "above", "below", "up", "down", "top" and "bottom", "under", as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "downwardly", "upwardly", "underside", etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as "connected", "connecting", "attached", "attaching", "joined", and "joining" are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece unless expressly described otherwise.

An exemplary electronic circuit of the type typically employed in prior art insect light traps is shown in <FIG>. This electronic circuit includes a fluorescent tube <NUM> having four pins, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The circuit of <FIG> also includes a ballast <NUM>, a starter <NUM>, and an alternating current input <NUM> which may be a plug adapted to connect the circuit to a standard electrical wall receptacle to supply power to the circuit.

One goal of the present invention is to provide an LED lamp that may be used to replace the fluorescent tube <NUM> without removal of the ballast <NUM> and starter <NUM>. Another goal of the present invention is to provide an LED lamp that may also be employed if either or both the ballast <NUM> and starter <NUM> are not a part of the circuit. Such an LED lamp <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>.

As shown, the lamp <NUM> includes a translucent sleeve <NUM>. The translucent sleeve <NUM> comprises a substrate made of glass or some other ultraviolet light transmissive material. No phosphorous material is applied to the substrate. Instead the substrate is coated with fluorinated ethylene propylene. As such, the translucent sleeve of this embodiment of the present invention shown in <FIG> and <FIG> eliminates altogether the environmental concerns associates with the mercury and phosphorous materials found in standard fluorescent tubes.

The opposite ends of the translucent sleeve <NUM> are capped with connectors <NUM> and <NUM>. Connector <NUM> has a pair of contact pins <NUM> and <NUM>. Connector <NUM> also has a pair of contact pins <NUM> and <NUM>. The physical arrangement of pins <NUM>, <NUM><NUM> and <NUM> is identical to that of the pins <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> found in a standard fluorescent tube.

Located within the translucent sleeve <NUM> is a mounting panel <NUM>. Physically mounted to the mounting panel <NUM> and residing within the translucent sleeve <NUM> is an internal circuit <NUM>. Internal circuit <NUM> includes a power supply <NUM>. The power supply <NUM> comprises an alternating current to direct current ("A/D") converter. The A/D converter <NUM> may be of any suitable design. It may, for example, comprise a pair of bridge rectifiers. The power supply <NUM> is coupled to each of pins <NUM> through <NUM>. Pin <NUM> is also directly and electrically coupled to a source of alternating current <NUM>. Pin <NUM> is also electrically coupled to the source of alternating current <NUM>, but via the ballast <NUM>. Pins <NUM> and <NUM> are electrically coupled together via the starter <NUM>.

The power supply <NUM> further comprises a voltage regulator and may also include a capacitor. The voltage regulator functions to control the voltage and capacitor smooths the output of the A/D converter. The capacitor may, of course, simply be a component of the A/D converter.

The power supply <NUM> described above is adapted to provides direct current power of a proper voltage to an LED controller <NUM>. The controller <NUM> preferably has at least one mode of operation, and may have multiple modes of operation. The controller <NUM> is coupled to and controls an LED array <NUM> portion of circuit <NUM>. As shown, the LED array <NUM> comprises eleven LEDs <NUM>-<NUM>. The LEDs <NUM>-<NUM> are connected in series to the LED controller <NUM>.

To provide a lamp having light characteristics attractive to flying insects, three sets of light LEDs are provided in the circuit <NUM>. Each LED of the first set operates to emit light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, this set includes four LEDs, more specifically LEDs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. Each LED of the second set operates to emit light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers, i.e., white light having a color temperature in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> Kelvin. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, this set includes LEDs <NUM> and <NUM>. Each LED of the third set emits light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. As shown in <FIG>, this set includes <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. The number of LEDs in each set may vary from what is shown without deviating from the invention.

The third set of LEDs may have three distinct subsets. The LEDs of the first subset emit light within the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. As shown in <FIG>, this first subset includes a single LED, specifically LED <NUM>. The LEDs of the second subset emit light within the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. As shown in <FIG>, this second subset includes LEDs <NUM> and <NUM>. The third subset includes LEDs <NUM> and <NUM>. LEDs <NUM> and <NUM> emit light in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers. This arrangement and grouping of LEDs are further illustrated in the table of <FIG>.

When the lamp of the present invention is energized, each of the LEDs generate light as described above and illustrated in <FIG>. The light that exits the translucent sleeve <NUM> is not highly specular but is instead somewhat diffused by the fluorinated ethylene propylene coating applied to the substrate. The result is a pattern highly attractive to insects on the surface of the sleeve and cast by the lamp onto adjacent surfaces such as that of a glue board of the trap. This pattern includes areas of more intense light dominated by the light cast by each single LED separated by areas of less intense light where light cast by adjacent LEDs is more mixed.

More specifically and as illustrated in <FIG>, the light of any three of the LEDs will create on the surface of the translucent sleeve <NUM> areas of intense light such as <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. These areas of intense light are surrounded by areas of less intense light <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. These areas of less intense light intersect, such that areas of mixed light <NUM> and <NUM> are created. Of course, in practice the areas of intense light, less intense light, and mixed light do not have the discrete boundaries suggested by <FIG>.

As noted above, the controller <NUM> may have a single mode of operation, or may be adapted to be switched between multiple selectable modes of operation. One of said modes of operation may cause each of the LEDs <NUM>-<NUM> to be steadily illuminated at their respective wavelengths, as described above.

Another of said modes of operation may cause each of the LEDs <NUM>-<NUM> to cycle in a flickering fashion between an illuminated state at their respective wavelengths and a non-illuminated state so that the overall effect is more like the light generated by a UV fluorescent tube. Alternate modes may also be provided. These alternate modes may include cycling the different sets of LEDs on and off in predetermined or random patterns. These alternate modes may also include cycling the individual LEDs of a set of LEDs on and off in a predetermined or random pattern. The controller may also be adapted to modulate the intensity or wavelength of the light generated by the LEDs. Such modulation may occur either prior to illumination of an LED so the light emitted is at a steady wavelength and intensity or such modulation may occur so that the wavelength or intensity of the light emitted changes during illumination.

Changing between modes may be accomplished in several ways. First, one or more switches (not shown) may be electrically coupled to the controller <NUM>. Such switches may be physically actuated during or after installation of the lamp. Alternatively, the controller <NUM> may further include a radio frequency transceiver. Examples suitable for use include Bluetooth and WIFI transceivers. When the controller <NUM> includes such a transceiver, the controller <NUM> may be adapted to respond to signals received via the transceiver to switch between modes or to be programmed with new modes. Such new modes may provide different sequences in which the LEDs are either turned on and off or the wavelength or intensity of the light generated by the LEDs is modulated.

Certain portions of the light spectrum have proven to be more attractive to flying insects than other portions of the light spectrum. Of the three sets of LEDs described above, the first set of LEDs operating to emit light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers more effectively attracts flying insects than the other two sets. This is particularly true when the light emitted has a wavelength principally within the range of <NUM> nanometers to <NUM> nanometers. In some cases, insect attractivity is enhanced if the only light emitted by the fixture is the most highly attractive range.

In view of the foregoing, each LED of the lamp may be tuned to only emit light in the <NUM> to <NUM> nanometer range or, more precisely, in the <NUM> nanometer to <NUM> nanometer range. Such a lamp will also include the power supply and controller as described above adapted to ensure only the correct voltage reaches the LEDs so the LEDs are not destroyed by receiving an excessive voltage irrespective of the voltage delivered to the lamp. The LEDs may be arrayed as a single set or the LEDs may be arrayed in multiple sets that can be separately controlled by the controller to create various patterns using light all in the same wavelength range, e.g., a set can be brighter than another, a set can be modulated between a dimmer state and a brighter state, a set can be cycled on and off.

Claim 1:
An insect attractive lamp (<NUM>) comprising:
a) a translucent sleeve (<NUM>) made of an ultraviolet light transmissive material and having a surface coated with fluorinated ethylene propylene, said translucent sleeve having opposing ends;
b) a pair of connectors (<NUM> and <NUM>) adapted to cap the opposing ends of the sleeve, each connector having a pair of contact pins (<NUM>/<NUM> and <NUM>/<NUM>),
c) a circuit (<NUM>) positioned within the translucent sleeve (<NUM>) that is (i) electrically coupled to each of the contact pins (<NUM>/<NUM> and <NUM>/<NUM>), (ii) adapted to convert alternating current to direct current and regulate voltage, and (iii) comprises a controller (<NUM>), and (iv) a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) (<NUM>-<NUM>) controlled by the controller (<NUM>), said plurality of LEDs (<NUM>-<NUM>) adapted to primarily emit light having a wavelength in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> nanometers.