Patent ID: 8014654

Claim:
A control grid configured to be positioned at a light emission aperture of a light source, said control grid comprising: a side-by-side array of flexible strips of light-absorbing material which can be urged, from a collapsed configuration, into an expanded circumferential configuration defining an exterior of the strip array and an interior of the strip array, which strip array delimits light-transmitting cells such that light emanating from the light source, at an angle of at least 20 degrees from a central axis of such light emission source, impinges on the light-absorbing material; and a collapsible supporting structure extending about the exterior of the strip array, said supporting structure being configured to releasably attach the flexible strip array to an enclosure of the light emission aperture of such light emission source, said supporting structure comprising a plurality of side members, said side members being effectively connected to each other, said side members being collectively resiliently biased toward a configuration which corresponds to the expanded configuration of said strip array, and being collectively resiliently deflectable to accommodate the collapsed configuration of said strip array.