Patent ID: 8425063

Claim:
A photoluminescent illuminator comprising: an axially extending optical collector configured to illuminate an article, the optical collector having a first end and a second end and an exterior side wall surface that extends between the first end and the second end; and a photoluminescent light emitter assembly having an internal cavity and comprising a photoluminescent material surrounding the internal cavity and configured to emit photoluminescent light toward the optical collector; said optical collector being disposed and inserted within the internal cavity of the photoluminescent light emitter assembly, the photoluminescent emitter assembly axially disposed to fit over and be concentric with at least a portion of the optical collector and configured to initially introduce the photoluminescent light from the photoluminescent material into the optical collector through the exterior side wall surface of the optical collector; and the optical collector comprising an element introducing exterior light into an axial end of the optical collector such that the optical collector axially transmits at least one of 1) the photoluminescent light from the photoluminescent material and initially introduced through said exterior side wall surface and 2) the exterior light to illuminate the article.