Patent ID: 8893414

Claim:
An illumination apparatus in combination with a light source that illuminates display surfaces of the illumination apparatus, said illumination apparatus comprising: a housing having opposed and spaced apart illumination surfaces for the respective display of opposed visual messages; said housing constructed and arranged to form an enclosed light chamber; said housing further including a light inlet port for coupling light from a light source into the enclosed light chamber; said light inlet port is cylindrical; said light source including a cylindrical illumination head end; said light inlet port is formed by an external cylindrical collar that matingly receives the cylindrical illumination head end of the light source and that has a longitudinal center axis extending into the enclosed light chamber; said cylindrical collar having an open cylindrical free end for releasably engaging and matingly receiving the cylindrical illumination head end of the light source within an inner diameter cylindrical surface of the cylindrical collar; a pair of oppositely directed reflective members, each member having an inlet side and a reflective outlet surface side; said inlet side of the respective reflective members being joined at a common light inlet edge; said common inlet edge of the reflective members is spaced inward into the enclosed light chamber and is spaced from the cylindrical illumination head end of the light source so as to define between the cylindrical illumination head end of the light source and the common inlet edge of the reflective members an open gap; said pair of oppositely directed reflective members disposed in said enclosed light chamber and in line with said housing light inlet port longitudinal axis with the inlet side thereof disposed adjacent to and for receiving light from the light source; each said reflective member at the inlet side thereof including a linear portion where the reflective members are connected and extend substantially linearly along the longitudinal center axis of the light inlet port, and at the outlet side thereof including a parabolic portion contiguous with the linear portion whereby light from the light source coupled at the light inlet port is bifurcated by the pair of oppositely directed reflective members and re-directed by the pair of oppositely directed reflective members to the respective opposed and spaced apart illumination surfaces of the housing.