Patent ID: 6896398

Claim:
An illumination device for the simulation of neon lighting, comprising a waveguide rod of an optical waveguide material incorporating micro balloons of glass having an index of refraction different from the index of refraction of said optical waveguide material, said micro balloons forming a density gradient that increases from one end of said waveguide rod along a first predetermined length, with said waveguide rod having a light-emitting lateral surface and a first set of one or more point light sources positioned adjacent the one end of said waveguide rod, said waveguide rod leaking light out of said light-emitting lateral surface at an increasing rate along its length and away from said light sources sufficient to essentially balance a rate of attenuation of light in said waveguide rod along the first predetermined length, thereby causing said light emitted from said lateral surface to have essentially the same intensity over at least a portion of said lateral surface.