Patent ID: 8317385

Claim:
An ultra thin lighting element comprising: at least one point light source; and a lightguide element comprising at least one lightguide layer comprising a plurality of discrete groups of fine optic surface relief structures on at least one portion of at least one surface, each discrete group comprising basic structural features on the order of 10 microns or less in height, and on the order of less than 10 microns in at least one lateral dimension, wherein the number, arrangement and size of each surface relief structure and height and lateral dimensions of the structural features of the surface relief structures are varied to provide a desired degree of outcoupling modulation of light incoupled into the lightguide element, and the surface relief structures are arranged in small discrete outcoupling structure groups having a distance therebetween of up to about 300 microns in a region of the at least one lightguide layer in the vicinity of the at least one light source.