Title: Entertainment lighting display

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Claims: Having described the invention with sufficient clarity that those skilled in the art may make and use it, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent and claimed is:

1. Lighting display for a viewer area, comprising:

a rear mirror facing the viewer area;

a one-way mirror disposed intermediate said rear mirror and the viewer area to define a space between said rear mirror and said one-way mirror, said one-way mirror arranged to appear substantially transparent to the viewer area while presenting a reflective surface to said space;

a substantially opaque rim enclosing the periphery of said space and intersecuring said rear mirror and said one-way mirror in spaced relationship;

a plurality of opaque barriers traversing said space to divide the latter into a plurality of compartments; and

separate electrical lights disposed in each of said compartments whereby said one-way mirror and said rear mirror repeatedly reflect light from said lights to produce multiple reflection images of said lights to the viewer area, said lights in at least one of said compartments comprising at least three vertical, parallel, thin fluorescent lights of differing vertical lengths and equally transversely spaced from one another, said vertical lights being spaced at differing distances from said rear mirror in relation to their differing vertical lengths.

2. A display as set forth in claim 1, wherein said lights in another of said compartments comprise electrical fluorescent lights operably mounted to said rear mirror and arranged in a plurality of concentric ellipsoidal configurations generally centrally located in said another compartment.

3. A display as set forth in claim 2, wherein said rear mirror and said one-way mirror are substantially flat and extend in substantially vertical, parallel, planes parallel to a vertical plane containing said ellipsoidal lights.

4. A relatively thin entertainment lighting display for producing a visual image of relatively extensive depth to a viewer area in front of said display, said display comprising:

a generally vertical flat, rear plate having a mirrored surface facing the viewer area;

a generally vertical, flat, frontal, one-way mirror element disposed in closely adjacent, generally parallel arrangement to said rear plate to define a relatively thin space between said rear plate and said frontal one-way mirror, said one-way mirror arranged to appear substantially transparent to the viewer area whenever the intensity of light in said space is greater than that in the viewer area, said rear plate and said one-way mirror operable to repeatedly reflect light in said space back-and-forth therebetween;

means for interconnecting said rear plate and said one-way mirror in said spaced relationship, said means being substantially opaque and enclosing the periphery of said space to prevent entry of light into said space through said periphery, said means further including opaque barrier members extending across said space to divide the latter into a central compartment and at least a pair of side compartments on each side of said central compartment;

illumination means disposed in said space whereby light therefrom is repeatedly reflected by said rear mirror and said one-way mirror to produce multiple images of said illumination means to the viewer area, whereby said display partakes of an appearance of extensive depth extending away from the viewer area a distance substantially greater than the thickness of said relatively thin space,

said illumination means including a plurality of ellipsoidally configured electrical lights operably mounted to said rear plate and concentrically arranged to one another in said central compartment, and a plurality of vertical, parallel electrical lights of differing vertical length disposed in each of said side compartments, said vertical lights in each of the side compartments being equally transversely spaced thereacross and being spaced at differing distances from said rear plate in relation to their differing vertical lengths; and

means for selectively energizing said electrical lights whereby the intensity of light in said space is selectively greater than the intensity of light striking said one-way mirror from the viewer area.

5. A display as set forth in claim 6, wherein said display is comprised of a plurality of separable, modular sections, one section corresponding to each of said compartments.

6. A display as set forth in claim 4, wherein said barriers further define columnar compartments between each of said side and central compartments of substantially greater vertical height and less horizontal, transverse width than said side and central compartments, said illumination means further including in each of said columnar components a vertical series of diagonally criss-crossing electrical lights.

Other info:

Inventors: Bowser, Roger C.

Application Number: 662567
Filing Date: 1976-03-01
Publication_date: 1979-06-12
Assignee:
Primary Class(es): 40/427 40/219, 40/573, 362/140, 362/811, D26/56
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

2132473	Oct, 1938	Holm	272/8.
2222301	Nov, 1940	Rappaport	40/563.
2286247	Jun, 1942	Yearta	40/219.
2483901	Oct, 1949	Harris	272/8.
3611603	Oct, 1971	Gesner	240/10.
3811041	May, 1974	Matsushita	240/10.

Other Refs: 1229912

Apr, 1971	GB

Primary Examiner: Pitrelli, John F.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Nelson; Gregory J.