Lighted Display Case with Remote Light Source

Abstract

Lighted display case with remote light source comprises a container having contents for display. A solid fiber optic luminaire is at least partially mounted within the container, having an elongated side-light emitting portion for emitting light from the side of the luminaire onto contents in an interior of the display case. The side-light emitting portion comprises an extractor of light arranged to preferentially extract light from the luminaire and direct the light to at least one target area of said contents. The portion may be rotatable about its own longitudinal axis. A single side-light emitting portion may be arranged to illuminate a target area on one of its lateral sides, and another target area on another lateral side. A single lamp may provide light to first and second luminaires arranged to illuminate a target area on one of its lateral sides, and another target area on another lateral side.

1 . A lighted display case with remote light source, comprising: 
 a) a container having contents for display;    b) a solid fiber optic luminaire at least partially mounted within the container; the luminaire having an elongated side-light emitting portion for emitting light from the side of the luminaire onto contents in an interior of the display case; the side-light emitting portion comprising an extractor of light arranged to preferentially extract light from the luminaire and direct said light in at least one radial direction along the length of the side-light emitting portion to at least one target area of said contents along a longitudinal axis of the side-light emitting portion;    c) the extractor of light comprising first and second light-extraction regions;    d) the container having a first and second view ports intended to allow persons outside the container to view contents displayed in the interior of the container; the first view port being on one lateral side of the side-light emitting portion and the second view port being on a second lateral side of said portion;    e) a light-delivery system for providing light to the fiber optic luminaire; the light-delivery system having a light source mounted remotely from the container;    f) the luminaire being arranged to illuminate first and second separate target areas of said contents of the display case; the first target area being visible through the first view port and the second target area being visible through the second view port; the first and second target being illuminated by the first and second light-extraction regions; and    g) the first and second light-extraction regions being spaced from each other around a perimeter of the side-light emitting portion taken orthogonally to main optical axis of said side-light emitting portion.    
   
   
       2 . The lighted display case of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the container is open to its ambient; and    b) the interior of the container is maintained within 5 C of the temperature of the ambient.    
   
   
       3 . The display case of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the view ports having a maximum dimension; and    b) the side-light emitting portion of the luminaire extends across the majority of said maximum dimension.    
   
   
       4 . The display case of  claim 1 , wherein the lamp comprises an HID lamp.  
   
   
       5 . The display case of  claim 1 , wherein the extractor of light is arranged to preferentially remove light along the length of the side-light emitting portion in a plurality of radial directions along said longitudinal axis.  
   
   
       6 . The display case of  claim 1 , wherein the container contains a structural member parallel to orthogonal plane of the view port to block the view of the luminaire inside the case to persons viewing the contents of the case along a plane intersecting the full side-light emitting portion and being orthogonal to the view port.  
   
   
       7 . The display case of  claim 1 , wherein peak illuminance on the first and second target areas lying in a plane within the case, parallel to the view ports, is at least 50 percent greater than peak illuminance on a non-target area lying between the target areas in said plane.  
   
   
       8 . The display case of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the light-extraction regions are spatially divided in segments along the length with gaps between the segments; the longitudinal dimension of the gaps being greater than the radial width of their respective light-extraction region;    b) the majority of said segments are divided with gaps of at least 20 percent of the longitudinal dimension of neighboring segment along the length of the light-extraction regions; and    c) the majority of said segments have gap portion of the adjacent light-extraction region aligned with at least 20 percent longitudinal dimension of the respective segment along the length of the light-extraction regions.    
   
   
       9 . The display case of  claim 1 , further comprising a transparent cover over the majority of the length of the side-light emitting portion of the luminaire.  
   
   
       10 . The display case of  claim 9 , wherein the transparent cover comprises a diffuser for reducing glare from the luminaire.  
   
   
       11 . The display case of  claim 9 , wherein the transparent cover comprises a Fresnel for directing light emitted from the foregoing portion into a more narrowed beam.  
   
   
       12 . A lighted display case with remote light source, comprising: 
 a) a container having a view port intended to allow persons outside the container to view contents displayed in the interior of the container;    b) a solid fiber optic luminaire at least partially mounted within the container; the luminaire having an elongated side-light emitting portion for emitting light from the side of the luminaire onto contents in an interior of the display case; the side-light emitting portion comprising an extractor of light arranged to preferentially extract light from the luminaire and direct said light in at least one radial direction along the length of the side-light emitting portion to at least one target area of said contents along a longitudinal axis of the side-light emitting portion;    c) the extractor of light comprising first and second light-extraction regions;    d) a light-delivery system for providing light to the fiber optic luminaire; the light-delivery system having a light source mounted remotely from the container; and    e) the side-light emitting portion of the luminaire is rotatable about its own longitudinal axis for directing the aim of light emitted therefrom to various radial directions about said axis.    
   
   
       13 . The display case of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 a) the view port has a maximum dimension; and    b) the side-light emitting portion of the luminaire extends across the majority of said maximum dimension.    
   
   
       14 . The display case of  claim 12 , wherein the container contains a structural member parallel to orthogonal plane of the view port to block the view of the luminaire inside the case to persons viewing the contents of the case along a plane intersecting the full side-light emitting portion and being orthogonal to the view port.  
   
   
       15 . The display case of  claim 12 , wherein the case comprising means for releasably holding the luminaire in any of a plurality of predetermined positions.  
   
   
       16 . The display case of  claim 14 , wherein the means for releasably holding comprises a resiliently biased detent mechanism causing said side-light emitting portion to be releasably held in any of a plurality of predetermined radial positions.  
   
   
       17 . The display case of  claim 12 , wherein the lamp comprises an HID lamp.  
   
   
       18 . The display case of  claim 16 , wherein the light-delivery system includes at least one LED and a non-imaging optic for coupling light into a fiber optic structure that passes through a wall of the container.  
   
   
       19 . The display case of  claim 12 , further comprising a transparent cover over the majority of the length of the side-light emitting portion of the luminaire.  
   
   
       20 . The display case of  claim 19 , wherein the transparent cover comprises a diffuser for reducing glare from the luminaire.  
   
   
       21 . The display case of  claim 19 , wherein the transparent cover comprises a Fresnel for directing light emitted from the foregoing portion into a more narrowed beam.  
   
   
       22 . A lighted display case with remote light source, comprising: 
 a) a container having contents for display;    b) a first and second solid fiber optic luminaires at least partially mounted within the container; each luminaire having an elongated side-light emitting portion for emitting light from the side of the luminaire onto contents in an interior of the display case; the side-light emitting portion comprising an extractor of light arranged to preferentially extract light from the luminaire and direct said light in at least one radial direction along the length of the side-light emitting portion to at least one target area of said contents along a longitudinal axis of the side-light emitting portion;    c) the extractor of light comprising first and second light-extraction regions;    d) the container having a first and second view ports intended to allow persons outside the container to view contents displayed in the interior of the container; the first view port being on one lateral side of the sidelight emitting portion and the second view port being on a second lateral side of said portion;    e) a light-delivery system having a lamp for supplying light to the first and second luminaires;    f) the side-light emitting portions of the first and second luminaires being mounted parallel to each other and being respectively positioned to illuminate a target area on one side of the luminaires and a laterally adjacent target area on another side of the luminaires.    
   
   
       23 . The display case of  claim 22  wherein: 
 a) the view port has a maximum dimension; and    b) the side-light emitting portion of the luminaire extends across the majority of said maximum dimension.    
   
   
       24 . The display case of  claim 22 , wherein the lamp comprises an HID lamp.  
   
   
       25 . The display case of  claim 22 , wherein the container contains a structural member parallel to orthogonal plane of the view port to block the view of the luminaire inside the case to persons viewing the contents of the case along a plane intersecting the full side-light emitting portion and being orthogonal to the view port.  
   
   
       26 . The display case of  claim 22 , further comprising a transparent cover over the majority of the length of the side-light emitting portion of the luminaire.  
   
   
       27 . The display case of  claim 27 , wherein the transparent cover comprises a diffuser for reducing glare from the luminaire.  
   
   
       28 . The display case of  claim 27 , wherein the transparent cover comprises a Fresnel for directing light emitted from the foregoing portion into a more narrowed beam.  
   
   
       29 . The display case of  claim 22 , wherein the light-delivery system includes: 
 a) a collector mounted to the container for coupling light along a first optical axis that is angled more than 70 degrees from a main optical axis of the first luminaire; and    b) a corner-turning device at both ends of the coupler for turning the light from the first and the second optical axis to the said main axis of both said luminaires.    
   
   
       30 . The display case of  claim 25 , wherein the collector comprises a non-imaging collector for reducing the angular distribution of light collected from the HID lamp by the foregoing collector.  
   
   
       31 . The display case of  claim 25 , wherein the light-delivery system includes a first fiber optic structure sufficiently curved to receive light along the first optical axis and to transmit light along the main optical axis of the first luminaire that is more than 70 degrees angled from the first optical axis.  
   
   
       32 . The display case of  claim 25 , wherein the light-delivery system further comprises 
 a) a second non-imaging collector for reducing the angular distribution of light collected by the foregoing collector; and    b) a second fiber optic structure sufficiently curved to receive light from second collector along a respective main second optical axis and to transmit light along the main optical axis of the second luminaire that is more than 70 degrees angled from the second optical axis.