WO1996037733A1

WO1996037733A1 - Illumination of items of display

Info

Publication number: WO1996037733A1
Application number: PCT/GB1996/001242
Authority: WO
Inventors: Derek George Badger
Original assignee: Derek George Badger
Priority date: 1995-05-24
Filing date: 1996-05-23
Publication date: 1996-11-28
Also published as: AU5826096A; GB9510537D0

Abstract

An item of display such as an imitation flower for use in a floral display. The flower is illuminated by the use of optical fibres. The fibres are either located on or sandwiched between layers of the synthetic material composing the flower, and by their nature, have no deleterious effect on the visual attractiveness of the display. The fibres terminate at the extremities of the petals of the flower in spaced array or at intermediate positions on the petals. A lighting source is used to transmit light along the fibres so that the petals are illuminated with pinpoints of light to give an enhanced and aesthetically pleasing appearance to the display. The light source may be adapted to provide light of differing colours.

Description

ILLUMINATION OF ITEMS OF DISPLAY

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the iUumination of items of display and in particular imitation plants, such as synthetic flowers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Imitation plants such as flowers are manufactured from synthetic materials in order that many different shapes, sizes and colours may be reproduced that will not only look attractive the day they are made, but remain so after considerable periods of time.

Imitation plants are now widely displayed at events such as exhibitions, as well as in office and hotel reception areas and increasingly so in the domestic home.

To improve the aesthetic appearance or to enhance certain more attractive features of an item of display such as an imitation flower, the display may be illuminated by spotlights or a similar lighting source directed at the display.

In the case of imitation shrubs or trees, for example, an alternative form of more direct illumination may be effected by hanging lights from their branches, the lights being interconnected by wires connected to an external power sources as is well known. Hitherto the illumination of a display composed of small imitation plants and particularly flowers by the aforementioned methods has presented some practical difficulties due to the size of the actual displays. Moreover, when ordinary lights are to be positioned on, say, the leaves of the flowers, the lead wires to the Lighting points are unacceptable from an aesthetic point of view, to say nothing of the intrusive effect the actual lights may have on the attractiveness of the display as a whole.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide means for lighting or iUuminating items of display, such as imitation plants and flowers which obviates the problems of the prior art and does not detract from the visual attractiveness of the display, but on the contrary, enhances it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an item of display such as an imitation plant, an article of clothing or a picture and the like wherein the item is provided with optical means forming part of the structure thereof, said optical means being capable of activation at chosen locations on the display item by means of an external activating source thereby to illuminate the display item at said chosen locations.

Preferably the optical means are in the form of optical fibres leading to the chosen locations on the display item for transmitting light along the optical fibres to the chosen locations to be iUuminated. The item of display may be an imitation flower, the flower being formed of a synthetic or silk material provided with a spatial array of optical fibres leading to specific locations on the flower petals and/or around the petal peripheries.

Advantageously, the petals of the flowers are formed of laminations of two sheets of synthetic or silk material, the fibres being embedded between the laminations.

Preferably the petals are provided with a semi-rigid spine to provide petal support.

By incorporating the semi-rigid spine the petals, or one or more of them, may be held in a predetermined folded attitude so that the fractured optical fibres provide point source illumination along the fold-line so formed in the petals.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a plant or plant part such as a leaf or flower for use in an imitation plant display wherein the plant or plant part is formed of a synmetic material with optical fibres located on or within laminations of the synthetic material to transmit light to chosen locations thereon.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment or embodiments of the invention taken with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrates in a non-limiting way how the invention may be put into practice. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a general perspective view of an imitation flower illuminated in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a general perspective exploded view of an imitation flower petal including an array of optical fibres for illuminating the petal in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 is a general perspective view of the imitation petal of Figure 2 in assembly;

Figure 4 is a general perspective view of an imitation petal illuminated in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5a is a perspective view illustrating the use of optical fibres for forming an illuminated imitation flower stamen;

Figure 5b is a side view of the stamens of a flower formed form bundles of optical fibres;

Figure 5c is a top view of the stamen arrangement shown in Figure 5b; and

Figure 6 is a sectional side view of a motor driven lighting source for use with an imitation plant display formed in accordance with the invention. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings Figure 1 shows an imitation flower 1 for use in a floral display having petals 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, manufactured from synthetic material. Each of the petals 2 to 7 are formed of two sheets of synthetic material 14, see Figure 2, between which are sandwiched a number of optical fibres 8.

In the example shown, the petals 2 to 7 have ten embedded optical fibres 8 arranged in spatial array thereby to terminate at selected points on their shaped peripheries.

The individual petals 2 to 7, together with the optical fibres 8 embedded therein, are bound together by wrapping 9 to form a stem portion 9'. The optical fibres 8 extend from the stem portion 9¹ at 10 as shown in Figure 1.

Located at the centre of the imitation flower 1 are a number of imitation stamens 11 formed from a bundle of optical fibres 13 as will be described later with reference to Figure 5. The optical fibres 13 forming the stamens 11 may be held within the wrapping 9 or separately wrapped together at 12 as shown, so that the stamens 11 may be lit with a light of contrasting colour to that of the petals 2 to 7.

The composition of each petal 2 to 7 of the imitation flower 1 shown in Figure 1 is best illustrated with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Each petal 2 to 7 is formed of two sheets 14 of appropriately shaped synthetic material laminated together around the optical fibres 8 which themselves are in a spatial arrangement somewhat akin to the veins of a leaf and in any event so as to impart a desired visual effect.

A semi-rigid support wire 15 is also laminated between the sheets 14 centrally of the petal pattern made by the optical fibres 8. The support wire 15, as well as providing strength, also allows any particular petal to be shaped in a desired aesthetically pleasing conformation or to simulate other naturally occurring phenomena such as plant age.

As shown in Figure 3, an additional spaced array of optical fibres 15 extend, within the laminations 14, to points along the length of each imitation flower petal 2 to 7 to provide point light sources intermediate the base of the petal and its periphery.

To create an alternative visually pleasing effect, the body of one or more of the imitation petals 2 to 7 may be held in a partially folded position as shown by petal 7 in Figure 1 and generally in Figure 4, along a lateral fold line 8a. The optical fibres 8 provide pin point sources of light along the fold line 8a where they are fracture by the folding before the remainder of the light travels along the fibres to the periphery of the petals.

An example of how to form the imitation stamens 11 of the imitation flower as shown in Figure 1 is illustrated in Figures 5a, 5b and 5c. Each stamen is formed of a bundle of optical fibres first laid side by side as at 16 in Figure 5a and progressively wound together as through positions 17 to 18. In order that the wound optical fibres should resemble natural stamens as far as is feasibly possible, the ends 19 are moulded together chemically thus firstly foπning a bud effect, and secondly to ensure that the fibres are held together.

Figure 5b is a side view of a completed set of interwound imitation stamens 11 and Figure 5c, a top view thereof.

The fibre optics used to illuminate the imitation flower 1 is powered by a motorised lighting source 20 shown in Figure 6. The source comprises a light source 21 which may be an ordinary light bulb, fluorescent tube or similar. The light source 21 is mounted in a housing 22 and surrounded by a rotatable barrel 25.

The barrel 25 is driven, through gears 24, by an electric motor 23.

The barrel 25 is provided with a series of strips of varying colours 26. The housing 22 is provided with a series of ports 27 for receiving the fibre optic bundles 10, 13 from the imitation flower 1 shown in Figure 1 thereby to effect the illumination required.

In use, as the motor 23 rotates the barrel 25, varying light colours are presented to the base of the fibre optic bundles 10, 13. The coloured light then travels up the fibre optic strands to their tips along the periphery of each petal and extremities of the stamen 11. The coloured strips on the barrel 25 may be so arranged that the overall coloured light presentation from the flower alters as the barrel 25 rotates. The barrel 25 may also be provided with black stripes (not shown) of varying thickness and disposition such as in zig-zag form along its length. This will intermittently block light transmission to the optical fibres and produce a twinkling effect to the illuminated display.

Although the above preferred embodiment of the invention has been described with reference to an imitation flower arrangement, it will be appreciated that it has applications to other synthetic plant displays so mat the petals 2 to 7 of Figure 1 could equally well be the leaves of a shrub or miniature tree. In this case, of course, the stamens 11 would not be present.

A complete floral arrangement using imitation flowers of the form as described above in conjunction with the motorised light source as part of the display is possible by covering the motorised light source 20 with the box-like structure (not shown) made of ecofoam. Passageways can be punched through the ecofoam to receive the bundles of optical fibres 10, 13 from the imitation flowers for presentation to the primary light source 21 with the stems 9' of the imitation flowers being supported in the passageways so formed.

Instead of using optical fibres to effect the illumination described above, other non-intrusive optical illumination techniques which may be made to form part of the structure of the flower or other item of display may be envisaged.

Thus a luminescent material may be applied to the petals of the imitation flowers which can then be activated by external means to effect the iUurnination desired. Further, the invention may be applied to other items of display to enhance their attractiveness, and in some cases their selling potential, such as fashion clothes, wedding dresses, framed pictures, and floral buttonholes and bouquets.

Claims

1. An item of display such as an imitation plant, wherein the item is provided with optical means forming part of the structure thereof, said optical means being capable of activation at chosen locations on the display item by means of an external activating source thereby to illuminate the display item at said chosen locations.

2. An item of display wherein said optical means is in the form of optical fibres for transmitting light along the optical fibres to said chosen locations.

3. An item of display as claimed in claim 2 in the form of an imitation flower wherein the flower is formed of a synthetic or silk material provided with a spatial array of said optical fibres leading to said chosen locations on the flower petals and/or around the petal peripheries to illuminate the petals with pin-point sources of light.

4. An item of display as claimed in claim 3 wherein the petals are formed of laminations of two sheets of synthetic or silk material, the fibres being embedded between the laminations.

5. An item of display as claimed in claim 4 wherein the petals are provided with a semi-rigid spine to provide petal support.

6. An item of display as claimed in claim 5 wherein one or more of the petals are held in a predetermined folded attitude by the semi-rigid spine, the optical fibres providing illumination along the lateral fold line so formed in the petals.

7. An item of display as claimed in claim 6 wherein the array of optical fibres are wrapped in a bundle together with the stems of the petals forming the imitation flower, the bundle of fibres being presented to said lighting means.

8. An item of display as claimed in claim 7 wherein the flower is provided with a set of stamens, each set being formed from a bundle of wrapped optical fibres, the bundles forming each stamen being wrapped into a single bundle for presentation to said lighting means.

9. An item of display as claimed in claim 7 wherein each bundle of optical fibres forming the individual stamens are fused at the stamen tips to form an illuminatable bud-like appearance.

10. A plant or plant part such as a leaf or flower for use in an imitation plant display wherein the plant or plant part is formed of a synthetic material with optical fibres located on or within laminations of the synthetic material to transmit light to chosen locations thereon.

11. A floral display including imitation leaves and or flowers as claimed in claim 10 and further including lighting means for transmitting light along the optical fibres of said leaves or flowers to illuminate the display at said chosen locations with pin-point sources of light.

12. An imitation floral display as claimed in claim 11 wherein said lighting means comprises a motor driven barrel rotatable about a primary lighting source, the barrel having coloured strips in the manner of a barbers pole thereby to vary the colour presentation of the display.

13. An imitation floral display as claimed in claim 12 wherein a box-like support structure for the floral display is mounted over the lighting means to disguise its presence, said box-like structure being of a synthetic foam material which allows passageways to be punched therethrough thereby to permit the optical fibres of the imitation flowers to be presented to the primary lighting source.