United States Patent
`
`5,255,166
`[11] Patent Number:
`Gonzalez
`
`[45] Date of Patent: * Oct. 19, 1993
`
`1191
`
`U5005255166A
`
`[54]
`
`APPARATUS FOR ILLUMINATING A
`VEHICLE LICENSE PLATE AND METHOD
`OF USING SAME
`
`8/1989 Solow .
`4,857,890
`7/1991 Solow .
`5,029,053
`5,156,455 10/1992 Kuo .
`
`[76]
`
`Inventor:
`
`Jaime D. Gonzalez, 9390 Suva,
`Downey, Calif. 90240
`
`[‘l
`
`Notice:
`
`The portion of the term of this patent
`subsequent to Mar. 9, 2010 has been
`disclaimed.
`
`[21]
`
`[22]
`
`[63]
`
`[51]
`[52]
`
`[58]
`
`[56]
`
`Appl. No.: 5,583
`
`Filed:
`
`Jan. 19, 1993
`
`Related US. Application Data
`Continuationoin-part of Ser. No. 839,814, Feb. 21, 1992,
`Pat. No. 5,192,125, which is a continuation of Ser. No.
`741,784, Aug. 6, 1991, Pat. No. 5,150,961.
`
`Int. Cl.5 ............................................... B60Q 1/56
`
`US. Cl. ............................ 362/832; 362/216;
`362/263; 40/204
`Field of Search ................ 362/80, 83.2, 216, 217,
`362/263, 806, 812, 61; 40/204
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`1/1939 Bave .
`2,214,447
`3/1948 Rizer .
`2,562,740
`9/1949 Rose .
`2,618,089
`2,689,948 10/1950 Rothman .
`3,921,324 11/1975 Flannery .
`4,727,459 2/1988 Palumbo .
`
`Primary Examiner—Richard R. Cole
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Bemard L. Kleinke; Jerry R.
`Potts
`
`[5 7]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A new and improved apparatus for illuminating the rear
`portion of a vehicle and particularly the license plate of
`such a vehicle with a bright glowing light. The appara-
`tus includes a transparent channel member for receiving
`a high voltage high frequency transformer and a single
`annularly shaped neon bulb therewithin for illumination
`purposes. The neon bulb is energized by the high volt-
`age, high frequency transformer that is coupled to the
`vehicle electrical system by a low voltage high fre-
`quency power converter. The channel member
`is
`adapted to mounted adjacent to the license plate of a
`vehicle and scaled with a protective cover to help pre-
`vent accidental shock and to protect the bulb from
`exposure. Theipreferred method of using the apparatus
`is to connect the apparatus to the lighting system of the
`vehicle so that when the brake pedal of a vehicle is
`depressed, the low voltage power converter generates a
`source of low voltage high frequency electrical energy
`to power the high voltage transformer and in turn the
`associated neon bulb to augment the vehicle brake light-
`ing system.
`
`11 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`Mercedes—Benz USA, LLC, Petitioner - EX. 1009
`1
`
`1
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Oct. 19,1993
`
`Sheet 1 of 3
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`5,255,166
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`Fig. 1
`
`50
`
`LIGHT SWITCH
`66
`
`IO
`\
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`64
`
`I
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`i+|2voc BRAKE
`SWITCH
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`2 /
`
`‘2'
`
`To
`AUTOMOBILE
`ELECTRICAL
`SYSTEM IO
`
`Fig. 2
`IS.
`
`FREQUENCY
`
`SUPPLY
`
`HIGH VOLTAGE
`HIGH
`FREQUENCY
`
`'7 ’
`m
`23
`
`
`28
`12 \ .
`
`u
`I
`27 l
`Low mg'gTAGE
`
`
`POWER -
`
`
`
`2
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Oct. 19, 1993
`
`Sheet 2 of 3
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`5,255,166
`
`
`
` us ' I20 :50
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`
`
`
`
`3
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`

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`US. Patent
`
`Oct. 19, 1993
`
`Sheet 3 of 3
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`5,255,166
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`4
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`

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`5,255,166
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`’
`
`2
`ented for developing a very bright, relatively safe alter-
`native illumination method for use on present day vehi-
`cles.
`
`1
`
`APPARATUS FOR ILLUMINATING A VEHICLE
`LICENSE PLATE AND METHOD OF USING SAME
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`This application is related to copending U.S. patent
`application 08/005,643 entitled “Neon Illuminating
`Apparatus and Method of Using Same,” filed concur-
`rently herewith on Jan. 19, 1993 and is a continuation-
`in-part of U.S. patent application No. 07/839,814 filed
`Feb. 21, 1992 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,125 which is a
`continuation of U.S. patent application 07/741,784 filed
`Aug. 6, 1991 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,961 which appli—
`cations are commonly owned and incorporated herein
`by reference.
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`This invention relates in general to an illuminating
`apparatus and method of using same, and more particu-
`larly it relates to a method and apparatus for illuminat-
`ing the rear portion of a vehicle and particularly the
`license plate of such a vehicle with a glowing bright
`light.
`
`BACKGROUND ART
`
`Tail lights and brake lights have been standard equip-
`ment on automobiles since the 1920’s. While the auto-
`mobile has become an improved mode of transportation
`over the years,
`little overall
`improvement has been
`made in the brightness and quality of most automobile
`tail and brake lights. In this regard, most, if not all vehi-
`cle tail and brake light assemblies employ incandescent
`lamps with diffusion covers for illuminating the rear of
`a vehicle. Thus,
`the need for a clear, distinct and
`brighter rear automobile lighting system is more impor-
`tant now than ever.
`One attempt at solving the above mentioned problem
`has been to enhance the illumination of the rear portion
`of vehicles, through an additional rear brake assembly
`which is added by automobile manufacturers, and many
`automobile owners, to make the rear section of a vehi-
`cle more apparent to other drivers approaching from
`the rear. Also, modern legislation has also required such
`a third brake light to be added for this purpose. While
`such assemblies generally illuminate the rear of a vehi-
`cle with a greater amount of diffused light, such lighting
`systems still employ incandescent lamps and thus, are
`not clearer, brighter and more distinctive than the other
`light which presently illuminate the tail section of cur-
`rent automobiles.
`
`Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a
`much brighter, clearer and more distinct apparatus and
`method for illuminating the rear portion of a vehicle.
`Such a lighting apparatus should not merely diffuse
`light, but should produce a very distinctive glowing,
`halo effect that would be immediately apparent to an-
`other driver approaching the vehicle.
`One such brighter, more distinctive light is produced
`by neon. However, neon bulbs are typically operated
`from high voltage, high current electrical sources that
`are not readily available in conventional automobile
`electrical systems. Moreover, even if such a high volt-
`age source were available, the routing of high voltage
`cables throughout the rear of a vehicle would be ex—
`tremely dangerous.
`Because of the importance of sufficiently lighting the
`rear portion of a vehicle, a distinct challenge is pres-
`
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`The evolution of automobile and truck engineering
`from the relatively elementary machines of yesterday to
`the complex vehicles of today, has been one of the most
`significant occurrences of this century. At the same
`time, there has been an immense increase in the volume
`of traffic on the highways, roads and streets of the
`United States during the same period. Because of the
`sheeryolume of traffic and the cost and complexity of
`automobile and truck engineering, the emphasis of a
`large part of current automobile and truck engineering,
`is on the safety and reliability of the vehicles.
`Nowhere is this emphasis more evident than in the
`area of automobile and truck lighting systems. In the
`early days of automobile manufacture, there were no
`headlights or tail-lights installed on vehicles. Brake
`lights, turn signal lights, reflectors, reverse and side
`warning lights, which are standard equipment on the
`vehicles of today were totally unheard of in the begin-
`ning of the auto industry.
`However, several decades ago, as the number of
`automobiles and the amount of driving increased, the
`installation of headlights, tail and brake lights became a
`necessity as the driving public developed a strong inter-
`est in attempting to avoid accidents whenever possible.
`In this regard, the installation of tail and brake lights on
`such vehicles served to warn drivers of the presence of
`other vehicles in front of them, and the possibility other
`vehicles may make sudden and unexpected stops ahead.
`While such brake and tail light systems served to
`provide warnings for the drivers of such vehicles, sev-
`eral problems emerged with the use of such brake and
`tail lights. In this regard, as the emphasis on style and
`appearance of vehicle design became important, the size
`of both tail and brake lights became smaller in many
`instances, and thus, more difficult to observe.
`For example, in snowstorms, fog or rain, the visibility
`of brake and tail lights can be greatly diminished, so the
`likelihood of serious accidents is increased greatly.
`The most serious problem with such'light warning
`systems occur at night when it becomes more difficult
`for drivers to distinguish between tail and brake lights
`particularly, in the case of sudden and unexpected stops.
`In this regard, the danger of sudden stops and the inabil-
`ity of a driver to distinguish between tail and brake
`lights, coupled with the other problems mentioned
`above resulted in the above-mentioned safety legislation
`requiring that new model automobiles be equipment
`with a third separate brake light to help improve driver
`awareness of stopping vehicles.
`The use of such a third brake light has proven highly
`beneficial in helping to prevent many costly and injuri-
`ous rear end collisions. The success of such a third light
`is based upon its location, which unlike a traditional
`brake iight configuration is positioned centrally dis-
`posed between the vehicle rear lights. In this centrally
`disposed position a driver approaching the rear of an-
`other vehicle is much less likely to confuse the taillights
`and brake lights of the vehicle. Moreover, by employ-
`ing a third brake light that is usually energized indepen-
`dently of the other tail and brake lights, a fail safe fea-
`ture is developed so if the other brake lights fail the
`third light will continue to operate. Thus, the third
`brake light greatly enhances the visibility of the vehicle
`
`5
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`5,255,166
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`4
`that would brightly illuminate the rear of the motor
`vehicle.
`
`3
`from the rear and is a valuable addition to enhancing the
`safety of auto and truck operation.
`Despite the many advantages of such a third brake
`light, a significant problem for manufacturers has devel-
`oped relative to the location of such a light. In this
`regard, placing such a light between the rear window
`and the front edge of the trunk lid opening has proven
`to be very costly in that the light had to be mounted on
`the back of the automobile. Moreover, the placing of
`the lighting assembly in the rear window portion of the
`vehicle is not aesthetically pleasing and tends to block
`the rear view of the driver of a vehicle equipped with
`such an assembly. Thus, present construction requiring
`such a light to be placed in a housing mounted inside the
`vehicle in a secure manner serves to make the third
`brake light not only an expensive addition requiring
`installation by skilled and trained personnel but also
`posed a potential hazard.
`Another problem associated with positioning such a
`third light inside the vehicle is that many new vehicles
`have, tinted rear window glass to protect the driver and
`passengers from glare and to provide privacy to the
`occupants of the vehicle.
`In addition, certain other
`vehicle rear windows contain elaborate designs and
`distracting logos, which are either appended to or built
`into the rear window. Such tinted glass and window
`drawings therefore greatly impair the visibility of the
`third brake light for other drivers approaching the vehi-
`cle, particularly during daytime driving.
`Therefore it would be highly desirable to have a new
`and improved apparatus and method of using it for
`illuminating the rear of a vehicle with a bright glowing
`light that would be relatively inexpensive and easy to
`install, that would be highly visible and that would not
`impair the view of a driver.
`Because of the above mentioned problem several
`solutions have been proposed to find a less costly and
`more visible illuminating methods and apparatus.
`One such attempt is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,890
`that discloses a license plate holder equipped with a
`plurality of spaced apart incandescent lamps for reflect-
`ing light through a red lens frame material similar to the
`lens material of a conventional automobile taillight. In
`this arrangement, the incandescent lamps turn on each
`time the brake pedal is depressed to augment the normal
`brake light warning signals. While such an arrangement
`solves many of the above mentioned problems, it has not
`proven to be totally satisfactory. In this regard, the
`incandescent lights are connected in series causing the
`entire lighting arrangement to fail should any one of the
`lamps fail. In addition because such lamps are spaced
`apart and very small they have proven to be less than
`satisfactory for warning purposes.
`Another attempt is shown in US. patent application
`07/839,814 that discloses a license plate holder with a
`single neon tube for providing a source of bright glow-
`ing light to illuminate the vehicle license plate and a
`rear portion of the motor vehicle. In this arrangement a
`low voltage'high frequency transformer is mounted in
`the trunk of the vehicle and is coupled to a high voltage
`high frequency transformer mounted within a tube
`holder secured to the rear of the vehicle. While this
`method has proven highly successful it would be highly
`desirable to have an improved method and apparatus
`for illuminating the rear of a vehicle that would not
`require the mounting of a special power supply within
`the trunk of the motor vehicle, that would be safe and
`
`DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
`
`It is the principal object of this invention to provide a
`new and improved illuminating apparatus and method
`of using it to provide a highly visible glowing bright
`light for helping to alert drivers of a stopping vehicle.
`It is a further object of the present invention to pro-
`vide such a new and improved illuminating apparatus
`which can be easily and quickly installed by relatively
`unskilled and untrained personnel.
`'
`Another object of the present invention is to provide
`such an illuminating apparatus and method which is
`relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install and
`that can be utilized with relative safety on both new and
`old vehicles.
`
`Briefly, the above and further objects of the present
`invention are realized by providing a new and improved
`apparatus for illuminating the rear portion of a vehicle
`and particularly the license plate of the vehicle. The
`apparatus includes a transparent channel member for
`receiving a low voltage high frequency power system
`having a high voltage high frequency transformer and a
`single annularly shaped neon bulb therewithin for illu-
`minating the rear of the vehicle and its license plate
`with a bright glowing light. The neon bulb is energized
`by the high voltage, high frequency transformer that is
`coupled to the vehicle electrical system by a low volt-
`age high frequency power supply. The channel member
`is adapted to mounted adjacent to the license plate of a
`vehicle and sealed with a protective cover to help pre-
`vent accidental electrical shock.
`The preferred method of using the apparatus is to
`connect the apparatus to the lighting system of the
`vehicle. In this regard, when the brake pedal of a vehi-
`cle is depressed, the low voltage power supply gener-
`ates a source of low voltage high frequency electrical
`energy, which powers the high voltage transformer and
`in turn, the associated neon bulb to augment the vehicle
`brake lighting system.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
`
`The above mentioned and other objects and features
`of this invention and the manner of attaining them will
`become apparent, and the invention itself will be best
`understood by reference to the following description of
`the embodiment of the invention in conjunction with
`the accompanying drawings, wherein:
`‘
`FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic schematic view of a lumi-
`nous license plate apparatus which is constructed in
`accordance with the present invention and which is
`shown operatively coupled to the electrical system of a
`motor vehicle;
`FIG. 1A is a partial fragmentary exploded pictorial
`view of a license plate frame assembly of FIG. 1, and
`which is shown illustratively, relative to a rear portion
`of a vehicle to which the assembly is to be mounted;
`FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic diagram of a low voltage
`high frequency power system for energizing a. neon
`tube of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the license plate
`frame assembly of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the license plate
`frame assembly of FIG. 1;
`'
`FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the license plate
`frame assembly of FIG. 3 taken substantially along lines
`5—5;
`
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`5,255,166
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`5
`FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the license plate
`frame assembly of FIG. 3 taken substantially along lines
`6—6;
`FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the license plate
`frame assembly of FIG. 3 taken substantially along lines
`7—7;
`FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a retaining clip of
`FIG. 7;
`FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the retaining clip
`of FIG. 8; and
`FIG. 10 is a luminous license plate apparatus which is
`constructed in accordance with the present invention.
`BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE
`INVENTION
`
`Referring now to the drawings and more particularly
`to FIG. 1 thereof there is shown a novel luminous li-
`cense plate assembly apparatus 9 which is constructed
`in accordance with the present invention and which is
`operatively coupled to the electrical system 10 of a
`motor vehicle 14. The luminous license plate apparatus
`9 generally comprises a license plate frame assembly 13
`having a single annularly shaped neon tube 20 for illu-
`minating the rear portion of the motor vehicle 14 and a
`low voltage high frequency power system 12 for ener-
`gizing electrically the neon tube 20. The low voltage
`high frequency power system 12 is powered by the
`electrical system 10 of the motor vehicle 14. As best
`seen in FIG. IA, the frame assembly 13 is adapted to be
`mounted in centrally disposed location adjacent a rear
`license plate 14A of the vehicle 14. In this regard, the
`assembly 13 is mounted to the rear of the vehicle 14
`using a set of mounting bolts, (not shown) that are also
`employed for mounting the rear license 14A to the
`vehicle.
`
`Considering now the assembly 13 in greater detail
`with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the assembly 13 gener-
`ally comprises the neon tube 20 and a neon tube holder
`18 for supporting the neon tube 20 in a stationary man-
`ner relative to the license plate of the vehicle 14. The
`neon tube 20 is received within the holder 18 and is
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`secured removably therein by a set of spaced apart
`retaining clips, such as a clip 21 (FIGS. 7, 8 and 9).
`While in the preferred form of the invention the
`holder is shown mounted to the rear of a motor vehicle
`for illuminating a license plate, it will be understood by
`those skilled in the art that the holder and tube can be
`configured in different shapes and can be mounted on
`various other locations on the vehicle for illumination
`purposes.
`Considering now the low voltage high frequency
`power system 12 in greater detail with reference to
`FIGS. 1 and 2, the system 12 generally includes a small
`high voltage high frequency transformer 15 for supply-
`ing high voltage power to the neon tube 20, and a small
`low voltage high frequency power converter 16 for
`energizing the high voltage high frequency transformer
`15. The power supply 16 and the high voltage high
`frequency transformer 15 are disposed on a small
`printed circuit board 12A (FIG. 2). As will be explained
`hereinafter, the printed circuit board 12A is adapted to
`be mounted within a small space disposed with the tube
`holder 18. A pair of conductors 28 and 29 interconnect
`the power converter 16 with the transformer 15. In this
`regard, the transformer 15 includes a primary winding
`(not shown) coupled to the power converter 16 via the .
`conductors 28 and 29. The conductors 28 and 29 carry
`low voltage high frequency power only and are only
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`6
`energized when the power converter 16 is energized by
`the electrical system 10 of the motor vehicle.
`The neon tube 20 includes a set of high voltage elec-
`trodes 22—25 which are adapted to be connected to the
`output winding of the transformer 15 by a pair of high
`voltage connectors 17 and 19 respectively.
`In operation the power converter 16 is energized by
`a hot line conductor 27 connected in series with the
`
`vehicle brake line system that includes a pair of rim
`brake lights or incandescent bulbs 51A and 52A respec-
`tively. In this regard, the neon tube 20 will be energized
`whenever the user ‘of the vehicle actuates a brake
`
`switch 64 connecting the vehicle’s electrical power to
`the power converter 16. In this mode of operation the
`tube 20 functions as a third brake light disposed be-
`tween the normal rear brake lights 51A and 52A of the
`vehicle 14.
`
`Although in the preferred mode of operation, the
`power converter 16 is energized by the brake light
`power circuit, it will be understood by those skilled in
`the art that the power converter 16 could also be con-
`nected to the rear tail light circuit comprised of a light
`switch 66 and a pair of tail lights or incandescent bulbs
`50 and 53 respectively. In this mode of operation the
`neon bulb 20 would be energized whenever the user of
`the vehicle actuates the head lights of the vehicle 14,
`thus enabling the license plate to be more easily identi-
`fied by law enforcement personnel.
`Considering now the tube holder 18 in greater detail
`with reference to FIGS. 1—7, the tube holder 18 gener-
`ally comprises a front transparent channel member 30
`for receiving and supporting the neon tube 20 in a sta-
`tionary manner relative to the license plate of the vehi-
`cle 14 and a rear protective cover plate 40 that encloses
`the neon tube 20 and low voltage high frequency power
`system 12 within the channel member 30 thus prevent-
`ing a user from making contact accidentally with the
`high voltage electrodes 22-25. As best seen in FIGS. 5
`and 6, the rear cover plate 40 is dimensioned to engage
`matingly a tube receiving channel 32 disposed within
`channel member 30 in order to seal the neon tube 20 and
`
`low voltage high frequency power system 12 within
`channel 32. As will be explained hereinafter in greater
`detail, the channel member 30 and the cover plate 4-0 are
`secured removably together by the mounting bolts,
`which affix the license plate 14A and the tube holder 18
`to the rear of the vehicle 14.
`Considering now the channel member 30 in greater
`detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 5—7, the channel mem-
`ber 30 is of unitary construction and is composed of a
`transparent plastic material. The channel member 30 is
`generally rectangular in shape to define a centrally
`disposed open space 31 that is substantially smaller than
`a vehicle license plate. In order to enable the neon bulb
`20 to fully illuminate the license plate of the vehicle 14,
`the channel member 30 is dimensioned to be substan-
`tially larger than the license plate of the vehicle so the
`license plate will be completely outlined by the neon
`bulb 20 when the bulb 20 and license plate are adjacent
`to one another relative to the holder 18.
`As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the channel member 30
`generally includes an upper leg portion 33 that is inte-
`grally connected between a pair of side leg portions 34
`and 35 that are disposed parallel to one another and a
`lower leg portion 36 that is integrally connected be-
`tween the opposite terminal ends of side leg portions 34
`and 35. The leg portions 33-36 are generally U-shaped
`in cross section for defining the tube receiving channel
`
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`

`7
`32 that extends around the entire periphery of the chan-
`nel member 30.
`
`8
`the bottom and top lips of the upper portion of the
`cover.
`
`5,255,166
`
`For the purpose of mounting the license plate 14A to
`the channel member 30, the upper leg portion 33 in-
`cludes a pair of spaced-apart apertured bolt receiving
`members 37 and 38. The bolt receiving members 37 and
`38 are integrally connected to the upper leg portion 33
`and depend within the space 31. A corresponding pair
`of bolt receiving members 37A and 38A are integrally
`connected to the lower leg portion 36 and extend into
`the space 31 in alignment with members 37 and 38,
`respectively. The bolt receiving members 37, 37A, 38
`and 38A are configured to be in substantial alignment
`with the mounting holes of a conventional license plate.
`In order to accommodate the electrodes 22-25 within
`the channel 32, the lower leg portion 36 forms a hollow
`protuberance 39 that is centrally disposed between side
`leg portions 34 and 36. The protuberance 39 is U-shape
`in cross section and is sufficiently dimensioned to re-
`ceive the end portions of the neon tube 20 which are
`substantially wider than the other portions of the tube
`20. In this regard, the protuberance has a transverse
`dimension that is about twice the transverse dimension
`of the other leg members, such as the leg member 33.
`As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 7, the channel member 30
`also includes a plurality of spaced apart slots, such as
`slots 71 and 72 that are disposed within the leg portions,
`such as leg portion 33. The slots, such as slots 71 and 72
`are adapted for receiving individual ones of the retain-
`ing clips, such as the retaining clip 21.
`Considering now the protective cover plate 40 in
`greater detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, the
`protective plate 40 has a unitary construction and is
`adapted to engage matingly the channel member 30. In
`this regard, the plate 40 seals the high voltage neon tube
`20 within the channel 32 to prevent the electrodes of the
`tube from making contact with the vehicle 14. The
`cover plate 40 is generally a flat body member config-
`ured in a generally rectangular shape for defining an
`opening 49. The center plate 40 is dimensioned to be
`received within the channel 32 for helping to secure the
`neon tube 20 therewithin. The cover plate 40 includes a
`upper leg member 41, a lower leg member 42 and a pair
`of side leg members 43 and 44 that are integrally con-
`nected to both the upper leg member 41 and the lower
`leg member 42. The lower leg member 42 includes a
`centrally disposed raised portion 45 that is dimensioned
`to close that portion of the channel 32 bounded by the
`protuberance 39. The raised portion 45 is generally
`rectangular in shape. The right and left sides of the
`raised portion are truncated to form a pair of notches 46
`and 47 for engaging matingly the outer surface of bolt
`receiving members 37A and 38A respectively. In this
`regard, the notches 46 and 47 are complementarily
`shaped to a portion of members 38A and 37A respec-
`tively. The raised portion 45 includes a centrally dis-
`posed cylindrically shaped aperture 48 having a suffi-
`cient diameter to permit the conductor cord 28 to pass
`therethrough.
`As best seen in FIG. 7, when the protective cover
`plate 40 is received within the channel 32, the cover
`plate 40 abuts against the retaining clips, such as the clip
`21 and is secured (by means not shown) within the
`channel member 30.
`
`The retaining clip 21 is designed to hold the cover to
`the tube receiving channel which contains the neon
`tube and is clipped to the outside of the upper cover on
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`Considering now the neon tube 20 in greater detail
`with reference to FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7, the neon tube 20
`is composed of a transparent material, such as glass and
`is generally rectangular in shape. The hollow portion of
`the tube is sealed and is filled with a gas 100 such as
`neon gas that can be ionized by a high current charge.
`While neon is the preferred gas it will be understood by
`those skilled in the art that other gases, such as argon
`can also be used. The tube has a upper leg member 26
`which is integrally connected between a left leg mem-
`ber 27 and a right leg member 28. The lower portion of
`the tube 20 includes a pair of spaced apart straight leg
`portions 51A and 52A which are integrally connected
`to the right leg member 27 and the left leg member 28
`respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the opposite ends of
`leg portions 51A and 52A terminate in a pair of spaced
`apart U-shaped end portions 53A and 54A respectively
`for defining a small space indicated generally at 50A
`therebetween. In this regard, the space 50A is suffi-
`ciently large to permit the printed circuit board 12A to
`be mounted therein without obstructing any of the light
`emitted from the tube 20 from radiating out of the
`holder 18.
`
`The U shape portions 53A and 54 are sealed at their
`terminal ends and have extending therefrom the elec-
`trode terminals 22, 23 and 24, 25 respectively. The elec-
`trode terminals 22-25 are in turn coupled to the low
`voltage high frequency power system 12 via the trans-
`former 15.
`
`Considering now the retaining clip 21 in greater de-
`tail with reference to FIGS. 7—9, the retaining clip 21 is
`of a unitary construction and is composed of a resilient
`plastic material which is sufficiently flexible to enable
`the retaining clip 21 to be easily installed and removed
`from the slots 71 and 72. The retaining clip 21 includes
`a pair of slot engaging portions 80 and 81 respectively
`that are complementarily shaped to the slots disposed in
`the channel member 30, such as the slots 71 and 72. The
`slot engaging portions 80 and 81 are integrally con-
`nected to a centrally disposed body portion 83 that is
`adapted for engaging matingly a portion of the neon
`tube 20. In this regard when a clip, such as the clip 21 is
`received within the slots 71 and 72 it wedges the tube 20
`securely within the channel 32.
`Considering now the retaining clip 21 in still greater
`detail, the body member 83 in cross section generally
`includes a curved leg portion 84 having a radius that is
`substantially the same as the radius of the upper leg
`member 26 of the tube 20 for engaging the tube 20
`matingly. The body member 83 also includes a straight
`leg 85 which is disposed substantially opposite the
`curved leg portion 84 and has a dimension that is about
`the same as the height of channel 32. The straight leg
`portion 85 is adapted to abut flatly against the cover
`plate 40 when its received with channel 32. The slot
`engaging portions 80 and 81 are substantially similar, so
`only the portion 80 will be described. Considering now
`the slit engaging portion 80 in greater detail with refer-
`ence to FIGS. 7—9, the slot engaging portion 80 in cross
`section generally includes a short leg portion 86 and a
`long leg portions 87. The short leg portion is integrally
`connected to the straight leg portion 85 at about an
`angle of 45‘. Similarly, the long leg portion 87 is inte-
`grally connected to the curved leg portion 84 at about
`an angle of 45°.
`
`8
`
`

`

`9
`Considering now the high frequency high frequency
`high voltage transformer 15 in greater detail with refer-
`ence to FIG. 2, the high frequency high voltage trans-
`former 15 is coupled between the low voltage high
`frequency power converter 16 and the high voltage
`connectors 17 and 19. In this regard, the transformer 15
`has a pair of hot conductors 23 and 25 connected across
`its output winding and interconnected to the connectors
`17 and 25 respectively. Each of the connectors 17 and
`25 include ground returns via a pair of conductors 22
`and 24 respectively.
`The transformer 15 is small in size and is adapted to
`be mounted to the printed circuit board 12A (FIG. 4).
`The transformer converts 12 VAC power to 2000 VAC
`power. It is manufactured and sold by Neonize which
`has a place of business in Huntington Park, California.
`Considering now the low voltage high frequency
`power converter 16 in greater detail with reference to
`FIG. 2, the power converter 16 is adapted to be coupled
`between the electrical system 10 of the motor vehicle
`via the hot and ground conductor 27 and 27A respec-
`tively and the high voltage high frequency transformer
`15 via the conductors 28 and 29. The power converter
`is small in size and is adapted to be mounted to the
`printed circuit board 12A. The power converter 16
`converts 12 VDC power to 12 VAC power. The power
`converter 16 is more fully described in copending U.S.
`patent application Ser. No. 08/005,643.
`Considering now the printed circuit board 12A in
`greater detail with reference to FIG. 4, the printed
`circuit board 12A is adapted to be mounted by means
`(not shown) within the protuberance 39 of the holder
`18. In one form of the present invention, the board 12A
`is mounted within the small space 50A transversely to
`the U shaped portions 53A and 54 of the tube 20. In this
`arrangement, substantially all of the light emitted from
`the tube 20 is able to radiate from the holder 18.
`Referring now to FIG. 10, another luminous license
`plate assembly apparatus 109 which is constructed in
`accordance with the present invention. Apparatus 109 is
`substantially similar to apparatus 9 except as to the
`positioning of the power system.
`Considering now the apparatus 109 in greater detail,
`the apparatus 109 includes a rectangularly shaped non
`tube