Flexible Silicone Light Surround for Diffused Decorative Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Decorative lights often have rigid translucent shells that lack desired light transmitting and tactile characteristics, limiting their versatility and durability.
Innovation Solution
A decorative ornament design featuring a light surround made from a flexible, translucent material with embedded particulates and bubbles, which diffuses and filters light while providing a soft, 3-dimensional shape and tactile experience, and can be easily attached and detached from a light source to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid translucent shells are used about the bulbs, then structural strength is improved, but light transmission quality and tactile characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid translucent shells with flexible translucent shells that can be formed from materials such as flexible plastic, rubber, or silicone. These flexible shells maintain structural integrity while allowing for varied light transmission qualities and providing desired tactile characteristics. The flexibility enables the shell to be molded into various shapes and allows for better light diffusion patterns compared to rigid shells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures combining flexible base materials with embedded particulates (such as glitter, confetti, or other decorative elements) suspended within the translucent shell. This composite approach maintains structural strength through the flexible matrix while the embedded particulates enhance light transmission quality by creating interesting light scattering and refraction effects, thereby resolving the contradiction between strength and light transmission quality.
2Ease of manufacture
If decorative lights are limited to bulb shape, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but versatility and aesthetic appeal deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible nature of the translucent shell allows it to be molded into various non-bulb shapes while maintaining manufacturing simplicity. The flexibility of the material enables complex 3-dimensional forms to be created through molding processes without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity, thereby achieving both shape versatility and ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows for the decorative shell to be separated from the light source (bulb), enabling the shell to be molded independently into various shapes and then attached to the bulb. This segmentation allows complex shapes to be manufactured separately and assembled, maintaining overall manufacturing simplicity while achieving shape versatility.
3Stability of the object's composition
If light surround is permanently attached to light source, then structural stability is improved, but risk of damage to light source deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic attachment system where the flexible shell can be attached to and detached from the light source as needed. The flexibility of the shell allows it to be secured to the bulb for structural stability during use, yet enables easy removal for bulb replacement or repair, thereby protecting the light source while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible translucent shell can be formed with attachment features such as channels or grooves that receive and secure the bulb, providing structural stability when attached. However, the flexibility and modular design allow the shell to be easily detached from the bulb, enabling bulb replacement without damaging either component, thus protecting the light source while maintaining structural stability during operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution creates an attractive, illuminated decorative object with improved durability and aesthetic appeal, offering a low-cost manufacturing process and enhanced light transmission while protecting the light source.
Implementation Method 1
A decorative ornament design featuring a light surround made from a flexible, translucent material with embedded particulates and bubbles, which diffuses and filters light
Implementation Method 2
A decorative ornament design featuring a light surround made from a flexible, translucent material with embedded particulates and bubbles, which diffuses and filters light
Data Source
AI summary
A light emitter has a light surround about the emitter formed from silicone having internally encapsulated plant materials.