US 3958113

Patent Overview: US 3,958,113 A — "Lighting Effects Device"

Bibliographic data (from source): Inventor Carol I. Termohlen; original assignee listed as "Individual"; application US05/496,735, filed 1974-08-12; priority date 1973-04-26; granted/publication date 1976-05-18; anticipated expiration 1993-05-18; status "Expired – Lifetime." Classification F21S10/005 (lighting devices producing a varying lighting effect using light guides).

Purpose: The invention relates to lighting devices producing light in a variety of colors, and more particularly to a "lighting effects device" that produces a luminescing or glowing solid volume or field of uniform colored light whose hue changes from basic colors (red, blue, green) to the pastel or "sum" colors thereof. Stated objects include providing such a solid luminous volume/field; providing a musical instrument with lights that change color with tone frequency; and specifically a guitar whose body glows and changes hue as it is played.

Plain-language scope: An elongated body of solid transparent plastic has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section, thin frosted side edges, and a water-clear front viewing face, backed by frosted light-diffusing surfaces (two at an acute angle to the face, one generally parallel) covered by a light-absorbing shield — a piece of dark gray abrasive-particle paper placed particle-side toward the body — that reduces external frontal reflections and enhances diffusion. A longitudinal row of light bulbs sits in perforations through the central portion, each perforation having a frosted cylindrical wall; each bulb is held in a colored casing, arranged in repeating sets of three (red 34a, blue 34b, green 34c). A printed circuit board provides common and switched runs contacting the bulb electrodes. Energizing different lamps yields a uniform glowing field of a chosen hue combining toward pastels. Embodiments include the light panel alone, a plastic guitar, and plastic parts applied to a conventional guitar, with frequency-responsive switching circuitry.

Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US3958113/en

What this excerpt does not establish: It is partial. It omits the full claims, complete description, and the text explaining FIGS. 14/14a circuitry. It provides no information on litigation, ownership transfers, validity, or prior art beyond glossary terms; nothing here should be read as a legal conclusion on any of those.