Invalidity dossier
US 5005108
Thin panel illuminator
Current assignee: Solid State Opto Ltd
Added 9/23/2026, 2:45:32 PM
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US 5005108 A
Title: Thin panel illuminator
Patent number: US 5005108 A
Application number: US07/309,424
Inventors: David J. Pristash; Jeffery R. Parker
Original assignee: Lumitex Inc.
Current assignee listed (per source): Solid State Opto Ltd; LEE MANG-SHIANG
Priority/filing date: 1989-02-10
Publication (grant) date: 1991-04-02
Legal status listed: Expired – Lifetime (anticipated expiration 2009-02-10)
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US5005108/en
Purpose and plain-language scope. The patent concerns a thin panel illuminator built around a solid transparent panel that conducts light and uses "extractor means" to cause light to be emitted along the panel's length. Several configurations are described, aimed at lower manufacturing cost and/or better control of light output, plus more efficient transmission from a light source into the panel.
In plain terms, the disclosed panel may be a thin light-conducting ribbon or film bent, cast, or formed into a predetermined pattern, with emitted light controlled by bend radius, number of bends per unit length, panel thickness, index-of-refraction ratio, and internal ray distribution. Alternatively, the panel may be a solid transparent waveguide with a prismatic surface that makes entering rays exceed the internal critical angle and exit; size, shape, and depth of surface deformities can vary along the length to tailor output distribution. A back reflector may redirect light back through the panel, and a second prismatic film may redirect emitted rays. Another form uses a prismatic film with parallel prism ridges and deformities along the ridge tops. Panels may be shaped for particular applications, input surfaces may be lens-shaped or tapered, and a transition device (e.g., an optical fiber transition member with differing connector shapes at each end) can match a light source to the panel input.
Not established by the excerpt. The supplied text omits claims, the full description, and drawings; it does not establish specific claim language, claim scope, the prior art cited, validity, infringement, or details of any ownership transfers beyond the assignment entries shown.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:51:59 PM
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Litigation summary
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Proceedings on file (0)
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No PTAB proceedings on file. This patent has not been challenged via IPR, PGR, or CBM. The absence is itself a signal — well-asserted patents eventually attract IPRs. The LLM analysis below may surface filings the ODP feed hasn’t indexed yet.
PTAB challenges
AIA trial proceedings at the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board — IPR, PGR, and CBM. Petitioners, judge panels, claim-level invalidation outcomes from Final Written Decisions, and Federal Circuit appeals. The single most important defensive datapoint after litigation history.
Assignment history
Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.
Prior art
Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.
Obviousness
Combinations of prior art that suggest the claimed invention would have been obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103.
Extensions
Patent term adjustments, term extensions, continuations, divisionals, family members, and expiration dates.
Derivative works
Defensive disclosure: derivative variations of each claim designed to render future incremental improvements obvious or non-novel.