Color Kinetics awarded patent relating to synchronized lighting effects
Issued October 5, 2004, US patent number 6,801,003 covers certain systems and methods for synchronizing lighting effects between various LED-based lighting systems without the use of a network. For example, one means for synchronizing lights is monitoring fluctuations in the power that is delivered.
The patent covers methods that are applied today in pool and spa lighting systems, and has potential for use in other fields such as specifier-grade architectural lighting, retail and display lighting, and consumer products that require the intelligence for synchronized lighting effects without the network infrastructure.
"The issuance of this latest patent reflects Color Kinetics' pioneering efforts in developing technologies and techniques that realize the potential of LEDs as an inherently intelligent light source," said George Mueller, chairman and CEO of Color Kinetics. "The ability to synchronize LED-based lighting effects without the use of a network represents another innovation in intelligent control, and allows for wider-ranging applications in both new and existing lighting environments."
Color Kinetics now holds 36 patents and has over 120 patent applications pending that apply to many aspects of solid-state lighting technology. Including this most recent announcement, the company has been awarded 5 patents in the last 2 months, as well as four patents in the second quarter of 2004.
Recent patent awards
On August 10, Color Kinetics was awarded US patent number 6,774,584, a utility patent that covers many aspects of Color Kinetics' pool and spa lighting developments, including retrofit systems and custom solutions designed to exhibit the practical and aesthetic benefits of solid-state lighting.
On August 17, 2004, the company was awarded US patent number 6,777,891 relating in part to technology that is implemented in Chromasic™, the company's proprietary integrated circuit that allows a reduction in the cost, size, weight, and complexity of systems requiring many small light sources.
One commercial application of this technology is the iColor® Flex SL product introduced by Color Kinetics in September 2003 - a flexible, multi-purpose, intelligent solid-state string light comprised of individually controllable tri-color LED nodes.
On August 24, 2004, Color Kinetics was awarded US patent number 6,781,329 covering core methods of controlling LED-based illumination in pool and spa environments. One aspect of the patent relates to illumination in a pool or spa generated by a microprocessor-controlled, LED-based light. Another aspect relates to the adaptation of a light source to generate different colors without requiring the use of colored filters.
On September 2, was awarded a patent in Canada covering Chromacore®, a digital control technology that underlies Color Kinetics' intelligent solid-state lighting systems and drives multi-color LEDs to generate millions of colors and dynamic lighting effects without the constraints or complexities of conventional light sources. The company was originally awarded a US patent covering Chromacore in January 2000, a European patent in 2002, a Hong Kong patent in 2003, and now patent number 2,302,227 in Canada.
On September 7, 2004, Color Kinetics was awarded US patent number 6,788,011 relating in part to an LED-based lighting system comprising a user interface and an addressable controller that receives a network signal. The network signal may include such protocols as DMX512, a lighting industry communication standard.
This allows control of color, intensity, and the creation of dynamic effects in both standalone and networked environments. The patent also extends Color Kinetics' coverage of techniques for controlling the output of LEDs beyond pulse width modulation.
