Illuminated instrument

Claim 1

AN ILLUMINATED INDICATING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A DIAL HAVING INDICIA THEREON, SAID DIAL BEING ADAPTED FOR LIGHTING FROM THE REAR, (B) A PAIR OF SPACED-APART LAMPS LOCATED TO THE REAR OF THE DIAL, TO EFFECT REAR LIGHTING THEREOF, (C) A POINTER MOVABLE OVER THE FRONT OF THE DIAL AND HAVING A LIGHT-REFLECTING MEANS ADJACENT ITS PIVOTAL AXIS AND AN ILLUMINABLE AREA ALONG ITS LENGTH, BY WHICH THE POINTER MAY BE LIGHTED BY A LIGHT BEAM DIRECTED AT IT FROM THE REAR OF THE DIAL, (D) A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT ELONGATE, SOLID LIGHT-PIPING MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES, SAID MEMBER BEING LOCATED AT THE REAR OF THE DIAL AND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SAID LAMPS WITH THE SAID EXTREMITIES OF THE MEMBER DISPOSED ADJACENT THE LAMPS TO RECEIVE LIGHT THEREFROM, SAID MEMBER HAVING A DEEP V-NOTCH WITH SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR SLOPING REFLECTIVE FACES DISPOSED IN ONE SIDE INTERMEDIATE ITS EXTREMITIES, SAID NOTCH HAVING A DEPTH WHICH IS COMMENSURATE WITH THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ONE SIDE AND THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE MEMBER, (E) SAID SLOPING FACES MEETING EACH OTHER ALONG A COMMON LINE AND CONSTITUTING A PAIR OF DUAL, JUXTAPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR REFLECTOR MEANS ON THE LIGHTPIPING MEMBER AND IN THE SAID NOTCH INTERMEDIATE THE SAID EXTREMITIES OF THE MEMBER, FOR REFLECTING SOLID BEAMS OF LIGHT OF APPRECIABLE THICKNESS AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RAYS RECEIVED INDIVIDUALLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM THE SAID LAMPS, AS SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR BEAMS WHICH ARE DIRECTED BOTH IN A SINGLE DIRECTION LATERALLY OF THE MEMBER TO FORM A COMBINED BEAM WHICH HAS BEEN REFLECTED BUT ONCE AND WHICH IS OF SUBSTANTIALLY DOUBLE STRENGTH, SAID COMBINED BEAM BEING ADAPTABLE FOR REFLECTION FORWARD THROUGH THE DIAL AND AT THE LIGHT-REFLECTING MEANS OF THE POINTER, THEREBY TO LIGHT THE LATTER WITH AT LEAST ONE BEAM STRENGTH REGARDLESS OF WHETHER BOTH OF THE LAMPS ARE OPERATIVE OR ONLY ONE IS OPERATIVE.