Method and means for integrally lighting an indicator with uniform brightness and with light conservation

Claim 1

IN AN ILLUMINATION SYSTEM OF A TYPE INCLUDING A LIGHT CONDUCTING BLOCK OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL FRONT AND REAR REFLECTING SURFACES, SAID SURFACES BEING POLISHED AND OPERATIVE TO SPECULARLY REFLECT LIGHT RAYS IN SAID BLOCK, A MEMBER OF TRANSLUCENT MATERIAL EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID SURFACES AND POSITIONED ADJACENT TO THE FRONT FACE OF SAID LIGHT CONDUCTING BLOCK, AND SAID MEMBER OF TRANSLUCENT MATERIAL HAVING INDICIA IN AN OBVERSE FACE THEREOF; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A LIGHT DIFFUSING MEANS IN OPTICAL CONTACT WITH THE REAR REFLECTING SURFACE OF THE LIGHT CONDUCTING BLOCK, SAID LIGHT DIFFUSING MEANS INCLUDING LIGHT DIFFUSING AREAS OF DIFFERENT SIZE ARRANGED IN SPACED RELATION IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO DIFFUSE A PORTION OF SAID SPECULARLY REFLECTED LIGHT RAYS FROM THE REAR SURFACES OF THE BLOCK OF LIGHT CONDUCTOR MATERIAL INTO AND THROUGH THE MEMBER OF TRANSLUCENT MATERIAL SO AS TO ILLUMINATE THE ENTIRE VIEWABLE SURFACE AREA OF THE MEMBER OF TRANSLUCENT MATERIAL WITH UNIFORM BRIGHTNESS, SAID LIGHT DIFFUSING MEANS INCLUDES A SERIES OF PAINT DOTS ARRANGED IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN, SAID DOTS BEING OF DIFFERENT SIZE AND HAVING A DIFFERENT SPACED RELATION SO AS TO EFFECT A DIFFUSION OF THE LIGHT RAYS THROUGH THE TRANSLUCENT MEMBER WITH UNIFORM BRIGHTNESS.