Lens and lens assemblies

Claim 1

A LENS FOR TRANSMITTING THERETHROUGH AND FOCUSING LIGHT FALLING UPON ONE FACE THEREOF TO DIRECT THE LIGHT INTO A PREDETERMINED PATTERN AND FOR REFLECTING THEREFROM LIGHT FALLING UPON THE OTHER FACE THEREOF TO REFLECT THE LIGHT BACK TOWARD THE SOURCE THEREOF, SAID LENS COMPRISING A BODY OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL HAVING A FRONT FACE AND A REAR FACE, A LIGHT FOCUSING OPTIC SYSTEM ON SAID BODY AND SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING A PREDETERMINED AREA THEREOF, SAID OPTIC SYSTEM TRANSMITTING THROUGH SAID LENS AND FOCUSING LIGHT FALLING UPON SAID REAR FACE FOR DIRECTING THE LIGHT INTO A PREDETERMINED PATTERN, AND A PLURALITY OF RETRODIRECTIVE REFLECTOR ELEMENTS ON SAID BODY AND SUBSTANTALLY UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH SAID OPTIC SYSTEM IN SAID PREDETERMINED AREA AND SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDED THEREBY SAID REFLECTOR ELEMENTS REFLECTING FROM SAID LENS LIGHT FALLING UPON SAID FRONT FACE IN SAID PREDETERMINED AREA FOR REFLECTING THE LIGHT BACK TOWARD THE SOURCE THEREOF, ADJACENT ONES OF SAID REFLECTOR ELEMENTS AS VIEWED IN SAID FRONT FACE BEING SPACES APART A DISTANCE NO GREATER THAN ABOUT 0.175 INCH, WHEREBY WHEN SAID PREDETERMINED AREA IS VIEWED IN SAID FRONT FACE OF SAID LENS AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 50 FEET IT APPEARS UNIFORMLY LIGHTED THROUGHOUT AND OF THE SAME SHAPE BOTH WHEN LIGHTED BY LIGHT FALLING UPON THE REAR FACE THEREOF AND WHEN LIGHTED BY LIGHT FALLING UPON THE FRONT FACE THEREOF.