Panel mounted meter and accessory illumination system

Claim 1

AN ILLUMINATION SYSTEM FOR ILLUMINATING A METER MOUNTED UPON A CONTROL OR DISPLAY HOUSING, COMPRISING: A LIGHT CONDUCTING PANEL FORMED OF A TRANSPARENT LIGHT TRANSMITTING MATERIAL AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL POLISHED FRONT AND REAR SURFACES OPERATIVE TO SPECULARLY REFLECT LIGHT RAYS THEREBETWEEN; A METER, SAID METER HAVING A METER DIAL PLATE JUXTAPOSED TO THE FRONT SURFACE OF SAID LIGHT CONDUCTING PANEL; SAID METER DIAL PLATE INCLUDING LIGHT DIFFUSING SCALE MEANS SUPERPOSED FORWARDLY OF THE MOST REARWARD MOUNTING SURFACE OF SAID METER AND HAVING INDICIA ON ITS OBVERSE SURFACE; LIGHT DIFFUSING MEANS IN OPTICAL CONTACT WITH A SURFACE OF SAID LIGHT CONDUCTING PANEL AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONGRUENT WITH AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID METER DIAL PLATE; MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID METER AND LIGHT CONDUCTING PANEL TO SAID CONTROL OR DISPLAY HOUSING; AND LIGHT PRODUCING MEANS LOCATED WITHIN SAID LIGHT CONDUCTING PANEL AND ENERGIZABLE TO TRANSMIT LIGHT RAYS THROUGH SAID PANEL WHEREIN SAID LIGHT DIFFUSING MEANS DIFFUSELY REFLECTS SOME OF THESE TRANSMITTED RAYS THROUGH SAID PANEL FRONT SURFACE AND INTO SAID SCALE MEANS FOR ILLUMINATION THEREOF, THUS FACILITATING OBSERVATION OF THE INDICIA ON THE OBVERSE SIDE OF SAID SCALE MEANS.