Reflector having radial flutes

Claim 1

A reflector for an elongate light source comprising: a contoured element being shaped in the form of a parabaloid having a closed tip portion at one end and a widened open portion at the other end, said element having a reflecting inner surface comprising a number of light-spreading flutes which extend along the radial contours of the element from the tip portion to the open portion, said flutes including convex and concave portions relative to the inner surface of the reflector, said convex and concave portions being arranged in a repeating pattern, adjacent flute portions merging in a geometrically discontinuous manner when viewed in crosssection, each convex flute portion having side edges where joined with adjacent flute portions and having a light spreading capacity which, when calculated in a direction at right angles to the axis of the parabaloidal reflector, decreases from a maximum in the proximity of the side edges of the convex flute portion to a minimum at a location between the two edges, each concave flute portion having side edges where joined with adjacent flute portions and having a light spreading capacity which, when calculated in a direction at right angles to the axis of the parabaloidal reflector, increases from a minimum in the proximity of the edges of the flute to a maximum at a location between the edges, the maximum light spreading capacity of the convex flute portions decreasing in a direction from the widened portion of the reflector toward the tip of the reflector, the minimum spreading capacity of the concave flute portions increasing in the direction from the tip to the widened open portion, said reflector adapted to receive an elongate light source arranged in the reflector along the axis of the parabaloid.