Flexible light pipe with improved performance coating

Claim 1

A flexible elongated light conductor which can be bent into predetermined configurations and which is adapted to be end lighted in order to provide a variety of different light-emitting shapes, said flexible light conductor comprising: an elongated transparent plastic member having a predetermined cross-sectional configuration of predetermined dimensions as desired for the lighted shapes to be produced, said elongated plastic member having sufficient flexibility that it can be readily conformed into the shapes desired, and at least one end portion of said elongated plastic member adapted to be retained in light-receptive relationship with light source means to direct light received from the light source means along the length of said elongated plastic member; a thin flexible light-transmitting member snugly overfitting said elongated plastic member, said overfitting member formed of material which is resistant to deleterious effects of the environment in which said shaped end-lighted plastic member is intended to be utilized; said thin overfitting member prior to application over said elongated plastic member having the characteristic of shrinking in diameter upon being heated under predetermined conditions, and said thin overfitting member after application over said elongated plastic member having been heated to a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined time sufficient to heat shrink said overfitting member onto said elongated plastic member; whereby interface reflections between said elongated plastic member and said overfitting member are minimized, and said flexible light conductor may be bent through small radii turns when conforming said flexible light conductor into different desired shapes without encountering appreciable separation between said elongated plastic member and said snugly overfitting member.