Appeal No. 2004-1069 Page 7
Application No. 09/569,616
embodiment, to form flat surfaces that correspond to the flat surfaces of the beam
expanding light pipe 14', the cross-sectional shape of the beam collector 28' is also
truncated at an end that is adjacent to the entry surface 16' of the beam expanding light
pipe 14'. The truncated portion of the beam collector 28' does not extend along the
entire length of the beam collector 28'.
Figure 5A is a perspective view of a prismatic diffuser 66, for use with a light
expanding system according to the invention, that can be used to change the
propagation direction and divergence angle of a light beam that is output from the light
expanding system. The prismatic diffuser 66 is made of a transparent material such as
acrylic or polycarbonate. The prismatic diffuser 66 is formed as a very thin material.
For example, typically, the prismatic diffuser 66 has a thickness that is on the order of
10 or more times thinner than the thickness of the beam expanding light pipes, e.g.,
beam expanding light 14. Also, the prismatic diffuser 66 has a thickness having the
same order of magnitude as the pitch of the microprisms formed as part of the prismatic
diffuser 66, while the beam expanding light pipe 14 has a thickness that is on the order
of 10 to 100 times larger than the pitch of the microprisms 44. The prismatic diffuser 66
has a light input surface 100 and a light output surface 101 opposite the light input
surface 100. The light input surface 100 is flat, while the light output surface 101 is
shaped to form a prismatic structure. The prismatic diffuser 66 is positioned adjacent
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