U.S. patent application number 12/525895 was filed with the patent office on 2010-03-04 for dark box.
This patent application is currently assigned to Personal Environment Control sprl. Invention is credited to Kenneth Hamilton Norton.
Application Number | 20100051617 12/525895 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39196207 |
Filed Date | 2010-03-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100051617 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Norton; Kenneth Hamilton |
March 4, 2010 |
Dark Box
Abstract
A multifunction dark box includes a frame and an overcoat
covering the frame. A light-blocking and high reflective hermitical
chamber is formed inside the overcoat. A zipper is provided on
three rectangle faces of the overcoat. A water-proof and light
transmitting backing is provided in the zipper.
Inventors: |
Norton; Kenneth Hamilton;
(Guangdong, CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NORRIS MCLAUGHLIN & MARCUS, P.A.
721 ROUTE 202-206, P.O.BOX 5933
BRIDGEWATER
NJ
08807-5933
US
|
Assignee: |
Personal Environment Control
sprl
Rixensart
BE
|
Family ID: |
39196207 |
Appl. No.: |
12/525895 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
June 21, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN07/01950 |
371 Date: |
August 5, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/9.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03D 17/00 20130101;
G03B 15/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/9.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 81/00 20060101
B65D081/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 6, 2007 |
CN |
200720139209.1 |
Claims
1. A dark box, comprising a body and a frame provided therein,
wherein the outer surface of said frame is covered with a casing,
so as to form in the casing a sealed chamber which is light-tight
and intensively light-reflecting internally.
2. The dark box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frame has a
rectangular parallelepiped shape.
3. The dark box as claimed in claim 2, wherein said frame is formed
by connecting metal pipes, with right-angled connectors being
sheathed on at the three dimensional right angles formed by said
three metal pipes.
4. The dark box as claimed in claim 3, wherein there are eight of
said right-angled connectors, and in that each said right-angled
connector is a three-way joint, wherein each two of the joints are
disposed at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to each other, and
wherein connecting holes are provided within the joints, the
diameter of the connecting holes being slightly larger than the
cross-sectional diameter of the metal pipes and said metal pipes
being just capable of being inserted into said connecting
holes.
5. The dark box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said casing is a
double-layer casing, with the outer layer being a light-tight
material, and the inner layer being a light-reflecting
material.
6. The dark box as claimed in claim 5, wherein said casing is
provided with three ventilation holes which are respectively
disposed in any three of the vertical rectangular faces of the
casing.
7. The dark box as claimed in claim 6, wherein each ventilation
hole is provided with a mesh face, behind which a closing layer for
closing the ventilation hole is provided, the closing layer being
of the same material as the inner and outer layers of the casing,
and said closing layer can also be disposed outside the mesh face,
with Velcro being provided on the closing layer, so as to stick to
the Velcro provided on the casing.
8. The dark box as claimed in claim 7, wherein said casing is
provided with four holes, with a first hole and a second hole of
the same size and position being opened beside the ventilation
holes in the corresponding two of the vertical rectangular faces of
the casing for drawing in outside air, a third hole of a diameter
smaller than that of the first hole being provided at the opposite
end of the ventilation hole in any of the other of the vertical
rectangular faces for the connection of electrical input, and a
fourth hole being provided in the top transverse rectangular face
for drawing out air from within the dark box, the diameter of the
fourth hole being equal to that of the first and second holes.
9. The dark box as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first, second,
third and fourth holes are respectively provided internally with a
first stocking, with an end of the first stocking being connected
within the hole, and a second stocking being provided outside the
first stocking, and the other ends of the first and second
stockings being provided respectively with a string for knotting or
loosening the stocking.
10. The dark box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said three
connected rectangular faces of said casing are provided with zipper
openings for the ease of assembly/disassembly of the whole dark
box, the zipper being provided with a water- and light-proof
backing.
Description
[0001] This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent
Application No. 200720139209.1 filed with the Chinese Patent Office
on Feb. 6, 2007 and entitled "Dark box", which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a dark box and, more particularly,
to a multifunctional dark box.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] In the dark boxes of the prior art, since the level of light
reflection is low, the light source is either leaked through the
wall, or the light energy is absorbed by the face of the wall or
the fabric and converted into useless heat, which cannot meet the
darkness requirements of the dark box.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a dark box,
which has a high light blocking performance, and strong internal
light reflection, and is an effectively sealed dark box.
[0007] To achieve the above object, there is provided a dark box,
comprising a body and a frame provided therein, wherein the outer
surface of said frame is covered with a casing, so as to form in
the casing a sealed chamber which is light-tight and intensively
light-reflecting internally.
[0008] The frame has a rectangular parallelepipedic shape.
[0009] The frame is formed by connecting metal pipes, with
right-angled connectors being sheathed on at the three dimensional
right angles formed by said three metal pipes.
[0010] The right-angled connectors are three-way joints, wherein
each two of the joints are disposed at an angle of 90 degrees with
respect to each other, and connecting holes are provided within the
joints, the diameter of the connecting holes being slightly larger
than the cross-sectional diameter of the metal pipes and said metal
pipes being just capable of being inserted into said connecting
holes. There here are eight of said right-angled connectors.
[0011] The casing is a double-layer casing, with the outer layer
being a light-tight material, and the inner layer being a
light-reflecting material.
[0012] Said casing is provided with ventilation holes. There are
three such ventilation holes, which are disposed in any three of
the vertical rectangular faces of the casing.
[0013] Each ventilation hole is provided with a mesh face, behind
which a closing layer of the same material as the inner and outer
layers of the casing is provided for closing the ventilation hole.
Alternatively, said closing layer can also be disposed outside the
mesh face, with Velcro being provided on the closing layer, so as
to stick to a Velcro provided on the casing.
[0014] Said casing is provided with four holes, with a first hole
and a second hole of the same size and position being opened beside
the ventilation holes in the corresponding two of the vertical
rectangular faces of the casing for drawing in outside air, a third
hole of a diameter smaller than that of the first hole being
provided at the opposite end of the ventilation hole in any of the
other of the vertical rectangular faces for the connection of
electrical input, and a fourth hole being provided in the top
transverse rectangular face for drawing out air from within the
dark box, the diameter of the fourth hole being equal to that of
the first and second holes.
[0015] Said first, second, third and fourth holes are respectively
provided internally with a first stocking, with an end of the first
stocking being connected within the hole, and a second stocking
being provided outside the first stocking, and the other ends of
the first and second stockings being provided respectively with a
string for knotting or loosening the stocking.
[0016] The three connected rectangular faces of the casing are
provided with zipper openings for the ease of assembly/disassembly
of the whole dark box, with the zipper being provided with a water-
and light-leakage-proof backing.
[0017] The dark box according to the present invention can be used
in conjunction with a lighting system and a water extraction system
for the soil-free cultivation of plants, such as for example
vanilla/herbs, vegetables or fungi. It can also be used in
conjunction with a lighting system to make the skin color of people
brown (i.e. for skin tanning), using the reflective conditions of
the lighting within the dark box. It can furthermore be used in a
reverse way from the designed functions for developing photographic
films and photographs, i.e. as a light-tight design to ensure that
no light enters into the dark box, thereby preventing the films or
photographs from being damaged due to light transmission.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective and schematic diagram of an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective and schematic diagram of another
face of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a reference diagram of an embodiment of the
present invention in an operational status.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective schematic structural diagram of a
right-angle connector of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a stocking of an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a ventilation hole of an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] The structure and operational principles of the dark bow
according to the present invention will be described below with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a frame 5 has a rectangular
parallelepipedic shape, with each of the supporting bars being a
metal pipe. A right-angled connector 51 is sheathed at the three
dimensional right angle formed by three metal pipes, such as metal
pipes 511, 512 and 513. The right-angled connector 51 is a
three-way joint, with each two of the joints being at an angle of
90 degrees with respect to each other. An angle board 514 is
disposed at each of the right angles to be complementary to the
right-angled sides. Connecting holes are disposed on the
connectors, with the diameter of the connecting holes being
slightly larger than the cross-sectional diameter of the metal
pipes, with the metal pipes just being able to be inserted into
said connecting holes. The three metal pipes are sheathed
respectively within the three joints of the right-angled connector
51. There are eight such right-angled connectors, which are
disposed respectively at the eight corners of the frame.
[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the frame 5 is covered by a
casing 10. Said casing 10 forms a light-tight sealed chamber. The
casing 10 is a double-layer casing, with the outer layer being in a
light-tight material, and the inner layer being in a
light-reflective material. The casing 10 is divided in succession
into vertical rectangular faces 101, 102, 103 and 104, and
transverse faces 105 and 106, with ventilation holes provided
respectively in the three vertical rectangular faces 102, 103 and
104 of the casing.
[0028] The ventilation holes 3, 31 and 32 allow outside air to flow
into the dark box and the circulation of air within the dark box.
The ventilation holes are in the shape of a rectangle. The
ventilation holes 3 and 32 are disposed at the left side and close
to the lower part of the respective vertical rectangular faces 102,
104, and the ventilation hole 31 is disposed in the middle and
close to the lower part in the vertical rectangular face 103 and in
the same horizontal plane as the ventilation hole 3.
[0029] Furthermore, four circular holes are provided in the
surfaces of the casing. The first hole 11 and the second hole 12
are of the same size and are disposed beside the ventilation holes
in the corresponding two of the vertical rectangular faces 102 and
104 of the casing. The third hole 13 has a diameter which is
smaller than that of the first hole 11 and is disposed on the right
side of the opposite end of the ventilation holes in another
vertical rectangular face 103. The fourth hole 1 has a diameter
which is equal to that of the first and second holes and is
disposed in the transverse face 105 at a side close to the included
angle of the vertical rectangular faces 103 and 104.
[0030] An opening is transversely disposed in one vertical
rectangular face 101 of the casing, with a cover 1011 provided on
the opening.
[0031] An opening zipper 2 is stitched on the opening and the cover
1011. The opening zipper 2 is transversely stitched along the
rectangular face on the opening and the cover 1011, with one end of
the zipper 2 being disposed on the same rectangular face 101, and
the other end being extended to the corresponding rectangular face
103.
[0032] A backing 21 is provided within the zipper 2, which is
provided on one side of the opening.
[0033] Zipper openings are disposed in the three connected
rectangular faces of the casing of the dark box for the ease of
assembly/disassembly of the whole dark box, with the zipper being
provided with a water- and light-leakage-proof backing. The zipper
openings are used for the ease of assembly/disassembly of the whole
dark box when the whole zipper is unzipped/locked. In practice, it
is only necessary to unzip the zipper on one of the rectangular
faces. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of the zipper
ensures the ease of assembly/disassembly of the dark box, and the
same zipper can also be used in the opening/closing of the casing
at normal times, i.e. unzipping the whole zipper for
assembly/disassembly, and unzipping the zipper in one of the
rectangular faces for normal use.
[0034] Canvas, which is strong, abrasion-resistant and
tear-resistant, can be used as the material for the outer layer of
the casing. The inner layer is a highly light-reflective material
with a reflectivity of more than 85% when a light of a wavelength
of 580 nm is incident on it in a normal way, which material is
capable of functionally reflecting the light by several folds
within the dark box, and at the same time enhancing the lumen of
the lighting within the dark box. Both of the materials of the
inner and outer layers of the casing are washable, so that bacteria
and mildew can be eliminated.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the first, second, third and fourth
holes are provided internally with a first stocking 112,
respectively, with one end of the first stocking 112 being
connected within the hole, and a second stocking 111 being provided
outside the first stocking 112, and the other ends of the first and
second stockings being provided respectively with a string 1121,
1111; the first and second stockings are two-layer materials, with
the outer layer being a light-tight material, and the inner layer
being coated with a light reflecting cloth.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 7, a mesh face 33 is provided on the
ventilation holes, with a closing layer 35 for closing the
ventilation hole being provided in the mesh face for the prevention
of light leakage via the ventilation hole. Velcro 34 (hook
surface/rough surface) is provided on the closing layer 35, for
sticking onto the ventilation hole, which mesh face is made of mesh
fabrics with mesh holes of 0.2 mm, such that insects are prevented
from entering the dark box (the plants can be pollinated by insects
at improper times, or can be damaged by destructive insects or by
pathogens transmitted unintentionally or intentionally by
them).
[0037] In use, unzip the zipper and open a zippered gate, place/fit
the required apparatus (including lighting apparatus, watering
apparatus, and air extracting apparatus), and then place the plants
into the box (e.g. vanilla, vegetables, or fungi, etc.). If it is
necessary to carry the dark box around, it requires only separation
of the right-angled connectors of the frame from the metal pipes,
detaching the metal pipes, folding the casing up and putting all
the components inside a carry bag for carrying.
[0038] It will be understandable that in comparison with an
enclosed box or an open box without internal reflection or with a
lesser degree of internal reflection, the high reflection within
the dark box of the present invention can produce substantially
higher light intensity. In an open space, the light intensity is
decreased due to the inversed law between the light source and the
squared distance. However, when a high reflective material is used,
it is possible that the above law is changed, since the internal
reflection of light can occur many times on the reflective surfaces
of the faces. The advantages of the present dark box over other
similar products are that during plantation or cultivation, the
plants can be irradiated with the same light intensity (lumen),
further promoting the growth of the plants, and without requiring
frequent adjustment of the distance between the light source and
the plants.
[0039] The dark bow according to the present invention can be used
in conjunction with a lighting system (typically of a CFL or
high-luminance discharge type) and a water extraction system for
the soil-free cultivation of plants such as for example
vanilla/herbs, vegetables or fungi, so it is specifically referred
to as a soil-free cultivation dark box. It can also be used in
conjunction with a lighting system (typically of a CFL or
high-luminance discharge type) to make the color of skin of people
brown (i.e. skin-tanning), using the reflective conditions of the
lighting system, so it is specifically also referred to as a UV
chamber. Furthermore, use can be made in a reverse way from the
designed function, i.e. the light-tight design, to ensure that no
light enters into the dark box, thus preventing films or
photographs from being damaged due to light transmission, here,
being used in developing films and photographs. It shall be
understood that the applications of the present invention are not
limited to the examples described hereinabove, and that it can be
used in many other applications, without departing from the present
invention, and which are not described in detail here.
* * * * *