How to Build Thin, Flat Light-Focusing Panels
A design for a thin, flat light-guiding panel that uses tiny built-in lenses and notches to turn trapped light into a focused, directional beam.
Original patent title: “USRE48492E1 - Collimating illumination systems employing a waveguide”
A design for a thin, flat light-guiding panel that uses tiny built-in lenses and notches to turn trapped light into a focused, directional beam. Granted to S V V Tech Innovations Inc in 2021 with 21 claims and 2 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a way to make light-emitting panels that are very thin but still produce a focused, directional beam of light. It uses a planar waveguide—a flat, transparent sheet—that traps light inside using total internal reflection. Inside this sheet, the inventorinventorThe person who actually conceived the invention. Listed on the patent regardless of who owns it.Read more → places small 'light extraction elements' (like tiny notches or bumps) that redirect the light toward 'linear collimating elements' (like long, thin lenses) built into the surface. These lenses then grab the redirected light and straighten it out into a tight beam, rather than letting it scatter in all directions.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover standard LED panels that use simple diffusers instead of integrated collimating lenses.
- Does not cover light guides that lack the specific mathematical relationship between lens curvature and material refractive index defined in claimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1.
- Does not cover systems that rely on external lenses placed outside the waveguide structure.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The invention precisely aligns the light-extracting notches with the focal area of the surface lenses, ensuring that the light is redirected exactly where the lens can best capture and collimate it, minimizing light loss.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Ultra-thin architectural LED light panels
Backlight units for specialized flat-panel displays
Directional task lighting fixtures
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This technology is useful for making ultra-thin lighting fixtures, such as those used in modern architectural lighting or high-end display backlights. By integrating the focusing optics directly into the light-guiding material, manufacturers can reduce the total thickness of the lighting assembly while maintaining precise control over where the light is directed.
Filed
July 25, 2017
Granted
March 30, 2021
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
The technology is associated with S V V Tech Innovations Inc. Companies in the architectural lighting and display backlight industries, such as those producing high-efficiency LED panels, are the primary entities developing similar integrated optical waveguide systems.
Market impact
This patent provides a technical framework for miniaturizing directional lighting assemblies. It enables the design of thinner, more aesthetically integrated lighting products that compete with bulkier traditional fixtures by replacing complex external lens arrays with thin-film integrated optics.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a way to make light-emitting panels that are very thin but still produce a focused, directional beam of light. It uses a planar waveguide—a flat, transparent sheet—that traps light inside using total internal reflection. Inside this sheet, the inventor places small 'light extraction elements' (like tiny notches or bumps) that redirect the light toward 'linear collimating elements' (like long, thin lenses) built into the surface. These lenses then grab the redirected light and straighten it out into a tight beam, rather than letting it scatter in all directions.
The clever bit
The invention precisely aligns the light-extracting notches with the focal area of the surface lenses, ensuring that the light is redirected exactly where the lens can best capture and collimate it, minimizing light loss.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover standard LED panels that use simple diffusers instead of integrated collimating lenses.
- Does not cover light guides that lack the specific mathematical relationship between lens curvature and material refractive index defined in claim 1.
- Does not cover systems that rely on external lenses placed outside the waveguide structure.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
10/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
14/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$73K – $234K
Midpoint $146K · 11.1 yr remaining · industry ×1.5
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
21 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Vasylyev, S. (2021). How to Build Thin, Flat Light-Focusing Panels (U.S. Patent No. RE48,492). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/RE48492/learning-thermostat
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How to Build Thin, Flat Light-Focusing Panels cover?
A design for a thin, flat light-guiding panel that uses tiny built-in lenses and notches to turn trapped light into a focused, directional beam.
Who owns patent US RE48492?
S V V Tech Innovations Inc owns this patent, granted in 2021.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on March 30, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US RE48492 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This technology is useful for making ultra-thin lighting fixtures, such as those used in modern architectural lighting or high-end display backlights. By integrating the focusing optics directly into the light-guiding material, manufacturers can reduce the total thickness of the lighting assembly while maintaining precise control over where the light is directed.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover standard LED panels that use simple diffusers instead of integrated collimating lenses.
Patent monitoring