Articles having light-emitting elements energizable in sequences to provide desired visual displays

An improved article of clothing comprised of a fabric having an outer surface exposed to the external atmosphere and an inner surface and having a plurality of holes therethrough arranged in a predetermined pattern;

• a plurality of light-emitting diodes equal in number to the number of holes and having a size approximately equal to the size of the holes so as to present an appearance such that the diodes are constructed on the outer surface of the fabric, each of said light-emitting diodes having a base with conductive terminal pins thereon and an outwardly extending section on said base which emits light;
• a battery source of power for energizing said diodes operatively connected to said diodes and being located beyond the inner surface of said fabric;
• a relatively thin and light weight and flexible and foldable electronic circuit receiving substrate located at the inner surface of said fabric and including means thereon for mounting said diodes;
• said bases of said light-emitting diodes being mounted on said substrate;
• flexible and bendable wire means carried by said substrate operatively connecting said terminal pins of said diodes to said source of power;
• and an "off"-"on" switch coupled between said source of power and said diodes for turning said diodes "off" and "on";
• an electronically operable sequencer means operatively mounted on said substrate and being coupled to said wire means and diodes for energizing at least certain of said diodes in sequence, said diodes respectively being mounted so that the outwardly extending portions project through said holes and protruding beyond said outer surface and being visually apparent to a viewer, said switch being mounted with respect to the inner surface of said fabric and concealed from view, said means for mounting and said switch being located at the inner surface of said fabric and isolated from deleterious conditions in the atmosphere contacting the outer surface of said fabric, said outwardly extending section of each of said light-emitting diodes snuggly engaging the fabric forming the holes at the periphery of the holes so that the base and conductive terminal pins are isolated from contact with the external atmosphere and thereby protected from the deleterious conditions in the external atmosphere, said outwardly extending sections of said light-emitting diodes being sized so that the diodes appear as though they are built into the material forming part of the fabric, the flexibility and foldability of the substrate at least partially protecting the light-emitting diodes from damage and breakage during any folding of the fabric.

An article comprised of a flexible fabric material portion having an exposed front surface and a rear surface, a plurality of holes therethrough arranged in a predetermined pattern, an image on said exposed front surface and being of a type capable of having motion depicted with respect thereto, said image being located in relation to said predetermined pattern of holes, a plurality of light-emitting diodes equal in number to the number of holes and having a size approximately equal to the size of the holes so as to present an appearance that the diodes are constructed on the exposed surface of the fabric, each of said light-emitting diodes having a base with conductive terminal pins thereon and an outwardly extending section on said base which emits light, said diodes being located with respect to the image on said fabric so as to appear to form part of said image, said diodes being located in said holes and protruding beyond said front surface and being visually apparent to a viewer, a flexible and foldable substrate means at the rear surface of said fabric material for mounting said light-emitting diodes, said bases of said light-emitting diodes being mounted on said substrate means, said outwardly extending section of each of said light-emitting diodes snuggly engaging the material forming the holes at the periphery of the holes so that the base and conductive terminal pins are isolated from contact with the external atmosphere at least through said holes and thereby protected from the deleterious conditions in the external atmosphere, said outwardly extending sections of said light-emitting diodes being sized so that the diodes appear as though they are built into the fabric material, the flexibility and foldability of the substrate means at least partially protecting the light-emmiting diodes from damage and breakage during any folding of the material, a source of power for energizing said diodes, electronic circuit connecting means on said substrate for connecting said diodes to said source of power, electronically operable sequencer means mounted on said substrate means and being coupled between said elements and said source of power for causing energization of at least certain of said diodes in a sequence so as to depict a motion and which renders an appearance of imparting motion to said image, said means for switching being mounted on the rear surface of said material portion and concealed from view.

An article having a flexible fabric material with an exposed front surface and a rear surface generally concealed from view, a first plurality of holes extending through said fabric material and arranged in a predetermined pattern to represent an image or a portion of an image on said fabric material, a second plurality of holes extending through said fabric material and arranged in substantially the same predetermined pattern to present substantially the same image or portion thereof, a first group of light-emitting diodes equal in number to the number of holes in the first plurality of holes, a second group of light-emitting diodes equal in number to the number of holes in the second plurality of holes, a flexible and foldable substrate means at the rear surface of said article for mounting said diodes, each of said light-emitting diodes having a base with conductive terminal pins thereon and an outwardly extending section on said base which emits light, said bases of said light-emitting diodes being mounted on said substrate means, said diodes being located to extend through said holes and protrude beyond the front surface of said material so as to be visually apparent to a viewer, said outwardly extending section of each of said light-emitting diodes snuggly engaging the fabric material forming the holes at the periphery of the holes so that the base and conductive terminal pins are isolated from contact with the external atmosphere at least through said holes and thereby protected from the deleterious conditions in the external atmosphere, said outwardly extending sections of said light-emitting diodes being sized so that the diodes appear as though they are built into the fabric material, the flexibility and foldability of the substrate means at least partially protecting the light-emitting diodes from damage and breakage during any folding of the fabric material, a source of power operatively connected to said diodes for energizing same, electronically operable sequencer means being electrically connected to said source of power and said diodes, said sequencer means being mounted in a position where it is concealed from view, said sequencer means causing substantially simultaneous energization of at least a portion of said first group of diodes and thereafter substantially simultaneous sequential energization of at least a portion of said second group of diodes and ultimate de-energization of said portion of said first group of diodes to depict a motion from said image represented by said first plurality of holes to the second plurality of holes and back to said first plurality of holes.

A light-emitting diode arrangement for use with an article having a flexible material with front and rear surfaces and a plurality of holes therethrough arranged in a predetermined pattern, said arrangement comprising a relatively thin and light weight and flexible and foldable substrate locatable at the rear surface of said material, a plurality of light-emitting diodes mounted on said substrate equal in number to the number of holes in said material portion, each of said light-emitting diodes having a base with conductive terminal pins thereon and an outwardly extending section on said base which emits light, said bases of said light-emitting diodes being mounted on said substrate, said outwardly extending section of each of said light-emitting diodes snuggly engaging the material forming the holes at the periphery of the holes so that the base and conductive terminal pins are isolated from contact with the external atmosphere at least through said holes and thereby protected from the deleterious conditions in the external atmosphere, said outwardly extending sections of said light-emitting diodes being sized so that the diodes appear as though they are built into the material, the flexibility and foldability of the substrate at least partially protecting the light-emitting diodes from damage and breakage during any folding of the material, a source of power on said substrate means, electronic circuit connecting means on said substrate operatively connecting said diodes to said source of power, and electonically operable sequencer means mounted on said substrate and being coupled between said elements and said source of power for switching at least certain of said elements "on" and "off" in sequence.