Neon-like display device

Abstract

A display device resembling neon tubing includes a transparent substrate with one or more elongate, continuous grooves formed in the substrate from a rear surface thereof. The groove is shaped to represent an informational image, such as a letter, symbol, character or design, for communicating a message to a viewer. A layer of a roughness is formed within an arcuate groove surface of substantially constant diameter along the length of the groove to thereby uniformly disperse light that may be incident on the groove toward the front surface of the substrate in an arcuate path. A blocking layer covers the rear surface of the substrate adjacent the groove for permitting the transmission of light only through the groove to thereby create a sharp contrast between light incident on the groove and the blocking layer. The diameter of the groove is preferably approximately equal to the diameter of conventional neon tubing. With this arrangement, light incident along the length of the roughened, arcuate groove surface exits the front surface of the substrate in an arcuate path with substantially uniform intensity along the length of the groove to thereby create a three dimensional tubular appearance that is visually similar to neon tubing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.