Illumination device for simulating neon or similar lighting in the shape of a toroid

1. An illumination device for simulating neon or similar lighting, comprising:

a light-transmitting member formed in the shape of a toroid having a light-receiving surface and a light-emitting surface, said light-transmitting member defining a central axis and having optical waveguide and light-scattering characteristics;

a light source located along said light-transmitting member central axis; and

a light-directing housing for guiding light from said light source into said light-receiving surface of said light-transmitting member;

whereby said light-transmitting member emits light having a substantially uniform intensity along said light-emitting surface.

2. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein said light-emitting surface of said light-transmitting member has a curved surface to aid in the simulated effect of neon or similar lighting.

3. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein said light-transmitting member is doped with a color-changing pigment to alter the color of light emitted at said light-emitting surface.

4. The illumination device of claim 1 , wherein said light-directing housing has a top reflector member having a substantially reflective interior surface and a bottom reflector member having a substantially reflective interior surface, said top reflector member and said bottom reflector member being positioned on opposing sides of said light source and cooperating with said light-transmitting member such that light is emitted only through said light-transmitting member.

5. The illumination device of claim 4 , wherein said top reflector member further has a substantially absorbing exterior surface.

6. The illumination device of claim 4 , wherein said light source is located within the opening defined by the toroidal light-transmitting member.

7. The illumination device of claim 6 , further having reflective tape positioned around a lower portion of said light-transmitting member.

8. The illumination device of claim 6 , further having an outer reflector member having an inner substantially reflective surface, said outer reflector member positioned around an outer peripheral surface of said light-transmitting member, said bottom reflector member extending under a bottom peripheral surface of said light-transmitting member.

9. The illumination device of claim 4 , wherein said light source is spaced a distance from the opening defined by the toroidal light-transmitting member.

10. The illumination device of claim 9 , wherein said bottom reflector member has a cylindrical side wall and a disk-shaped bottom wall which meets said side wall along a lower edge of said side wall.

11. The illumination device of claim 9 , wherein said top reflector member and said bottom reflector member have substantially conical shapes to direct light from the light source to the light-receiving surface of said light-transmitting member.

12. The illumination device of claim 9 , wherein said top reflector member and said bottom reflector member are substantially cup-shaped such that said top reflector member has a cup-shaped recess, said light-emitting surface of said light-transmitting member illuminating at least a part of said cup-shaped recess.

13. The illumination device of claim 1 , further comprising a first helical filament made of a light-transmitting material containing a color-converting pigment and positioned co-axially with said light source for altering the color of a portion of the light emitted by the light source.

14. The illumination device of claim 13 , further comprising a second helical filament made of a light-transmitting material containing a color-converting pigment, said first helical filament having a smaller diameter than said second helical filament, said first helical filament and said second helical filament positioned co-axially with said light source for altering the color of the light emitted along the light-emitting surface of said light-transmitting member.

15. The illumination device of claim 1 , further comprising a cylindrical color-converting filter member made of a light-transmitting material containing a color-converting pigment, said cylindrical color-converting filter member positioned co-axially with said light source for altering the color of light emitted by said light source and received by said light-receiving surface of said light-transmitting member.