Light emitting panel assemblies

1. A light emitting panel assembly comprising at least one light source, an optical panel member having at least one input edge for receiving light from the at least one light source, the panel member having front and back sides and a greater cross sectional width than thickness, both the front and back sides having a pattern of light extracting deformities that are projections or depressions on or in the sides to cause light to be emitted from the panel member in a predetermined output distribution, where the pattern of light extracting deformities on or in at least one of the sides varies along at least one of the length and width of the panel member and at least some of the light extracting deformities on or in one of the sides are of a different type than the light extracting deformities on or in the other side of the panel member, and at least one film, sheet or substrate overlying at least a portion of one of the sides of the panel member to change the output distribution of the emitted light such that the light will pass through a liquid crystal display with low loss.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides are prismatic.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides are lenticular.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides run the full length or width of the one side.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides are quite small in relation to the length and width of the panel member.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides have at least one diffuse surface.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides are etched dots.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides vary randomly.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the panel member is flat.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the panel member is tapered.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides vary in at least one of the following characteristics: slope angle, density, orientation, height or depth, and size.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one side of the sheet, film or substrate has deformities or optical elements.

13. A light emitting panel assembly comprising at least one light source, an optical panel member having at least one input edge for receiving light from the at least one light source, the panel member having front and back sides and a greater cross sectional width than thickness, both the front and back sides having a pattern of light extracting deformities that are projections or depressions on or in the sides to cause light to be emitted from the panel member in a predetermined output distribution, where the pattern of light extracting deformities on or in at least one of the sides varies along at least one of the length and width of the panel member and at least some of the light extracting deformities on or in one of the sides are of a different type than the light extracting deformities on or in the other side of the panel member, wherein the panel member has a transition region between the at least one input edge and the patterns of light extracting deformities to allow the light from the at least one light source to mix and spread, and at least one side of the transition region contains optical elements for reflecting or refracting light from the at least one light source.

14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the optical elements are faceted.

15. A light emitting panel assembly comprising at least one light source, an optical panel member having at least one input edge for receiving light from the at least one light source, the panel member having front and back sides and a greater cross sectional width than thickness, at least one of the sides having a pattern of light extracting deformities that are projections or depressions on or in the at least one side to cause light to be emitted from the panel member in a predetermined output distribution, where the pattern of light extracting deformities on or in the at least one side has at least two different types of light extracting deformities and at least one of the types of deformities on or in the at least one side varies along at least one of the length and width of the panel member, and at least one film, sheet or substrate overlying at least a portion of one of the sides of the panel member to change the output distribution of the emitted light such that the light will pass through a liquid crystal display with low loss.

16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the types of deformities is prismatic.

17. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the types of deformities is lenticular.

18. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the deformities on or in the one side run the full length or width of the one side.

19. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the types of deformities is quite small in relation to the length and width of the panel member.

20. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the types of deformities has at least one diffuse surface.

21. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the types of deformities is etched dots.

22. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the types of deformities varies randomly.

23. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the panel member is flat.

24. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the panel member is tapered.

25. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one of the types of deformities varies in at least one of the following characteristics: slope angle, density, orientation, height or depth, and size.

26. The assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one side of the film, sheet or substrate has deformities or optical elements.

27. A light emitting panel assembly comprising at least one light source, an optical panel member having at least one input edge for receiving light from the at least one light source, the panel member having front and back sides and a greater cross sectional width than thickness, at least one of the sides having a pattern of light extracting deformities that are projections or depressions on or in the at least one side to cause light to be emitted from the panel member in a predetermined output distribution, where the pattern of light extracting deformities on or in the at least one side has at least two different types of light extracting deformities and at least one of the types of deformities on or in the at least one side varies alone at least one of the length and width of the panel member, wherein the panel member has a transition region between the at least one input edge and the patterns of light extracting deformities to allow the light from the at least one light source to mix and spread, and at least one side of the transition region contains optical elements for reflecting or refracting light from the at least one light source.

28. The assembly of claim 27 wherein the optical elements are faceted.

29. A light emitting panel assembly comprising at least one light source, an optical panel member having at least one input edge for receiving light from the at least one light source, the panel member having front and back sides and a greater cross sectional width than thickness, both the front and back sides having a pattern of light extracting deformities that are projections or depressions on or in the sides to cause light to be emitted from the panel member in a predetermined output distribution, where the pattern of light extracting deformities on or in at least one of the sides varies along at least one of the length and width of the panel member and at least some of the light extracting deformities on or in one of the sides vary in a different way or manner than the light extracting deformities on or in the other side of the panel member, and at least one film, sheet or substrate overlying at least a portion of one of the sides of the panel member to change the output distribution of the emitted light such that the light will pass through a liquid crystal display with low loss.

30. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side vary in density.

31. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side vary in slope angle relative to one another.

32. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side vary in position.

33. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side vary in angle of orientation relative to one another.

34. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side vary in height or depth.

35. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side vary in size.

36. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side do not vary.

37. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities on or in at least one side vary randomly.

38. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities are prismatic.

39. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities are lenticular.

40. The assembly of claim 29 wherein the deformities on or in one of the sides run the full length or width of the one side.

41. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities are quite small in relation to the length and width of the panel member.

42. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities have at least one diffuse surface.

43. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least some of the deformities are etched dots.

44. The assembly of claim 29 wherein the panel member is flat.

45. The assembly of claim 29 wherein the panel member is tapered.

46. The assembly of claim 29 wherein at least one side of the sheet, film or substrate has deformities or optical elements.

47. A light emitting panel assembly comprising at least one light source, an optical panel member having at least one input edge for receiving light from the at least one light source, the panel member having front and back sides and a greater cross sectional width than thickness, both the front and back sides having a pattern of light extracting deformities that are projections or depressions on or in the sides to cause light to be emitted from the panel member in a predetermined output distribution, where the pattern of light extracting deformities on or in at least one of the sides varies along at least one of the length and width of the panel member and at least some of the light extracting deformities on or in one of the sides vary in a different way or manner than the light extracting deformities on or in the other side of the panel member, wherein the panel member has a transition region between the at least one input edge and the patterns of light extracting deformities to allow the light from the at least one light source to mix and spread, and at least one side of the transition region contains optical elements for reflecting or refracting light from the at least one light source.

48. The assembly of claim 47 wherein the optical elements are faceted.