Artist lands patent with LED blown glass light

COOS BAY — Sam Schwarz had a light bulb moment — literally.

 

Schwarz, of Schwarz Art, is known locally for his blown glass pieces, but he's developed a new LED lighting system that incorporates the blown glass, which landed him a patent last month.

 

"This is the big winner," he said with a grin as he pulled the patent documents out of an envelope Wednesday afternoon. "It's for a utility patent, not a design patent or a trademark. It's the biggest and baddest."

 

The utility patent is for the entire contraption: copper tubing, insulator sleeve, diffuser globe and LED light. Combined, they create a colorful light that lasts far longer than typical light bulbs and is more efficient.

 

He has "reinvented the light bulb," he said, by creating blown glass LED fixtures, floats and flashlights.

 

"My whole life is built upon this stuff," he said. "I graduated from U of O with an art degree, mainly in ceramics but I had done some glass blowing."

 

He gained some attention after creating blown glass post caps for a friend's stair railing, which led to the Springfield Museum asking him to create a larger piece for an upcoming exhibit.

 

"Making these architectural pieces gave me the confidence to blow larger globes," he said.

 

Another friend asked Schwarz if he would make blown glass lights and pendants.

 

"So I had this idea rolling around in my head," he said. "And my mentor said LEDs are the way of the future, so I've paid close attention to that world. I began searching for the materials and figuring out how to fit these things together."

 

At his workbench in May 2009, he created his first blown glass fixture with an LED. He plugged it into a battery, and it lit up. This led to the chandelier that he displayed at the Springfield Museum a month later.

 

"Over the summer I got such good feedback from people who had seen the chandelier, I thought it would be wise to pursue a patent," he said.

 

He connected with Marger Johnson & McCollom P.C., patent attorneys in Portland, and got to work on filing for a provisional patent — a "placeholder," he said — which he filed for in June 2010.

 

"That gets your foot in the door, like you took a number and you're waiting in line," he said. "If you make a public display, you have a year from that date to get your foot in the door. If a year goes by, you've lost the opportunity to do anything."

 

For the next year he developed the detailed, technical documentation needed for the patent. A year and a half went by before he heard back about revisions he needed to make.

 

Then on Sept. 25, he received the letter: his patent was granted.

 

His first goal is to manufacture hand-held LED flashlights.

 

"I want to go into manufacturing because I couldn't find rechargeable flashlights, so ... I need to produce them," he said.

 

LED flashlights would mean people wouldn't constantly throw away batteries, he said.

 

"My bulbs would be upgradeable, so instead of throwing them away they could be replaced or upgraded," he said. "I don't want them to end up in a landfill."

 

And they cost enough that they're a longer-term investment since they last longer than typical bulbs. At Shark Bites Seafood Cafe, the hanging LED blown glass lights have been turned on for three years straight and not a single one has burnt out.

 

"They will dominate the future of lighting markets," he said. "LED is an electric chip, so it runs on DC (direct current) and runs off batteries, which makes it more versatile."

 

It's high-end lighting, he noted, so the company would have two divisions: custom chandeliers as well as floats and flashlights that people could buy individually.

 

A portion of his sales will also go to Surfrider Foundation in order to support water purity, he said.

 

Now, he's applying for a $250,000 grant through Mission Main Street to launch into manufacturing and distribution. In total, 12 small businesses across the nation will each receive a $250,000 grant through the program.

 

"The grant would get me through the manufacturing process, let me hire a business manager and allow me to be an artist and market things, do all the fun stuff while other people are grinding all the nuts and bolts," he said.

 

In the beginning stages of manufacturing, Schwarz plans to work with PHC Northwest in Portland until the business is stable, then move it back to Coos Bay, his hometown.

 

Facebook users have until Nov. 15 to vote online for a company to become eligible for the grant. In January, the grant winners will be announced.

 

In Coos Bay and North Bend alone, he's up against 10 other companies: Atlas Edge Staffing Services, Black Market Gourmet LLC, Coos County Community Emergency Response Team, Framehuggers, Garden Elements, Heather Lane Stables, Outdoor-In, R P & T Trucking LLC, Red Rock Java and Juice and Yellow Cab Taxi.

 

As of press time, Framehuggers was far outpacing all other companies with 263 votes.

 

To vote for any company or business venture to become eligible for the grant, go here and type in the business name or ZIP code.