Illumination – Elongated source light unit or support – Housing
Patent
1988-02-22
1990-10-23
Husar, Stephen F.
Illumination
Elongated source light unit or support
Housing
362260, 362362, 439226, F21S 300
Patent
active
049658751
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a fluorescent lamp having a fluorescent tube and a connecting element for connection to a source of current.
Compared with traditional incandescent bulb lamps, fluorescent lamps are being used more and more because fluorescent lamps have greater longevity and consume less energy. With fluorescent lamps it is, moreover, also possible to easily achieve desired texture of light, especially light comparable to daylight, while incandescent lighting is characterized by a yellowish hue and lower luminous efficiency which is often inadequate for purposes of illuminating working areas. For this reason, therefore, it is common, especially in working areas, and principally in large surface working areas, such as industrial office spaces, large-scale culinary facilities and the like, to install fluorescent lamps which usually take the form of banks of permanently installed overhead lighting running along the ceiling.
Given the advantages of fluorescent lamps over incandescent bulbs it would be desirable to make increased use of fluorescent lamps also in smaller spaces and to come up with more adaptable fluorescent lamp designs so that incandescent light bulbs could be replaced by fluorescent lamps even in those areas in which these incandescent bulbs are still exclusively used, for example, to illuminate nightstands, desks and similar.
The task to be resolved by the invention is to develop a fluorescent lamp which can be easily and firmly connected to the power supply in the various parts of a building.
This task is resolved by the invention, a fluorescent lamp which is characterized by a connecting element which is shaped into a housing enclosing the fluorescent tube.
The connecting element is preferably so configured that it both supplies the electrical power to the fluorescent lamp and, when plugged in, provides adequate support, thereby rendering additional means of support unnecessary. The connecting element can, for example, be a screw-in base which can be screwed into a lamp socket which functions as the electrical power source. The connecting element can also be a cable lead or any kind of connector with contact plugs. Preferably, the connecting element has the form of a mains plug with contact plugs which are connected to the fluorescent tube in an electrically conductive way and which project on one side, and the area of the mains plug which faces the contact plugs is shaped as a housing.
An advantage of the fluorescent lamp the subject of the invention is that it can plugged into an electric outlet usually available in any room. By being plugged into the outlet, the fluorescent lamp is both connected to the power mains and firmly held in place in the outlet since an area of the contact plug is shaped as a housing and encloses the fluorescent tube. The fluorescent lamp is immediately ready for use, and additional supports on the fluorescent lamp, on the walls or ceilings of the room in which the lamp is used, are thus eliminated to advantage.
Preferably, the contact plug has the form of a flat plug, also called a Euro-plug, so that it will fit any kind of electric outlet, in particular, when traveling, an outlet conforming to different electrical standards, e.g., in a hotel room.
The housing, in a preferred embodiment, assumes the shape of the fluorescent tube and is oblong and the mains plug is located on the longitudinal side of the housing, projecting Vertically from this longitudinal side such that minimum mechanical forces act on the contact plugs and mains plug which give the fluorescent lamp its firm support when it is plugged into the outlet.
In a preferred and especially convenient embodiment, the housing is approximately 17 cm in length, about 4 cm wide and 2 cm high.
So that the housing can be easily assembled, the fluorescent lamp tube easily replaced, the wiring required to operate the fluorescent lamp installed during fabrication and, following operation of the fluorescent lamp, repaired if necessary, the housing preferably consists of two separable half-shells. To enab
REFERENCES:
patent: 2227739 (1941-01-01), Pollard
patent: 2871455 (1959-01-01), Richardson
patent: 3283144 (1966-11-01), Rogers
patent: 3819923 (1974-06-01), Schumacher
patent: 3908120 (1975-09-01), Greene
patent: 4045665 (1977-08-01), Williams et al.
patent: 4130860 (1978-12-01), Careglio et al.
patent: 4443050 (1984-04-01), Taylor
patent: 4460947 (1984-07-01), Kelly
patent: 4477863 (1984-10-01), Walz
Korte Heinrich
Spix Theo
Cox D. M.
Husar Stephen F.
Korte-Licht
LandOfFree
Flourescent lamp does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Flourescent lamp, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Flourescent lamp will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-772822