Patents by Inventor Edward K. Shapiro

Edward K. Shapiro has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6768248
    Abstract: An electrodeless lamp includes an envelope (1) containing a fill of discharge gas, a magnetic core t(7), an induction coil (6) wound around the magnetic core (7), a driver circuit for supplying an electric current to the induction coil (6) to operate the electrodeless lamp, a socket (10) for receiving electrical power supplied to the electrodeless lamp, and a heat conduction means (8,9) thermally coupled to the magnetic core (7) for conducting heat generated in the magnetic core (7) to the ambient atmosphere to dissipate heat therein, or coupled to the socket (10) for conducting heat generated in the magnetic core (7) to the socket to dissipate heat therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Chandler, Oleg Popov, Edward K. Shapiro, Jakob Maya
  • Patent number: 6555954
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a compact electrodeless fluorescent lamp that includes a transparent envelope containing a fill of inert gas along with a vaporizable metal such as mercury. An induction coil is operated by a driver circuit, and is positioned inside of a reentrant cavity in the envelope with an adjacent permeable magnetic field manipulation structure having a shunting surface ending at a shunting surface periphery. A thermally and electrically conductive primary cooling structure is positioned adjacent the magnetic field manipulation structure to extend within the shunting surface periphery while being separated from the induction coil thereby. A further component cooling structure is provided to at least partially enclose the driver circuit connected to the induction coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Chandler, Edward K. Shapiro, Oleg A. Popov, Jakob Maya
  • Patent number: 6433478
    Abstract: An electrodeless compact fluorescent lamp operated at a frequency from 50 KHz to 1000 KHz and RF power from 10 W to 40 W is described. The lamp includes a bulbous glass envelope (1) filled with rare gas and metal vapor, reentrant glass cavity (2), an induction coil (6) made from Litz wire, a ferrite assembly comprising a ferrite core (7) and MnZn ferrite disk (11), a cooling structure comprising a metal (or ceramic) tube (8) positioned inside the ferrite core (7) and a metal (or ceramic) unit (9) that transmits the heat from the cavity and ferrite assembly to the Edison socket (10), a thermal shield (12), and a driver and matching network located inside the lamp base (13). A protective coating (15) and phosphor coating (16) are coated on the inner surface of the envelope (1) and reentrant cavity (2). The reflective coating (17) made from alumina is coated on the inner surface of the cavity (2) and on the outer surface of the envelope bottom (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Chandler, Oleg Popov, Edward K. Shapiro, Jakob Maya
  • Publication number: 20010000941
    Abstract: An electrodeless lamp includes an envelope (1) containing a fill of discharge gas, a magnetic core (7), an induction coil (6) wound around the magnetic core (7), a driver circuit for supplying an electric current to the induction coil (6) to operate the electrodeless lamp, a socket (10) for receiving electrical power supplied to the electrodeless lamp, and a heat conduction means (8,9,8,9) thermally coupled to the magnetic core (7) for conducting heat generated in the magnetic core (7) to the ambient atmosphere to dissipate heat therein, or coupled to the socket (10) for conducting heat generated in the magnetic core (7) to the socket to dissipate heat therethrough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2000
    Publication date: May 10, 2001
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Chandler, Oleg Popov, Edward K. Shapiro, Jakob Maya
  • Patent number: 6081070
    Abstract: An electrodeless fluorescent lamp and fixture which operates at the frequency range of 50-1000 KHz and power from 20 to 200 W is disclosed. The lamp includes a bulbous envelope (1) filled with rare gas and metal vapor and a reentrant cavity (5). The inner walls of the envelope are coated with phosphor (2) and a protective coating (3). An induction coil (9), made from multiple strands of wire having very low resistance at frequencies below 1000 KHz, together with a ferrite core (10), having high permeability and low power losses, generates an inductively-coupled plasma in the envelope volume. The plasma generates visible and UV radiation that is converted into visible light by the phosphor coated on the envelope walls. A metallic cylinder (13), placed inside the ferrite core (10), removes the heat generated by the plasma from the coil and ferrite core and redirects the heat to the lamp base and thence to the lamp fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works R & D Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Oleg A. Popov, Pradeep K. Nandam, Edward K. Shapiro, Jakob Maya
  • Patent number: 6064155
    Abstract: A compact fluorescent lamp is designed to imitate an incandescent lamp in size, shape and luminosity. The lamp includes a bulbous envelope (14) having an external shape of an incandescent lamp (10) on a standard Edison-type base (11) that enables it to be substituted for standard 60, 75 and 100 W incandescent lamps. A low-pressure fluorescent lamp (18) having a coiled tubular envelope with an outer diameter less than about 7 mm, an inner diameter between about 1 and 5 mm, and a length between about 50 and 100 cm is wound in a coil around the axis of the bulbous envelope (14) and is disposed within the bulbous envelope. The tubular envelope is formed of soft glass and has a fluorescent phosphor coating disposed on the inner surfaces. Electrodes (14) with external electrical contacts are disposed at each end of the envelope. A ballast (12) is disposed within the bulbous envelope. The ballast is electrically connected to the lamp (15), whereby to control current in the fluorescent lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Research and Development Labratory Inc
    Inventors: Jakob Maya, Edward K. Shapiro, Frank D. Mellen
  • Patent number: 5723947
    Abstract: An electrodeless inductively-coupled fluorescent lamp which operates at ro frequency comprising a bulbous envelope (1) filled with rare gas and metal vapor. A reentrant cavity (4) and an induction coil (6) are disposed in the cavity (4). The inner walls of the envelope (1) and the cavity (4) have a protective coating (3) and a phosphor coating (2). A metal Faraday cylinder (12) welded to the lamp base (13) is disposed between the cavity (4) and the coil (6) to reduce capacitive RF voltage between the coil and the plasma to improve lamp maintenance and remove heat. A tubulation (16) is disposed on the lamp axis to evacuate the envelope (1). The proximal end of the tubulation (16) has an expansion (20) with the volume (23) where the initial capacitive discharge is ignited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Research & Development Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Oleg Popov, Jakob Maya, Koichi Kobayashi, Edward K. Shapiro
  • Patent number: 5698951
    Abstract: An electrodeless fluorescent lamp containing a fill of a rare gas and mercury and a flag (14) disposed therein at a predetermined location in the lamp for increasing the rate of luminous development in the lamp. The flag (14) includes a pair of spaced-apart metallic foil sections (31) and a metallic mesh substrate (30) disposed between the foil sections (31) whereby to be shielded from ion bombardment of the discharge. A coating (30a) of indium which is adapted to amalgamate with the mercury is disposed on the mesh (30). The sections are joined together by spot-welding (32) to enable migration of mercury into and out of the space between the sections thereby enable the atoms to form an amalgam with the indium and be rapidly released therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Research & Development Labratory
    Inventors: Jakob Maya, Oleg Popov, Edward K. Shapiro
  • Patent number: 5621266
    Abstract: An electrodeless fluorescent lamp and fixture is disclosed which operates radio frequencies and contains a metallic cylinder 9 to suppress capacitive coupling between an induction coil 7 and a plasma in the envelope 1 of the lamp and simultaneously substantially reduce heat in a reentrant cavity 5. The lamp includes a bulbous envelope 1 having a conventional phosphor layer 3 disposed therein. The bulbous envelope 1 contains a suitable ionizable gaseous fill. Upon ionization of the gaseous fill, the phosphor is stimulated to emit visible radiation upon absorption of ultraviolet radiation. The reentrant cavity 5 of the bulbous envelope 1 contains an inducation coil. The cylinder 9 transfers heat from the plasma to the fixture 11 through a base 13, 13a on the envelope 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Research and Development Laboraty Inc.
    Inventors: Oleg Popov, Jakob Maya, Edward K. Shapiro