Abstract: The inner ends of the lead-in wires of an electric incandescent lamp are serrated and welded to uncoiled leg portions of the tungsten filament so that the members are fused to one another at a plurality of spaced points or locations and provide strong reliable electrical junctures. The filament leg portions are in bridging relationship with the serrations on the ends of the lead wires and form high-resistance areas of contact during the welding operation that permits high-quality welds to be made efficiently without the use of a flux material, even in halogen-cycle type lamps that require the welding of molybdenum lead wires to a tungsten filament.

Abstract: The envelope of a compact halogen-cycle incandescent lamp is made from hard glass and the uncoiled legs of the tungsten filament are used as filament connector-support members by fastening them directly to flattened ends of a pair of single lead wires and embedding the resulting electrical junctures in the hermetic seal of fused glass which is formed on the end of the envelope. The lead wires originally comprise the legs of a hairpin-shaped wire member which permits the filament-mount to be made and handled as a separate subassembly. The U-bent part of the hairpin-shaped wire member is severed and removed after the mount has been sealed into the envelope to provide the required pair of separate lead wires.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp of high brightness and compact size is provided by forming the envelope from vitreous tubing that is bent upon itself in such a manner that the envelope has either five or seven U-shaped sections which are disposed in tridimensional array and define a single convoluted discharge channel. The U-shaped sections are so oriented that the tubular legs of the U's are positioned in side-by-side columnar relationship with each other and the sealed ends of the tubing are located adjacent one another. The lamp thus has an arc length that is more than six or eight times as long as the overall height dimension of the convoluted envelope and generates light in a very efficient manner.

Abstract: The lead-in wires of a fluorescent lamp (or similar device) are electrically connected to the base pins by mechanical means instead of welding or soldering the members to each other in the conventional manner during the lamp-basing operation. This is achieved by forming the pins from solid metal or heat-tempered "stiff" sheet metal, placing the ends of the precut lead wires in a pair of apertures provided in the plastic insulator portion of the base, and then force-fitting the ends of the rigid metal pins into the apertures so that they are firmly anchored in the insulator portion--thus clamping the pins in positive engagement with the captured ends of the lead wires and concurrently completing the base assembly.

Abstract: The lead-in wires of a fluorescent lamp are electrically connected to the base pins by mechanical means instead of welding or soldering the members to each other in the conventional manner. This is achieved by forming the pins from solid metal or rigid heat-tempered sheet metal, trimming the lead wires to a predetermined length such that the ends thereof extend beyond the plastic insulator portion of the base when the lead wires are inserted through a pair of apertures provided in the insulator and the base is placed on the sealed end of the lamp envelope, partially inserting the metal pins in the insulator apertures, wrapping the protruding ends of the lead wires around the medial portions of the respective pins, and then force fitting the inner ends of the metal pins into the apertures so that they are firmly anchored in the plastic insulator and the wrapped-around portions of the lead wires are recessed within shallow cavities provided in the outer face of the insulator.

Abstract: An efficient fluorescent lamp of high brightness and compact size is provided by forming the envelope from vitreous tubing that is bent into three U-shaped sections which are disposed in mutually perpendicular planes and define a single convoluted discharge channel. The U-shaped sections are so oriented that the legs of the U's are disposed in quadrangular columnar array with the ends of the tubing located adjacent one another and opposite one of the U-bends. Conventional electrode-stem assemblies are sealed into the ends of the bent tubing and the sealed legs are coupled to each other and the proximate U-bend by brace means which rigidifies the multi-section envelope. An efficient method of manufacturing the envelope employing a pair of arcuate molding components and two bending operations that form the three U-bends with only a single tibe-heating operation is also disclosed.

Abstract: The efficacy, life and beam intensity of a sealed-beam headlamp are enhanced by employing a compact baseless halogen-cycle incandescent lamp as the inner light source and mounting it in optically coupled relationship with the reflector component of the sealed-beam housing by a holder assembly that is rugged, light in weight, and inexpensive from both a material and manufacturing standpoint. The holder assembly comprises one or several sheet-metal components that are locked in embracing interfitting relationship with the press seal of the lamp envelope by welding the components to one or more of the lamp lead-in conductors and to the rigid main conductors carried by the reflector component. The halogen-cycle lamp and its rigid lead-in conductors thus constitute integral structural parts of the finished mount that mechanically retain the various components in their assembled relationship.

Abstract: A single pair of headlamps that each contain a single on-focus light source and produce different but complementary beam patterns are mounted on a motor vehicle to provide a composite beam of intense non-glare light that is used for city, rural and turnpike driving and thus remains "fixed" and constant for all driving conditions. The use of a single light source in each headlamp improves the optical efficiency of the lighting system and provides both long range and short range illumination of the roadway with a minimum amount of energy and drain on the electrical system of the vehicle. The headlamps are not interchangeable and must be mounted in proper relationship on the vehicle to provide the single-mode illumination.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp having a triple-U-bent tubular envelope is combined with circuit means, a translucent protective cover and a threaded base member to provide an efficient screw-in type lamp unit of high brightness and long life that is compact enough to be used as a direct replacement for incandescent type lamps in fixtures designed for residential and commercial lighting. Various structural arrangements for including the ballast and starter components of the energizing circuit as integral parts of the compact lamp unit, despite the stringent space limitations, and also venting the cover and base structures to provide convection cooling of the compacted electrical components are also disclosed.

Abstract: Precise placement of one or more coiled filaments within the envelope of a miniature type incandescent lamp is achieved by positioning the coil legs in end-to-end abutting relationship with the respective lead wires and locking them in such junctured relationship with metal tubes that enclose and are fastened to the abutted end portions of the mated lead wires and coil legs and thus couple the members together. The coupling tubes are first secured to the lead wires so that their open ends provide tubular pockets which receive the coil legs and guide them into the proper mounting position on the lead wires. The open ends of the tubes are then hot-clamped around the associated coil legs, thereby mechanically and electrically joining the members together in operative relationship. The invention is particularly useful in the production of miniature halogen-cycle type incandescent lamps that are employed as compact light sources in sealed-beam automotive lamps which require one or more precisely-mounted filaments.

Abstract: An efficient fluorescent lamp of high brightness and compact size is provided by forming the envelope from vitreous tubing that is bent into three U-shaped sections which are disposed in mutually perpendicular planes and define a single convoluted discharge channel. The U-shaped sections are so oriented that the legs of the U's are disposed in quadrangular columnar array with the ends of the tubing located adjacent one another and opposite one of the U-bends. Conventional electrode-stem assemblies are sealed into the ends of the bent tubing and the sealed legs are coupled to each other and the proximate U-bend by brace means which rigidifies the multi-section envelope. An efficient method of manufacturing the envelope employing a pair of arcuate molding components and two bending operations that form the three U-bends with only a single tube-heating operation is also disclosed.

Abstract: A selected part of the envelope of a fabricated electric lamp is made light-reflecting by spraying it with a coating composition that contains aluminum flakes of such minute size that they inherently arrange themselves in planar relationship and form a specular film which provides a mirror-like reflector surface as the composition dries. A protective coating of a suitable heat-resistant material, such as silicone plastic, is then sprayed over the reflective film and cured. The protective coating can also contain aluminum particles in order to fill voids that may be left in the thin specular film and to make the latter more opaque.

Abstract: A compact fluorescent lamp of high brightness is provided by a partition structure within the lamp that divides the tubular envelope into a plurality of interconnected sectors and also defines a core chamber that is not traversed by the discharge and is of predetermined size relative to the envelope. The core chamber serves both as a conduit or passageway for the lead-in conductors of one of the electrodes and as a means for enhancing the efficacy of the lamp by displacing the discharge outwardly toward the envelope walls and thus minimizing the "light entrapment" effect deep within the envelope and the corner portions of the partition structure. The use of the core chamber as a lead wire conduit permits the electrodes to be located at the same end or opposite ends of the envelope--thereby providing "odd-pass" discharge lamps of single-ended construction or "even-pass" discharge lamps of double-ended construction that can be readily fabricated.

Abstract: The light output of a compact fluorescent lamp is enhanced by providing the envelope with a phosphor-coated partition assembly which has a plurality of panel segments that divide the envelope interior into a series of interconnected sectors and also define a centrally-located core chamber that is closed to the discharge. The size of the core chamber is correlated with the size of the envelope in such a manner that the discharge is displaced from the center of the envelope toward the phosphor-coated walls thereof, thus reducing losses due to the "trapping" of light deep within the envelope interior and concurrently increasing the relative amount of ultraviolet radiation that reaches and excites the phosphor coating on the envelope wall. The efficacy of the partitioned fluorescent lamp is accordingly increased.

Abstract: Scrap glass is crushed and mixed with selected quantities of ball clay and wollastonite, the resulting raw-mix is press-molded into a green compact, and the latter is fired in air at a temperature above the softening point of the glass particles to provide a ceramic article that has a dense impervious structure and is electrically non-conductive. Selective amounts of bentonite and an inorganic pigment can also be included in the raw-mix formulation and talc, petalite or potter's flint can be substituted for the wollastonite. By properly correlating the molding pressure and firing schedule with the raw-mix formulation, the ceramic articles can be rapidly and economically mass-produced in various shapes and sizes.

Abstract: Improved adhesion of the phosphor coating in a fluorescent lamp having a transparent film of conductive material (such as tin oxide) on the inner surface of the bulb is obtained by adding small but correlated amounts of finely-divided aluminum oxide, calcium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate to the water-base phosphor-coating composition. The combination of additives bonds the phosphor particles to the bulb despite the intervening layer of tin oxide and the lower lehring temperature required to preserve its conductivity. When the conductive film is composed of a material which can tolerate higher lehring temperatures, other additives such as barium nitrate, cadmium nitrate and strontium nitrate can be substituted for or admixed with the calcium nitrate.

Abstract: The separate reflector and light bulb components presently used in flashing-light signal apparatus employed at railway crossings are replaced by a sealed-beam type incandescent reflector lamp having a window-aperture in the concave reflector portion of the lamp envelope which is adapted to be aligned with a side opening in the lamp-housing of the signaling apparatus and thus permits the operation of the light source inside the sealed-beam lamp to be checked visually by the engineer of an approaching train. Additional cost and functional advantages are obtained by also making the separate red-colored lens component of the signal apparatus an integral part of the sealed-beam warning lamp and by using a long-life halogen-cycle type lamp component as the light source within the sealed-beam reflector envelope.

Abstract: The reliability of a photoflash lamp which is fired by a high-voltage pulse is improved by fabricating the flash-ignition mount from a glass bead, a glass sleeve and a pair of lead-in wires that have inwardly-bent end portions which define a gap of precise length that is uniform from lamp to lamp. The sleeve and bead are fused together and around parts of the lead-in wires such that only the bent tips of the wires protrude beyond the end face of the bead. The gap is filled with primer material that is deposited on the end face of the bead and completely covers the lead wire tips. The fused glass sleeve encloses one of the lead-in wires below the bead and is embedded in the envelope seal, thus not only insuring that the mount assembly is properly positioned within the envelope but insulating one of the lead-in wires and preventing the filling of combustible metal strands from accidentally touching both lead-in wires and internally short-circuiting the unfired lamp.

Abstract: The efficacy, life and beam intensity of a sealed-beam headlamp are enhanced by employing a compact baseless halogen-cycle incandescent lamp as the inner light source and mounting it in optically coupled relationship with the reflector component of the sealed-beam housing by a holder assembly that is rugged, light in weight, and inexpensive from both a material and manufacturing standpoint. The holder assembly comprises one or several sheet-metal components that are locked in embracing interfitting relationship with the press seal of the lamp envelope by welding the components to one or more of the lamp lead-in conductors and to the rigid main conductors carried by the reflector component. The halogen-cycle lamp and its rigid lead-in conductors thus constitute integral structural parts of the finished mount that mechanically retain the various components in their assembled relationship.

Abstract: The coiled-coil filament of a tubular incandescent lamp is held in suspended longitudinally-extending position within the envelope by lead-in conductors and a single support wire that is anchored in one of the envelope seals and has a hook portion that is coupled to one of the secondary turns of the filament. The free end of the filament-support member is formed into a single loop that nestingly engages the arcuate wall of the envelope and thus holds the support member and filament in the desired position during the sealing-in operation and within the finished lamp. The unique shape of the support member simplifies its manufacture and its subsequent assembly with the coiled filament and envelope.