Abstract: Composite base member for operatively retaining a compact, single-ended fluorescent lamp which has an elongated but retroflexed or curved envelope. The base member has a hollow body with a mounting means which divides the hollow body into two sections. A ballast inductor is mounted on one side of the mounting means and a ballast capacitor is mounted on the other side of the mounting means so that the two components are separated, with the ambient atmosphere facilitating ballast component cooling. The mounting means also has the lamp mounted thereon. The composite base member is compact and relatively light and the ballast components operate in series circuit as a lead-type ballast, with the efficiency of operation being good.

Abstract: Fluorescent lamp has warm-white color and both high efficacy and good color rendition. This performance is achieved by utilizing a broad-band-emitting apatite-structured calcium fluorophosphate activated by predetermined percentages of antimony and manganese and narrow red-orange-emitting yttrium oxide activated by a predetermined percentage of tervalent europium.

Abstract: Add-on device for connection in series with one lamp of a two-lamp rapid-start fluorescent light system to reduce by a predetermined amount the nominal power consumption and light output of the system. The device has normally closed relay contacts which are in circuit with one of the electrodes of one of the lamps and a power-reducing capacitor is in shunt with one of the relay contacts. Upon turning on the system, a solid-state time-delay and relay-coil-energizing circuit is actuated which opens the relay contacts only after the lamps have been started and are operating with nominal power consumption. This places the shunt capacitor in series with the operating lamps and reduces the nominal power consumption by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: High-frequency electrodeless discharge device is operated by radio-frequency energy generated by an oscillator operating in Class E mode. By proper selection of the oscillator circuit components, a load-network capacitor can be eliminated along with an inductor which is normally required to pass direct current to the transistor switch portion of the oscillator. The elimination of these elements permits the oscillator to be packaged in compact fashion. The discharge device incorporates a looped core of high permeability material which forms a part of the tuned circuit output portion of the oscillator and the radio frequency energy electromagnetic fields passed through and about the core and within the envelope of the device excite a discharge-sustaining medium to generate plasma which is converted to visible radiations.

Abstract: Method for coating fluorescent material on the inner surface of a bulb using a coating lacquer comprising an aqueous suspension of the finely divided fluorescent material, an organic water soluble polymer, a surfactant, and colloidal alumina as a binder, the improvement which comprises incorporating boric acid and hydrogen peroxide in the suspension. When the coated lacquer is burned out by heating the bulb, the boric acid melt coats the alumina binder to render same inactive for gas absorption and the hydrogen peroxide accelerates the combustion or burning out of the organic polymer and surfactant from the coated lacquer.

Abstract: Mercury metal-halide HID lamp has as a discharge-sustaining filling mercury, neodymium iodide and cesium iodide, with the gram mol ratio of neodymium iodide to cesium iodide being about 1:1. Sodium iodide may also be included as a discharge-sustaining material to supplement the foregoing materials. The lamp has a protective outer envelope which carries on the inner surface thereof finely divided phosphor which specifically is calcium sulfide activated by europium and sensitized by one of lead or tin, in order to lower the color temperature of the lamp and improve the color rendering properties thereof.

Abstract: Mercury metal-halide HID lamp having a discharge-sustaining filling comprising sodium halide and scandium halide is improved by providing a thin transparent layer comprising boron oxide adhered to and reacted with the exterior surface portion of the vitreous silica arc tube. Such a coating substantially inhibits migration of sodium ions through the arc tube. The coating also imparts devitrification resistance to any vibreous silica surface to which it is applied. The layer comprising boron oxide preferably is applied to the vitreous silica substrate by forming a clear, partially hydrolyzed solution principally comprising boron alkoxide and silicon alkoxide which is applied to the vitreous silica substrate. The substrate and applied solution are then heated to react the glass-forming constituents of the applied solution with the arc tube.

Abstract: High-pressure-discharge (HID) sodium lamp has a starting aid comprising a plug-like ceramic member extending through the longitudinal wall of the arc tube proximate one of the lamp electrodes. The plug-like ceramic member is fused to the alumina arc tube and is electrically conductive by virtue of having embedded therein a small percentage of finely divided refractory metal. At least during lamp starting, the plug-like ceramic starting aid is electrically connected through a resistor to the opposite lamp electrode and, as a result, on application of energizing potential, a glow discharge is established between the interior surface of the plug-like ceramic member and the proximate lamp electrode to ionize the atmosphere within the arc tube to facilitate lamp starting.

Abstract: High-intensity-discharge sodium lamp incorporates as a starting gas xenon at a pressure between 50 and 300 torrs, in order to improve the lamp efficiency and the spectral power distribution of the discharge. To facilitate lamp starting on a conventional pulse-type starting circuit, a trigger electrode is wrapped about the exterior of the arc tube proximate one of the lamp electrodes, with the potential applied to the trigger electrode during lamp starting being the same as that which is applied to the other or more remote lamp electrode. The starting pulse applied between the trigger electrode and the proximate lamp electrode initiates the lamp discharge. The trigger electrode also extends along the outer surface of the arc tube contiguous therewith toward the other electrode and the discharge, once initiated, progresses toward the other electrode.

Abstract: Method and device for efficiently generating white light with good color rendition of illuminated objects. This is achieved by blending three different colors of light, namely, a green to yellow-green color of light, an orange to red color of light, and a purplish-blue to greenish-blue color of light. The relative intensities of the blended colors of light are selected to produce white light of predetermined ICI coordinates. The resulting blended light has at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength shorter than 430 nm and at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength longer than 630 nm. Also, the blended light has at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength of about 575 nm and at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength of about 500 nm.

Abstract: Method and device for efficiently generating white light with good color rendition of illuminated objects. This is achieved by blending three different colors of light, namely, a green to yellow-green color of light, an orange to red color of light, and a purplish-blue to greenish-blue color of light. The relative intensities of the blended colors of light are selected to produce white light of predetermined ICI coordinates. The resulting blended light has at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength shorter than 430 nm and at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength longer than 630 nm. Also, the blended light has at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength of about 575 nm and at most only a limited amount of radiations of a wavelength of about 500 nm.

Abstract: Circuit for regulating the wattage drawn by a high-intensity-discharge (HID) lamp and for limiting the line current drawn by the lamp during starting to less than the line current drawn during normal lamp operation. The circuit includes a lamp current controlling means which has two operating modes, a first of which passes a less-than-nominal current to the lamp and a second of which passes a greater-than-nominal current to the lamp, with the ratio of the current of the second mode to the current of the first mode being less than 2:1. The lamp voltage is sensed and the line voltage also is sensed and these parameters are converted into separate current signals which are fed into a ramp capacitor to control the charging rate thereof. When the ramp capacitor achieves a predetermined level of charge during each half cycle of energizing potential, an AC switch is gated to shift the current controlling means from the first mode to the second mode.

Abstract: Compact ballast circuit for operating a low-pressure fluorescent lamp wherein line voltage is from about 120% to about 150% of the lamp operating voltage. The compact ballast comprises a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistance means and a parallel-connected fixed resistor, both connected in series with the ballasted lamp. Room temperature ohmic resistance of the PTC resistor is from about one-third to about twice the ohmic resistance of the fixed value resistor and the ohmic value of the fixed value resistor is sufficiently low that it will pass sufficient current to sustain the lamp discharge. The voltage drop across the combined ballast resistors is at least about 20% of the voltage across the operating lamp.

Abstract: Variable inductance ballast apparatus for high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp comprises a laminated E-I core having non-magnetic gaps intermediate the E-conformed and I-conformed members. A main winding is carried on a leg of the E-conformed member to provide two closed magnetic paths. A control winding is wrapped about another of the legs and encircles only one of the closed magnetic paths. A bilateral switch connects to the control winding and is actuated by a signal-generating means which is responsive to a lamp operating condition to close the bilateral switch once each half cycle of energizing potential during normal lamp operation, with the resulting counter mmf decreasing the inductance of the ballast apparatus by a predetermined amount to control in a very accurate, simple and inexpensive fashion the average power delivered to the lamp.

Abstract: For HID lamps, and particularly high-pressure mercury or sodium-mercury HID lamps, the electron-emissive material portion of the lamp electrodes is M.sub.3 M'.sub.2 M"O.sub.9 wherein M is alkaline-earth metal and at least principally comprises barium; M' is yttrium, a lanthanoid series metal, or any mixtures thereof; and M" is tungsten, molybdenum, or mixtures thereof. The specified material is very stable and highly emissive.

Abstract: Small particles for tagging of objects to be identified comprise luminescent material plus other material which provides information indicia for tagging purposes. Included in the tagging particles are very small particles of magnetic material which is reflective both for the radiations which excite the luminescent material and also for the radiations generated by the excited luminescent material. The inclusion of the reflective magnetic particles introduces only a minimal decrease in the effectiveness of the luminescent material to provide a spotting or locating function. The particles may thus be located either by their luminescent response, or by magnetic pickup, or both. Inorganic species of these particles are especially useful for tagging explosives for post-explosion indentification of the explosives.

Abstract: For HID lamps, and particularly high-pressure sodium-mercury HID lamps, the electron-emissive material portion of the lamp electrodes is a solid solution of dibarium calcium tungstate and dibarium calcium molybdate wherein the molar ratio of tungstate to molybdate is from 9:1 to 1:9. Emissive properties of the electrode are good and vapor pressure of emissive material is low.

Abstract: Especially for the fluorescent lamps which have an annular shaped envelope, the phosphor coating is adhered to the interior surface of the envelope by a melted and solidified mixture of boric anhydride and sodium borate. The weight ratios of total boric acid plus sodium borate to the phosphor, as present in the coating suspension, and the relative weight ratios of boric acid to sodium borate in the coating suspension are relatively critical for best performance.

Abstract: To obtain highly purified, lamp grade ammonium paratungstate crystals from any of several different tungsten ores, the ore is reduced to finely divided status and slurried in heated HCl solution to convert tungsten values to WO.sub.3.H.sub.2 O. Recovered tungstic oxide is washed and dissolved in heated aqueous solution of sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide with the pH maintained at about 8 to 8.5 to form soluble sodium tungstate. Sodium hydroxide is added to raise the pH to about 10.5 to 11.5, and magnesium chloride is added in amount sufficient to somewhat neutralize the solution. Sodium hydroxide is added to raise the pH to about 10.5 to 11.5 to precipitate as hydroxide the magnesium and additional metallic impurities. At least one of ammonium sulfide and thioacetamide is and the heated solution is acidified to a pH in the range from about 2 to 3 to precipitate any molybdenum as MoS.sub.3.

Abstract: Recreational vehicle comprises a riding platform having provided therein a centrally disposed aperture, with a single wheel mounted in the aperture. A first pair of skid means is spaced on either side of the plane of the wheel and projects forwardly of the wheel. A second pair of skid means is spaced on either side of the plane of the wheel and projects rearwardly of the wheel. A manual support means is affixed to the platform to provide for support of a standing rider. When riding the vehicle, speed can be controlled by the rider shifting weight, with a backward shift causing the rearward skids to contact the terrain and provide a braking action.