Abstract: An electric lamp bulb (or similar fragile article) is retained in suspended centralized position within a collapsible open-ended carton of rectangular sleeve-like configuration by a dual-panel liner that extends across the interior of the carton and has apertured medial parts which nestingly receive and interlock with the bulbous portion of the lamp bulb. Each of the liner-panels has a pair of hinged flaps that swing in opposite directions and are displaced in criss-cross fashion by the bulbous part of the lamp bulb to form a single aperture in the associated liner-panel and a pair of cradle-like structures. The hinged flaps are so shaped and dimensioned that their free ends are pressed against the adjacent walls and diagonally-opposite corners of the carton by the inserted lamp bulb and thus produce buttressing forces which not only counteract the natural tendency of the carton to collapse but lock the carton in its erected form.

Abstract: Unitary light source comprises compact HID lamp and starting and operating circuit therefor operable from household AC energizing potential. The HID lamp is ballasted by incandescent filament means which also provides the major portion of developed light during HID warm up and after power interruption. The ballast filament and input terminals of a full-wave rectifier connect in series across the light source input terminals and the HID lamp connects across the rectifier output. A low-impedance path means and high-voltage pulse generator, which includes a high-voltage electrode operatively associated with the HID lamp, connect across the rectifier input. Initially, the voltage developed across the rectifier input is relatively high and the pulse generator and low-impedance path means are responsive thereto to devleop high voltage pulses and also provide a low impedance path in series with the ballast filament to cause it to incandesce brightly.

Abstract: High-intensity-discharge (HID) sodium lamp has a starting aid comprising a conducting ceramic which is hermetically sealed to and extends through an alumina arc tube at least at one end thereof to form an electrically conducting path. The conducting ceramic 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 starting, the conducting ceramic 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 an arc-tube-interior portion of the conducting ceramic and the adjacent electrode to ionize the atmosphere within the arc tube and facilitate lamp starting.

Abstract: A process for removing residual mercury from scrap fluorescent lamp exhaust tubulation or similar scrap glass is disclosed. A very small predetermined amount of finely divided silica or alumina powder is added to the mercury contaminated scrap glass and the mixture is agitated for a very short predetermined time during which the mercury is stripped from the tubulation. The separated mercury, powder and glass mixture is then decanted through a screen of suitable mesh to remove the separated mercury and powder from the glass and the mercury is then rinsed with a suitable solvent to remove the oxide powder from the mercury.

Abstract: An energy-saving instant-start series-sequence fluorescent lamp system includes power-reducing capacitor means connected in series circuit arrangement with one or both lamps in a two-lamp system. A protective device is connected in circuit with a first lamp of the system so that in the event the second lamp fails to operate and causes a high current to flow through the first lamp, the protective device reacts to prevent the system from being damaged. A lamp incorporating the power-reducing capacitor and protective device is also disclosed.

Abstract: An arc tube for a high-pressure sodium (HPS) discharge lamp having an extended seal path to reduce leakage therethrough. The extended seal path is provided by a monolithic arc tube body having circular apertures in the ends thereof of a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the arc tube body and a skirted end cap having refractory metal tubulation extending centrally therethrough mounted on each end of the arc tube body. A glassy sealing frit is interposed between the entire interior surface of the end cap and that portion of the refractory metal tubulation extending through the circular aperture in the arc tube ends.

Abstract: Color-corrected HID mercury-vapor lamp provides good color rendition of illuminated objects and also has a commercially desirable emission color. The lamp incorporates the usual arc tube which emits both ultraviolet radiations and visible radiations and the color-correcting phosphor components are carried on the inner surface of an outer protective envelope and comprise three different phosphor components. A first of the phosphor components has an emission confined to the shorter wavelength region of the visible spectrum with a peak of emission at from 440 nm to 470 nm. A second of the phosphor components is confined to the middle wavelength region of the visible spectrum with a peak of emission at from 520 nm to 560 nm and the third of the phosphor components has an emission confined to the longer wavelength region of the spectrum with its peak of emission at from 605 nm to 630 nm.

Abstract: A single-ended compact fluorescent lamp having an envelope that is partitioned or of multi-U-bent shape and defines a tortuous arc path is combined with a plug-in ballast module which is elongated in a lateral direction but has a low profile and a narrow width. The resulting decrease in the overall height dimension of the unit formed by the mated lamp and module, together with the narrow width of the module, permit the unit to fit within the harp component of a table lamp or similar lighting fixture and be used as a replacement for an incandescent lamp. The screw-in socket of the lamp fixture is provided with a threaded adapter plug which enables the lamp-ballast unit to be plugged into the adapter after it has been inserted between the spaced support rods of the harp component.

Abstract: The in-line transmission of a translucent polycrystalline alumina arc tube for a high-pressure sodium discharge lamp is improved by as much as 50% by dipping the "green" tubular compact in an aqueous slurry containing finely-divided alumina particles and, after the slurry-dipped compact has been dried, subjecting it to the usual pre-sintering and sintering operations required to convert the compact into a dense ceramic body. The slurry is preferably prepared from the same slurry which contains the blended alumina powder, magnesia and other additives that comprise the raw-mix slurry which is spray-dried to produce the larger size generally spherical particles that are compressed or extruded to form the green compact.

Abstract: For fluorescent lamps which use a double layer of phosphor with manganese-activated zinc silicate phosphor in the overlying layer, a small predetermined amount of finely-divided antimony oxide is added to the first phosphor layer coating paint which, after application, is lehred at a temperature which is sufficient to volatilize the organic binder but which is insufficient to volatilize more than a minor proportion of the antimony oxide. Thereafter, the second phosphor layer coating paint which includes the zinc silicate is applied over the first-applied layer and the applied second layer coating paint is then lehred at a temperature which is sufficient to volatilize an appreciable portion of the residual antimony oxide in the first-applied layer to cause the volatilized antimony oxide to contact the zinc silicate.