Gas discharge illumination device
AssigneeNeon Modular Systems, Inc.
InventorPacifico A. Palumbo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A noble gas illumination device such as a neon tube in which the glass neon tube is clear and uncoated and is surrounded by a clear plastic tube. The clear plastic tube may be tinted or colorless. If it is tinted, it alters the color of the light emanating from the device. Whether tinted or untinted, the clear plastic tube makes the uncoated neon tube appear to have a larger diameter, thereby creating the illusion that the electric discharge beam in the neon tube is extremely thin and focused and has the appearance of a laser beam.
Claims14
An illumination device for producing light from an electric discharge through a gas filled tube, and discharge having the appearance of being thin and ray-like, like a gaseous laser discharge, said illumination device comprising an elongated gas filled electric discharge illumination tube having no coating on the wall thereof of the type that alters the nature of the light emitted therefrom so that the thickness of the discharge appears thinner than the inner diameter of said illumination tube, said illumination tube having terminals located at axially opposite ends of the tube, and a transparent plastic tube in surrounding relation with said illumination tube for increasing the apparent diameter of said illumination tube whereby to enchance the visual effect of the thinness of said illuminated gas discharge to thereby simulate with a gas discharge illumination device the appearance of a gaseous laser discharge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.