A resiliently deformable container for mercury, and lamp and method of its manufacture using such a container
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorsWilliam L. Kuijer, Jacobus P. K. M. Van As, Frans J. Traksel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Mercury is dosed into a fluorescent or similar lamp from a container shaped mostly as an elongated flat plate, inserted lengthwise into the exhaust tube and held in place by a rib in the tube engaging depressions in the center of the plate. To permit easy insertion, the end of the plate opposite the mercury container has a relatively large through hole, leaving a thin resilient wall on each side of the hole so that insertion force is minimized.
Claims5
An elongated container for dispensing a dose of mercury, comprising a plate-shaped part having a width greater than the thickness thereof, and a mercury-containing portion having a given width in the width direction of said part;
- said plate-shaped part comprising a waist portion having a width less than said given width, and a resilient portion having a width greater than the width of said waist portion;
- said waist portion being arranged in the direction of elongation between said resilient portion and said mercury-containing portion,
- characterized in that said resilient portion has a centrally formed hole extending therethrough in the thickness direction, defining strips on respective opposite sides of the hole, the hole having a width greater than the respective widths of said strips, and
- said resilient portion extends completely around the periphery of the hole.
A mercury vapor discharge lamp comprising a lamp vessel, an exhaust tube communicating therewith and having an internal rib extending transversely of the tube, and an elongated closed metal container for dispensing a dose of mercury, fitted in said exhaust tube and engaging said rib,
- said container comprising a plate-shaped part having a width greater than the thickness thereof, and a mercury-containing portion having a given width in the width direction of said part;
- said plate-shaped part comprising a waist portion having a width less than said given width, and a resilient portion having a width greater than the width of said waist portion;
- said waist portion being arranged between said resilient portion and said mercury-containing portion for engaging the rib, and said resilient portion being disposed between said rib and said vessel,
- characterized in that said resilient portion has a centrally formed hole extending therethrough in the thickness direction, defining strips on respective opposite sides of the hole, the hole having a width greater than the respective widths of said strips, and
- said resilient portion extends completely around the periphery of the hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.