The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 04, 1989
Filed:
Feb. 01, 1988
Nikolaos Barakitis, Salem, MA (US);
Gregory Zaslavsky, Brookline, MA (US);
GTE Products Corporation, Danvers, MA (US);
Abstract
This invention relates to a glow discharge starter having an hermetically sealed envelope containing an ionizable medium, a bimetallic electrode including a bimetallic element having a curved portion and a free end, and a counter electrode located within the envelope. A getter holder is secured to the counter electrode and positioned adjacent the curved portion of the bimetallic element such that a first discharge gap is formed therebetween. A second discharge gap is formed between the free end of the bimetallic element and the counter electrode. The spacing of the first discharge gap is defined as being less than the spacing of the second discharge gap. A predetermined total amount of getter material is contained within the envelope including a portion thereof contained within the getter holder. Preferably, the portion of getter material contained within the getter holder is within the range of from about 25 percent to about 75 percent of the total amount of getter material. The present invention results in a glow discharge starter which has stable electrical characteristics suitable for use with higher lamp voltages and higher ambient temperatures.