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US 20110021051A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0021051 A1 Larocque (43) Pub. Date: Jan. 27, 2011 (54) ADAPTER Publication Classi?cation (76) Inventor.. Pierre-Andre- Larocque, ( 51) Int. Cl. Saime_Ade1e (CA) H01R 33/08 (2006.01) Correspondence Address: ( 52 ) US. Cl. ...................................................... .. 439/236 IPAXIO S.E.N.C 2250 St. Martin Blvd East, Suite 100 (57) ABSTRACT Laval’ QC H7E 5A4 (CA) The present invention provides an adapter allowing them to _ be installed into a lamp ?xture primarily conceived for ?uo (21) Appl' NO" 12/934’226 rescent tubes. Certain types of neon tubes consume signi? . _ cantly less electricity While operating than ?uorescent tubes (22) PCT Flled' Mar' 26’ 2009 and have a longer lifetime than ?uorescent tubes. The adapter (86) PCT N O _ PCT IC A2009 /0003 63 comprises a pin holder from Which one or more pins extend " and has means to electrically connect the electrode of the § 371 (6X1) neon tube to the lamp ?xture. An adapter is installed on each (2) (4) Date’. sep_ 23, 2010 extremity of a neon tube prior to the installation of the neon ’ tube in a modi?ed ?uorescent lamp ?xture. Finally, neon (30) Foreign Application Priority Data tubes do not comprise or at the very least comprise signi? cantly less mercury (Which is Widely recognized as being a Mar. 26, 2008 (CA) .................................... .. 2627280 health treat) than is found in ?uorescent tubes. 112 Patent Application Publication Jan. 27, 2011 Sheet 1 0f 5 US 2011/0021051 A1 106 10a 106 / 108 104 FIG. 2A FIG. 2B 110 7// 104 120 106 108 180 / 118 104 162 / 102 160 FIG. 26 FIG. 3 Patent Application Publication Jan. 27, 2011 Sheet 2 0f 5 US 2011/0021051 A1 122 1 2 4 130 FIG. 4A FIG. 48 122 FIG. 4C FIG. 40 Patent Application Publication Jan. 27, 2011 Sheet 3 0f 5 US 2011/0021051 A1 144 140 132 132 162 160 FIG. 5A FIG. 5B 146 148 FIG. 5c \ 144 // 14o \ 132 / \102/\ \ FIG. 5D FIG. 5E Patent Application Publication Jan. 27, 2011 Sheet 4 0f 5 US 2011/0021051 A1 250 / 232 202 234 230 FIG. 6A 220 252 202 208 204 232 FIG. 6B / 20B 204 202 FIG. 6C Patent Application Publication Jan. 27, 2011 Sheet 5 0f 5 US 2011/0021051 A1 702 704 FIG. 7 US 2011/0021051A1 Jan. 27, 2011 ADAPTER neon produces When electricity passes through it. It is indeed possible to obtain a White color With a “neon” tube. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED [0007] Neon gas discharge lighting devices are also called APPLICATIONS “cold cathode” devices. This is because the cathodes, metal conductors on the inside of each end of the tube, are not [0001] The present patent application claims the bene?ts of heated to encourage electrons to travel through the gas as for priority of commonly assigned Canadian Patent Application ?uorescent tubes. Instead, a voltage greater than the total No. 2,627,280, entitled “ADAPTER” and ?led at the Cana resistance of the gas of all the tubes in the circuit is typically dian Patent Of?ce on Mar. 26, 2009. used. [0008] A neon light requires a high voltage to start, but FIELD OF THE INVENTION often consumes only use a feW milliamperes of current While operating. Because of the loW current used, the electricity [0002] The present invention generally relates to lighting consumed by “neon” lighting is less than by ?uorescent light devices, more particularly to an adapter to connect a neon ing. As mentioned before, considering the quantity of ?uo tube in a ?uorescent lamp ?xture. rescent used in commercial buildings, this reduction in con sumption of electricity represents a substantial amount. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Furthermore, the neon tubes have a longer lifetime than the [0003] A ?uorescent lamp or ?uorescent tube is a gas ?uorescent tubes. discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor in [0009] Neon signs comprise glass tubes Which are bent into neutral gas such as argon or neon, resulting in a plasma that various con?gurations and Which have electrodes sealed into produces short-Wave ultraviolet light. This light then causes their opposite ends. The color of the light Which is emitted phosphor to ?uoresce, producing visible light. As used herein, When a high electric potential is applied across the electrodes the term “neon tube” refers to an elongated cold cathode gas depends on the particular inert gas With Which the tube is discharge tube containing an ioniZable gas (including neon, ?lled. Argon, krypton and neon are the most commonly used argon, krypton and other gases or combinations). The tube gases, but for the sake of brevity, all light emitting gas ?lled has a pair of cathode elements passing through the glass at tubes (excluding ?uorescent tubes) to Which the neW adapter each end of the tube that are in contact With the gas. The is applicable Will be called neon tubes herein. cathode elements are connected to a poWer supply source, [0010] The economic bene?t that could be achieved With an providing a high voltage betWeen the cathode elements thus adapter to use neon tubes instead of ?uorescent tubes in causing the gas to ioniZe and gloW and producing the desired standard ?uorescent ?xtures, particularly in a commercial illumination. The traditional ?uorescent tubes are excluded environment, is substantial. from this de?nition. Traditional ?uorescents tubes refer to a lighting device usually of the hot cathode type, Which gener OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION ates ultraviolet light emitted by mercury vapor so that a phos [0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide a phor coating absorbs the energy of the ultraviolet light and lighting device alloWing a substantial economy in electrical produces visible light. “Neon” tubes do not usually contain consumption. mercury (or at the very least signi?cantly less than ?uorescent [0012] It is another object to provide an adapter alloWing tubes). neon tubes to be connected into a ?uorescent lamp ?xture. [0004] In addition to neon, argon (another noble gas) is the [0013] It is a further object to provide an adapter Which is most commonly-used gas used in gas discharge lighting. very simple to install and that do not need any particular tools Argon is used because it is a source of ultraviolet light, as Well or knoWledge. as producing visible light With a deep-blue color. In ?uores [0014] Other and further objects and advantages of the cent lamps, the combination of mercury and argon generates present invention Will be obvious upon an understanding of large amounts of ultraviolet light. As it is knoWn, mercury is the illustrative embodiments about to be described or Will be a health treat and therefore causes a problem With the elimi indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not nation of ?uorescent tubes. Indeed the used tubes have to be referred to herein Will occur to one skilled in the art upon collected for a proper disposal. HoWever, in many places, employment of the invention in practice. there is no means to collect these used tubes. Thus, mercury contained in ?uorescent tubes is often transmitted into the SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION environment When the ?uorescent tubes are discarded. [0005] In some states of the United States it is forbidden to [0015] The aforesaid and other objectives of the present throW aWay ?uorescent tubes With the “normal” garbage. The invention are realiZed by generally providing an adapter for a ?uorescent tubes are collected to prevent the discharge of cold cathode gas discharge tube of the type comprising a tube mercury in the environment, generating high costs for these containing a noble gas but excluding ?uorescent tubes, a pair procedures. Considering that a large number of commercial of electrodes located inside the tube and Wires extending buildings are using ?uorescent tubes for lighting, there is a through the tube to electrically connect each the electrode to substantial amount of mercury generated. said adapter, the adapter being used to install the neon tube [0006] “Neon” signs are luminous-tube signs that contain into a lighting ?xture of the type adapted to receive traditional neon or other inert gases at a loW pressure. Applying a high ?uorescent tubes, the ?xture having lamp sockets, the adapter voltage (usually at least a feW thousand volts) makes the gas comprising a pin holder, the pin holder comprising at least gloW brightly. Gas discharge lighting is seen most frequently one pin Which is complementary to the lamp sockets, means in “neon” signs and decorative lighting. While neon gas is to attach the pin holder to the discharge tube, and means to used in some of these tubular lamps, other gases are used to electrically connect the pin to the electrode of the discharge produce light in colors other than the red-orange color that tube. US 2011/0021051A1 Jan. 27, 2011 [0016] In another embodiment, the present invention pro [0022] Different pin holders may be provided match differ vides an adapter for a gas tube of the type comprising a tube ent types of lamp sockets. For example, the pin holder may containing a noble gas Which produce visible light When have one or more pins and the pins may have different shapes. ionized, a pair of electrodes located inside the tube near a [0023] In the case of a neon adapter With a pin holder respective end of the tube and Wires extending through the having a contact surface and a collar, an adapter is connected tube While electrically connecting each the electrode, the at each extremity of the neon tube.