High efficacy incandescent lighting product

• US 5,239,233 A
• Filed: 01/08/1990
• Issued: 08/24/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ole K Nilssen
• Original Assignee: Ole K Nilssen
• Inventors: Nilssen, Ole K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US07/463,777
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 313/25, 313/579, 313/110, 313/315-318, 313/323, 313/341, 315/57, 315/64, 315/70, 315/74, 315/209 R, 315/209 T, 315/212-217, 315/223, 315/227 R, 315/276, 220/2.1 R, 333/177, 331/108 A, 331/114, 331/117, 331/148
• US Class Current: 315/57
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/00 Circuit arrangements or apparatus for operating incandescent light sources structurally associated with the incandescent lamps H01K1/62
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/045 with high-frequency bridge converters H05B39/048 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

At the lumen output levels of most ordinary household incandescent lamps, incandescent filaments designed for and operated at about 24 Volt RMS provide substantially higher luminous efficacy than filaments designed for and operated at 120 Volt RMS. A table lamp comprises means for converting 120 Volt/60 Hz to 120 Volt/30 kHz. The 120 Volt/60 Hz is obtained from an ordinary electrical receptacle; the 120 Volt/30 kHz is provided to the lamp socket. With 120 Volt/30 kHz on the lamp socket, any ordinary 120 Volt incandescent lamp can be used therein; as can also any special incandescent lamp having a 24 Volt filament in combination with a built-in 30 kHz voltage transformer operative to convert the 120 Volt/30 kHz socket voltage into 24 Volt/30 kHz voltage for the filament. While the size of a 60 Hz transformer capable of efficiently transforming the amount of power required by the 24 Volt filament would be far too large to be contained within a light bulb of ordinary dimensions; the size of a corresponding 30 kHz transformer is small enough to fit comfortably within the dimensions of an ordinary light bulb.

Claims

1. A lamp holder adapted:

i) to connect with an ordinary electric utility power line having a power line voltage, and ii) to receive and hold an ordinary Edison-type light bulb;

the lamp holder comprising;

frequency converter means having;

i) connect means operative to connect with the power line voltage, and ii) output terminal means operative to provide an output voltage having magnitude about equal to that of the power line voltage but having frequency substantially higher than that of the power line voltage;

socket means connected with the output terminal means and operative to receive and hold an ordinary Edison-type light bulb; and

structure means operative to hold together the frequency converter means and the socket means such as to form an integral lamp holder.

2. The lamp holder of claim 1 wherein the frequency converter is operative to provide the output voltage only as long as a load means is connected with the output terminal means.

3. A lamp holder means comprising:

frequency converter means having;

i) input terminals operative to connect with an ordinary electric utility power line, and ii) output terminals operative to provide an output voltage of frequency substantially higher than that of the voltage on the power line;

lamp socket means operative to receive and hold an incandescent light bulb having screw-base operative to be screwed into and held by an ordinary Edison-type lamp socket, the lamp socket means having socket terminals connected with the output voltage; and

structure means operative to mechanically hold together the frequency converter means and the lamp socket means;

thereby to form a lamp holder means operative to properly power an ordinary Edison-type incandescent light bulb as well as a special light bulb requiring for its proper operation a voltage of frequency substantially higher than that of the voltage on the power line.

4. The lamp holder of claim 3 wherein:

i) the lamp socket means is a three-way lamp socket, and ii) the special light bulb is a three-way light bulb.

5. A combination comprising:

lamp means;

(i) having an Edison-type screw base with a pair of power light terminals; and

(ii) being adapted to operate properly only when provided at its power input terminals with an input voltage having frequency substantially higher than that of the power line voltage of an ordinary electric utility power line; and

lamp holder means connected with an ordinary electric utility power line and operative;

(i) to receive, to hold, and to connect with the lamp means by way of its Edison-type screw base; and

(ii) thereby to provide said input voltage to its power input terminals;

the lamp holder means including an electronic frequency conversion means.

6. A lamp holder adapted:

(i) to connect with an ordinary electric utility power line having a power line voltage; and

(ii) to receive and hold a light bulb having an ordinary Edison-type screw-base;

the lamp holder comprising;

a frequency converter means having;

(i) connect means operative to connect with said power line voltage, and (ii) output terminal means operative to provide an output voltage having frequency substantially higher than that of the power line voltage;

a lamp socket means connected with the output terminal means and operative to receive and hold an ordinary light bulb; and

structure means operative to hold together the frequency converter and the lamp socket, thereby to make said lamp holder a mechanically integral entity.

7. A combination comprising:

frequency converter means having;

(i) input terminals operative to connect with the power line voltage of an ordinary electric utility power line; and

(ii) output terminals operative to provide an output voltage of frequency substantially higher than that of the power line voltage; and

lamp holder means having a lamp socket adapted to receive and hold a light bulb with an ordinary Edison-type screw-base;

the lamp socket having socket terminals connected with said output voltage;

thereby to provide an arrangement operative to properly power;

(i) any one of various substantially ordinary Edison-type incandescent light bulbs;

as well as (ii) any one of various special light bulbs having Edison-type screw-bases and requiring for their proper operation to be supplied with a voltage of frequency substantially higher than that of the power line voltage.

8. A combination comprising:

an incandescent lamp having a filament sealed within an inner envelope;

the filament being connected with lamp terminals protruding through and accessible from outside of the inner envelope;

screw-base operative to be inserted into and to be held by an ordinary Edison-type lamp socket;

the screw-base having base terminals;

linear electric circuit means operative to connect the filament in circuit with the base terminals;

thereby being operative to permit transfer of electric power from the base terminals to the filament, but only as long as an AC voltage is applied to the base terminals; and

outer envelope means mounted on the screw-base and operative at least in part to enclose said inner envelope.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said linear electric circuit means includes a transformer.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein said linear circuit means includes high-pass filter means operative to prevent the filament from responding to the application of a voltage of frequency about equal to or lower than the frequency of the voltage normally present on an ordinary electric utility power line.

11. The combination of claim 8 wherein said incandescent lamp is a Tungsten-Halogen lamp.

12. The combination of claim 8 wherein said outer envelope means includes a glass envelope operative to substantially enclose said inner envelope.

13. The combination of claim 8 wherein said outer envelope means is operative to prevent a person from directly touching the inner envelope.

14. The combination of claim 8 wherein said filament may be made incandescent only by application to the base terminals of a voltage of frequency substantially higher than that of the voltage normally present on an ordinary electric utility power line.

15. The combination of claim 8 further including a second incandescent lamp having a second filament sealed within a second inner envelope.