Lighting system with fluorescent and incandescent lamps

• US 5,345,149 A
• Filed: 06/26/1992
• Issued: 09/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Byung I. Ham
• Original Assignee: Byung I. Ham
• Inventors: Ham, Byung I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gensler, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US07/904,708
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 315/313, 315/162, 315/244, 315/254, 315/246, 315/178, 315/179, 362/228, 362/229, 362/225, 362/231
• US Class Current: 315/244
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/18 having a starting switch

Abstract

A lighting system using a 120 volt AC power source and including within a single enclosure a low wattage fluorescent lamp and a low wattage incandescent lamp. The fluorescent lamp provides an efficient light source operating at a low voltage and low wattage, but providing a relatively bright light. The incandescent lamp may be used to provide a more traditional night light having a lower light output than that which is produced by the flourescent lamp. Either the fluorescent lamp or the incandescent lamp is selected by a switch. To obtain the low voltage required by the incandescent lamp, a resistor is placed in parallel with a capacitor to provide a small voltage drop, e.g., from 120 volts to 115 volts. In this configuration, due to the charging and discharging of the capacitor as the current alternates and discharges through the resistance of the incandescent lamp, a relatively low voltage and current pass through the incandescent lamp.

Claims

1. A lighting system using a 120 volt AC power source and including within a single enclosure a low wattage fluorescent lamp and a low wattage incandescent lamp, said lighting system comprising:

a) ballast means coupled between said fluorescent lamp and said AC power source;

b) a resistor and capacitor pair directly connected in parallel and between said AC power source and one contact of said incandescent lamp, said resistor and capacitor pair adapted to reduce the voltage of said AC power source by approximately 20%, a second contact of said incandescent lamp being coupled to said AC power source, wherein one contact of said flourescent lamp is coupled to said one contact of said incandescent lamp.

2. The lighting system defined by claim 1 further comprising switch means coupled between said AC power source, said ballast means and said second contact of said incandescent lamp for selecting one of said fluorescent lamp and said incandescent lamp to couple to said AC power source.

3. The lighting system defined by claim 1 further comprising a diode coupled in parallel with said incandescent lamp.

4. The lighting system defined by claim 1 wherein said resistor is a one megaohm resistor and said capacitor is a one microfarad capacitor.