Lighting system

Claim 1

A BAND LIGHTING SYSTEM COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR HOUSING PROVIDING A CONTINUOUS ILLUMINABLE PASSAGEWAY, SUPPORT MEANS FOR SECURING SAID HOUSING TO AN UPRIGHT STRUCTURE AND AT A SPACED DISTANCE IN FRONT THEREOF, THE TOP AND BOTTOM WALL PORTIONS OF SAID HOUSING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY OPAQUE, AT LEAST ONE OF THE SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF SAID HOUSING BEING OF A LIGHT-TRANSMITTING MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF, PAIRS OF LAMPHOLDER SUPPORTS MOUNTED ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID HOUSING, AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF SAID LAMPHOLDER SUPPORTS BEING AT A HIGHER LEVEL WITHIN SAID HOUSING THAN ANOTHER ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID LAMPHOLDER SUPPORTS AND BEING STAGGERED WITH RESPECT THERETO, AN ELONGATED LAMP MOUNTED ON EACH PAIR OF SAID LAMPHOLDER SUPPORTS SO THAT THE END OF THE ELONGATED LAMP MOUNTED ON SAID PAIR WILL OVERLAP THE END OF THE ELONGATED LAMP MOUNTED ON SAID ANOTHER PAIR, THE OVERLAPPING ENDS OF SAID ELONGATED LAMPS ELIMINATING ANY DARK AREAS ALONG SAID LIGHTTRANSMITTING MATERIAL WHEN IT IS ILLUMINATED THEREBY, AND LIGHT CONTROLLING MEANS EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID HOUS ING FROM EACH OF SAID GENERALLY OPAQUE SIDE WALL PORTIONS FOR DIFFUSING THE LIGHT EMITTED BY SAID ELONGATED LAMPS SO AS TO ELIMINATE CONCENTRATIONS OF LIGHT UPON A PORTION OF THE LIGHT-TRANSMITTING MATERIAL IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT EACH OF SAID ELONGATED LAMPS.