Apparatus employing negative resistance device for operating electric discharge lamps

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY FROM A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL TO AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS HAVING A NUMBER OF ZONES OF SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL FORMING AT LEAST A PAIR OF PN JUNCTIONS, SAID MEANS BEING RENDERED CONDUCTIVE BY A BIAS SIGNAL, A SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS CHARACTERIZED BY SHARP IMPEDANCE SHIFT WHEN OPERATED UNDER PREDETERMINED CURRENT CONDITIONS, SAID SECOND MEANS SWITCHING TO A HIGH VOLTAGE STATE IN RESPONSE TO A FIRST PREDETERMINED VALUE OF CURRENT PASSING THROUGH SAID SECOND MEANS AND SWITCHING TO A LOW VOLTAGE STAGE WHEN THE CURRENT THROUGH SAID SECOND MEANS DECREASES TO A SECOND PREDETERMINED VALUE, BIAS MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS FOR APPLYING A BIAS SIGNAL TO RENDER SAID FIRST MEANS CONDUCTIVE, AN INDUCTIVE ENERGY STORAGE MEANS, AND CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS AND SAID STORAGE MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH THE LAMP AND THE POTENTIAL SOURCE, SAID CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTING DEVICE TO PROVIDE A PATH FOR THE DELIVERY OF ENERGY STORED IN THE INDUCTIVE ENERGY STORAGE MEANS TO THE LAMP WHEN SAID FIRST MEANS IS RENDERED NONCONDUCTIVE, SAID FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS BEING RENDERED CONDUCTIVE BY SAID BIAS MEANS UNTIL THE CURRENT THROUGH SAID SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS REACHES SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED VALUE WHEREBY SAID SECOND MEANS IS SWITCHED TO A HIGH VOLTAGE STATE AND CANCELS THE BIAS SIGNAL TO RENDER SAID FIRST MEANS NONCONDUCTIVE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY FROM A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL TO AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS HAVING A NUMBER OF ZONES OF SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL FORMING AT LEAST A PAIR OF PN JUNCTIONS, SAID MEANS BEING RENDERED CONDUCTIVE BY A BIAS SIGNAL, A SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS CHARACTERIZED BY SHARP IMPEDANCE SHIFT WHEN OPERATED UNDER PREDETERMINED CURRENT CONDITIONS, SAID SECOND MEANS SWITCHING TO A HIGH VOLTAGE STATE IN RESPONSE TO A FIRST PREDETERMINED VALUE OF CURRENT PASSING THROUGH SAID SECOND MEANS AND SWITCHING TO A LOW VOLTAGE STAGE WHEN THE CURRENT THROUGH SAID SECOND MEANS DECREASES TO A SECOND PREDETERMINED VALUE, BIAS MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS FOR APPLYING A BIAS SIGNAL TO RENDER SAID FIRST MEANS CONDUCTIVE, AN INDUCTIVE ENERGY STORAGE MEANS, AND CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS AND SAID STORAGE MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH THE LAMP AND THE POTENTIAL SOURCE, SAID CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTING DEVICE TO PROVIDE A PATH FOR THE DELIVERY OF ENERGY STORED IN THE INDUCTIVE ENERGY STORAGE MEANS TO THE LAMP WHEN SAID FIRST MEANS IS RENDERED NONCONDUCTIVE, SAID FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS BEING RENDERED CONDUCTIVE BY SAID BIAS MEANS UNTIL THE CURRENT THROUGH SAID SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MEANS REACHES SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED VALUE WHEREBY SAID SECOND MEANS IS SWITCHED TO A HIGH VOLTAGE STATE AND CANCELS THE BIAS SIGNAL TO RENDER SAID FIRST MEANS NONCONDUCTIVE.