Starting and operating circuit for gas discharge lamps

Claim 1

A STARTING AND BALLASTING CIRCUIT FOR OPERATING A DISCHARGE LAMP FOR A LOW VOLTAGE DIRECT CURRENT SOURCE, SAID LAMP REQUIRING A VERY HIGH INGITION VOLTAGE FOLLOWERED BY AN INTERMEDIATE VOLTAGE OF MAGNITUDE GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID SOURCE SUSTAINED FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO ASSURE CATHODE WARM UP IN ORDER FOR THE ARC DROP ACROSS THE LAMP TO FALL BELOW THE VALUE OF THE SOURCE VOLTAGE COMPRISING: AN OPERATING CIRCUIT INCLUDING A CURRENT LIMITING IMPEDANCE, A HIGH CURRENT RECTIFIER AND THE LAMP CONNECTED IN SERIES ACROSS THE SOURCE TERMINALS; MEANS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH SAID OPERATING CIRCUIT FOR PRODUCING A UNIDIRECTIONAL PULSATING CURRENT COMPRISING A CHOPPER CIRCUIT CONNECTED ACROSS SAID SOURCE TERMINALS INCLUDING AN OSCILLATOR CIRCUIT AND TRANSFORMING MEANS ENERGIZED THEREBY; A SECONDARY CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID TRANSFORMING MEANS INCLUDING A RECTIFIER AND A FIRST STORAGE CAPACITOR FOR CHARGING UP TO SAID INTERMEDIATE VOLTAGE DURING OPERATION OF SAID CHOPPER CIRCUIT, SAID STORAGE CAPACITOR BEING CONNECTED ACROSS SAID LAMP AND SAID HIGH CURRENT RECTIFIER BEING POLED TO PREVENT INVERSE DISCHARGE THEREOF THROUGH SAID SOURCE; A PULSE GENERATING CIRCUIT CONNECTED ACROSS SAID STORAGE CAPACITOR FOR PRODUCING A DAMPED OSCILLATORY TRAIN OF HIGH VOLTAGE PULSES INCLUDING