Gas discharge lamp operating system

Claim 1

An electric system for use with an alternating current source comprising a saturable transformer, a capacitor, and a gas discharge lamp connected in a series circuit, the lamp when initially ignited having low impedance, the lamp impedance increasing as the lamp is warmed up to operating temperature, the respective values of the impedances of the saturable transformer, the capacitor, and the lamp being such that a harmonic component is generated in said series circuit upon ignition of said lamp, said circuit operating at least close to resonance at said harmonic frequency during the warmup period of said lamp, the circuit constants being such that operation of said circuit gradually shifts to at least close to resonance at supply frequency as said lamp reaches operating temperature, specifically the saturable transformer having constants such that it has a partially saturated primary during the starting phase using the resonance of the third harmonic current, the constants of the saturable transformer such that its primary gradually unsaturates as the lamp warms up using supply frequency resonance, whereby during the operation at close to harmonic frequency the effective reduced capacitive reactance passes a higher than normal current to flow through said lamp for a rapid warmup thereof and as said harmonic component decreases the effective increased capacitive reactance reduces the current flow to normal and at the same time the operation at least close to resonance at supply frequency provides regulating action in the eVent of variations in said supply frequency.