Invalidity dossier
US 7048410
Support and enclosure structure for fluorescent light bulbs
Current assignee: Individual
Added 9/23/2026, 1:24:53 PM
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US 7,048,410 B2
Title: Support and enclosure structure for fluorescent light bulbs
Patent number / application: US 7,048,410 B2; Application US 10/786,870
Inventor / assignee: Murray Kutler (inventor); original assignee listed as "Individual"; current assignee listed as "Individual."
Key dates: Priority/filing date 2004-02-25; publication of US 2005/0185396 A1 on 2005-08-25; grant/publication date 2006-05-23. Status listed as "Expired – Lifetime," with adjusted expiration 2024-07-01.
Purpose: Fluorescent bulbs use a fragile glass tube easily broken during installation or removal, and high-intensity bulbs generate heat that can shorten bulb life if not dissipated. The patent addresses both problems with a protective, ventilated enclosure that also simplifies handling and connection to the fixture ballast.
Plain-language scope: The structure comprises an elongated hollow tube with opposite ends, an outer wall, and an inner volume. At least one ventilation opening passes through the outer wall so air can flow between the inner volume and the surrounding environment to cool the bulb. End caps mount on the tube's opposite ends, engage the bulb's opposite ends, and hold the bulb within the inner volume free of contact with the outer wall. The tube is made of a generally rigid, at least partially translucent material so emitted light radiates through the outer wall. A wire channel may optionally be formed in the outer surface, running the tube's length, to safely retain the electrode wire and reduce damage risk—though the text states this channel "is not absolutely necessary." The channel may require slight thickening of the outer wall to maintain rigidity.
Classification: F21V29/83, F21V17/06, F21V23/06, among others.
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7048410/en
What the excerpt does not establish: It supplies only limited descriptive text and does not reproduce the full claims, the complete description, drawing reference numerals beyond FIGS. 1–3, or any prior-art references actually cited during prosecution. It provides no information on litigation, ownership transfers, validity, or the merits of any particular prior-art rejection. Legal status is expressly an assumption per the source and is not a legal conclusion.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:53:08 PM
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Litigation summary
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
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Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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