4.6 TRIZ in this patent
From studying the abstract of the patent, the innovation could be defined as the solution to
the contradiction between the following parameters: ‘ harmful side effects’ (the mercury in
land fill from fluorescent tubes) and ‘durability of a non-moving objects’ (achieving a
competitive lamp-life for the product).
Studying the patent in more depth revealed that several inventions are brought together in
this patent. These innovations solve contradictions between other parameters including
‘brightness’, ‘waste of substance’, ‘amount of substance’, and ‘accuracy of manufacture’.
The novel manufacturing method described in section 4.5 uses the following of the 40
inventive principles described in TRIZ:
No. 7 Nesting: of the glass capsule inside the tube envelope;
No.28 Replace Mechanical: to break the capsule a high frequency electromagnetic field
was used;
No. 37 Thermal Expansion: the difference in the coefficients of heat expansion of the metal
wire and the glass capsule cause mercury to be released