Patent ID: 7775847

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a hot cathode fluorescent lamp, the hot cathode fluorescent lamp including, a glass tube having an inner wall uniformly coated with a phosphor, mounts including a glass bead for sealing respective ends of the glass tube, mercury and a rare gas sealed within the glass tube, lead wires sealed within and penetrating respective glass beads, and filaments provided at respective ends of the glass tube and connected to respective lead wires, the method comprising: providing the glass tube, and two mounts, each of the mounts sealing a pair of the lead wires, first ends of the lead wires of a first of the mounts each having a bent portion bent outwardly with respect to an axial direction of the glass tube, other ends of the lead wires of the first of the mounts supporting and connecting to a respective filament, the respective filament being coated with an emissive material; inserting the first of the mounts while the respective filament is directed toward the glass tube until the bent portions of the lead wires of the first of the mounts abut against an opening end of the glass tube so as to dispose the respective filament adjacent the opening end of the glass tube; forming a vacuum system using an inner space formed by the glass tube in communication with an exhaust pipe by welding the opening end of the glass tube and an opening end of the exhaust pipe while the bent portions are sandwiched between the opening end of the glass tube and the opening end of the exhaust pipe to form a welding portion, inserting a second of the mounts while a second respective filament is directed toward the glass tube and disposing the second of the mounts at a position adjacent a second opening end of the glass tube, and welding the glass tube and a glass bead of the second of the mounts at a predetermined position; activating the emissive material on the respective filament by evacuating the vacuum system and applying a voltage between the bent portions of the lead wires of the first of the mounts which protrude from the welding portion between the glass tube and the exhaust pipe and extend outside of the vacuum system; after activating the emissive material on the filament, supplying mercury and a rare gas into the vacuum system, and sealing the glass tube with a glass bead of the first of the mounts; and removing unnecessary portions of the glass tube, the exhaust pipe and the lead wires of the first of the mounts.