Patent ID: 8284153

Claim:
A discharge lamp comprising: a bottom plate, a top plate for light exit, the top plate being at least partially transparent, a discharge space between the bottom plate and the top plate for accommodating a discharge medium, a set of electrodes for generating dielectrically impeded discharges in the discharge medium, the set of electrodes comprising an anode and cathode which are labeled as such and are distinguishable from one another, a dielectric barrier between at least one part of the set of electrodes and the discharge medium, wherein at least the anode is separated from the discharge medium by the dielectric barrier, and at least one rib-like supporting element which produces a structural connection between the bottom plate and the top plate and is in the form of ribs with the bottom plate and the top plate bearing linearly against one another, wherein the electrodes are in the form of strips and run in a main direction parallel to the rib-like supporting element, wherein the supporting element separates the discharge space into parts, and at least two electrodes of different polarity are associated with each of the parts of the discharge space which are separated by the supporting element, the two electrodes being spaced apart in a region of the discharge space from a position at which the bottom plate and the top plate linearly bear against each other through the supporting element, and wherein the cathode comprises a cathode pair, and the anode comprises an anode pair, a first anode of the anode pair being adjacent to a second anode of the anode pair and a second cathode of the cathode pair, and a first cathode of the cathode pair being adjacent to the second cathode and the second anode, except at peripheral regions of the lamp.