Patent ID: 7830649

Claim:
A ballast for fluorescent lamps comprising: a ballast circuit on a longitudinal printed circuit board for receiving input power wires and generating a lamp power supply to one or more lamps, the circuit including an input connector mounted near an edge of the circuit board for receiving the input power wires in a direction perpendicular to the circuit board and an output connector mounted on the opposite edge from the input connector for connecting one or more sets of output lead wires in the same perpendicular direction; a lower case enclosing the ballast circuit and having a bottom plane for supporting the circuit board and four surrounding walls extending upright from the bottom plane and secured together to form a generally rectangular opening for introducing the ballast circuit; a cover having a longitudinal top plate with four downward walls for interlocking with the lower case to cover the rectangular opening, the plate generally extending in a plane and including a first open recess located edgewise between the top plate and the downward wall near the input connector and a second open recess spanning the top plate and the opposite downward wall near the output connector; and two opposite brackets formed integral to the cover next to the open recesses for fastening the ballast to a lamp fixture, whereby the cover permits the input power wires and output lead wires to enter the input connector and output connector, respectively from a common longitudinal plane lower than the top plate of the cover as well as in the perpendicular direction from above as determined by the positions of receiving ends of the ballast wires.