Patent ID: 7572479

Claim:
A method of coating a chain of at least two fluorescent light tubes, each fluorescent light tube having a transparent or translucent main light body and end caps at the opposite ends of the main light body with the end caps having electrically conductive pins extending from at least one of the end caps, the method comprising the steps: heating only the end caps of the fluorescent light tubes prior to coating the fluorescent light tubes on a coating conveyor system; sequentially loading the fluorescent light tubes on the coating conveyor system; sequentially feeding the fluorescent light tubes at a consistent travel rate with a gap between the fluorescent light tubes to a coating station, which includes a coating machine; applying a coating to the chain of fluorescent light tubes and the gaps between the fluorescent light tubes with the end caps uncovered at the coating station for direct contact of the coating with the main light body and with the end caps without any other element physically intervening the coating and the end caps while maintaining the gap at a length to prevent the coating from contacting the electrically conductive pins of the end caps of the fluorescent light tubes; and conveying the coated fluorescent light tubes to a stacking and/or packaging station.