Patent ID: 8849428

Claim:
A method for employing an electronic ballast, the method comprising the steps of: providing a distributor with the electronic ballast, wherein at least one operative parameter of the electronic ballast is configurable to operate at least one of a plurality of gas discharge lamp types; providing said distributor with a configuration mechanism for configuring said electronic ballast; subsequent to said providing the distributor with the electronic ballast, attaching the electronic ballast to said configuration mechanism, wherein said configuration mechanism is operatively attached to a client computer and said client computer is operatively attached to a configuration service; requesting said configuration service to configure said ballast, wherein said requesting is performed by said distributor at said client computer; configuring said electronic ballast by said configuration mechanism by transmitting instructions from said configuration service to said client computer in response to said requesting, thereby producing a ballast configuration; updating a data base attached to said configuration service based on said ballast configuration; and detaching said electronic ballast from said configuration mechanism.