Patent ID: 8288949

Claim:
A sleeve-protected fluorescent lamp comprising a mercury vapor discharge fluorescent lamp surrounded by a sleeve, the fluorescent lamp comprising a light-transmissive glass envelope having an inner surface, a pair of electrode structures mounted inside said envelope, a first base sealing a first end of the lamp, a second base sealing a second end of the lamp, a discharge-sustaining fill comprising inert gas sealed inside said envelope, and a phosphor layer inside said envelope and adjacent the inner surface of the envelope, the sleeve being a polymeric sleeve having an inner layer fixed to an adjacent outer layer, and an optional layer that is not between said outer layer and said inner layer, the only layers of the sleeve being said inner layer, said outer layer and said optional layer, said inner layer comprising a UV-blocking polymeric material which is a co-polymer comprised of a polycarbonate block and a block comprised of isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, and resorcinol, said outer layer and said optional layer each comprising a polymeric material, the inner layer material being different from the outer layer material.