In the
neon sign industry, the luminescent tubes of a neon sign are typically permanently attached to a back plane or other support structure. This is typically the case because the neon tubes have a very long life span compared to other light sources such as incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs. Due to this long life, neon tubes typically do not require much servicing and can therefore be substantially fixed in place on the neon sign.
However, in the specific area of small window neon signs and point of purchase neon signs, permanently attaching a core and coil transformer to the small
neon sign presents special problems. In the window and point of purchase neon sign industry, it is becoming more important to be able to ship individual small neon signs directly to a customer. This is very difficult to do with a small neon sign using a core and coil transformer hardwired to the sign. This is because the weight of the core and coil transformer causes an unacceptable amount of breakage of the neon tubes during shipping. Therefore, there is a need for an easily detachable
neon sign transformer that can be shipped separately from the sign and then attached to the sign by the customer without requiring the involvement of a qualified technician or electrician.
In recent years, the increased failure rates of the solid state power supplies have been significantly impacting the reputation of
neon sign. Previously, neon signs were thought to be very durable and long lived. However, due to the more frequent failures of solid state power supplies, which is perceived by the general public as a failure of the neon sign, small window and point of purchase neon signs have been gaining a reputation for being less reliable. Therefore, in order to minimize the inconvenience of servicing a
neon sign using a solid state power supply, it is desirable to provide a power supply that may be quickly, safely, and easily replaced by a user in the field without requiring the involvement of a specially trained technician or electrician.
