Patent ID: 7098610

Claim:
An attachment for an incandescent light bulb to extend the life of the bulb, the attachment located between the bottom electrical contact in the base of the light bulb and a lower electrical contact in a socket constructed to accept the base of the light bulb, the attachment comprising: an electrically insulating housing shaped to fit over the bottom of the light bulb, the housing having a centered through hole arranged in line with a bottom electrical contact in the base of the light bulb, an upper electrically conductive member positioned between the housing and base and constructed to make electrical contact with the lower electrical contact in the base of the light bulb, a lower electrically conductive member positioned in line with the through hole, the lower electrically conductive member positioned on the distal side of the housing with respect to the base of the light bulb, wherein the lower electrically conductive member is arranged to fit into the socket and make electrical contact with the center contact in the socket, a bilateral voltage-triggered semiconductor switch device, a resistor functionally electrically connected in parallel with the semiconductor switch device, and semiconductor switch device and the parallel resistor having an upper electrical contact and a bottom electrical contact, the upper electrical contact making electrical connection to the upper electrically conductive member and the lower electrical contact making contact with the bottom electrically conductive member, wherein the housing, the upper and the lower electrically conductive members with the semiconductor switch device and resistor, fit into the socket wherein the semiconductor switch device and resistor are electrically in series with the filament within the incandescent bulb.