Patent ID: 8878436

Claim:
A fluorescent lighting device, comprising: an arc tube; an exhaust tube extending from the arc tube; an amalgam; a resistive heater located adjacent to at least one of the arc tube and the exhaust tube; a power supply circuit operatively coupled with the resistive heater; a bracket holding the resistive heater near the amalgam and mounted to the at least one of the arc tube and the exhaust tube, the bracket comprising opposing first and second arms having profiles that conform to the shape of the at least one of the arc tube and the exhaust tube to thereby hold the bracket in place on the at least one of the arc tube and the exhaust tube, wherein when the fluorescent lighting device is switched from an OFF state to an ON state, the power supply circuit temporarily energizes the resistive heater, thereby heating the at least one of the arc tube and the exhaust tube while the resistive heater is energized, and automatically de-energizing the resistive heater after said heating.