Patent ID: 7090390

Claim:
A removable incandescent light bulb socket for being electrically and mechanically coupled to an electrical lighting base having at least two openings, each opening having a wider portion and a narrower portion, comprising: (a) a housing having at least first and second ends and an axis, having at least one opening at the first end, and the housing made at least in part of a heat-resistant material resistant to a temperature of about 90° C.; (b) threads within the opening for accepting and electrically connecting to a screw thread contact of an incandescent light bulb; (c) a central contact within the opening for electrically connecting to an electrical foot contact of the incandescent light bulb; (d) first and second electrical contacts extending from the second end of the housing substantially parallel to the housing axis for mechanical and electrical connection to the electrical lighting base; and (e) means for preventing the removable incandescent bulb socket from being re-coupled to the electrical lighting base responsive to a low-energy usage triggering event; and (f) wherein the first electrical contact is electrically connected to the housing threads to provide electricity from the electrical lighting base to the screw thread contact of the incandescent light bulb, (g) wherein the second electrical contact is electrically connected to the central contact to provide electricity from the electrical lighting base to the electrical foot contact of the incandescent light bulb; (h) wherein the first and second electrical contacts have central axes and are positioned so that their central axes are approximately parallel; and (i) further wherein the first and second electrical contacts each have a narrower proximal portion and a wider distal portion, the wider distal portion being configured to be accepted by the wider portion of tie openings of the electrical lighting base and retained in the narrower portion of the openings of the electrical lighting base.