Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1900 through 1909

Patents are an effective way to understand the development of street lighting in the United States. In this section I have posted patents as I located them. (Early patents are difficult to locate as they were not cross-indexed.) All patents are listed in order of their filing dates. Click on the patent number or thumbnail to view the entire patent.

By 1900 the push continued to develop higher intensity lighting for urban streets, although there still were improvements being made in the field of gas and oil lamps where electricity wasn't available or the cost of conversion from gas was excessive.

Patent No. 668887 Filing date: August 9, 1900 Patent date: February 26, 1901 Title: Electric Switch Inventor: Peter Heinrich Felix Spies Claims: Cutout switch that cuts out and shunts an electric street lamp when it is lowered for service.
Patent No. 818253 Filing date: December 3, 1900 Patent date: April 19, 1906 Title: Incandescent-Lamp Socket Inventor: Walter J. Jones Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Removable lamp socket with bayonet contacts that will hold a film cutout.
Patent No. 717201 Filing date: February 2, 1901 Patent date: December 30, 1902 Title: Cut-Out Inventor: John W. Howell Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved design to produce more consistent breakdown voltages.
Patent No. 710659 Filing date: October 7, 1901 Patent date: October 7, 1902 Title: Gas Cap for Arc Lamps Inventor: Edward H. Belden Claims: Electrode cap for arc light gas chamber.
Patent No. 743687 Filing date: January 29, 1903 Patent date: November 10, 1903 Title: Light-Shield Inventor: William A. Burnham Claims: Directional shield structure to prevent glare in the direction of oncoming motorists.
Patent No. 856275 Filing date: November 27, 1903 Patent date: June 11, 1907 Title: High Tension Electric Fixture Inventor: Albert S. Marten Assignee: The Tea Tray Company Claims: Simplified design of high tension (series circuit) electric street lamp fixtures.
Patent No. 791355 Filing date: July 2, 1904 Patent date: May 30, 1905 Title: Street Lamp Inventor: Ragland Momand Assignee: American Street Lamp & Supply Co. Claims: Improved ventilation and insect resistance.
Patent No. 0900265 Filing date: September 10, 1904 Patent date: October 6, 1908 Title: Supporting Mechanism Inventor: George Cutter Assignee: George Cutter Co. Claims: Improved pulley system for arc lamp bracket arm.
Patent No. 0956245 Filing date: July 22, 1909 Patent date: April 26, 1910 Title: Electric Light Hanger Inventor: Orlando M. White and Emory E. Flowers Claims: Arc lamp bracket arm design.

Continue to 1910 - 1919

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Please note: This index is a work in progress. If you notice an error or are aware of something that is missing, please feel free to Email me. Thanks!