Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1920 through 1924

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.

The "Roaring Twenties" were also roaring for street lamp inventors. There were so many patents filed that we've had to break this decade into multiple pages.

Patent No. 1422249 Filing date: January 31, 1920 Patent date: July 11, 1922 Title: Apparatus for Lighting and Extinguishing Gas Burners of Street Lamps Inventor: Paul Bernard and Maxime Barbe Claims: Improved lighting and extinguishing apparatus.
Patent No. 1421058 Filing date: March 1, 1920 Patent date: June 27, 1922 Title: Lantern Construction Inventor: Henry Barkschat Claims: Ornamental post type lantern lunminaire.
Patent No. 1427344 Filing date: March 20, 1920 Patent date: August 29, 1922 Title: Weather Protecting Ring for Street Lamps Inventor: William G. Barclay Assignee: Erick Blaine Thelin Claims: Ring collar for the base of post mounted globes to reduce moisture intrusion.
Patent No. 1402037 Filing date: April 2, 1920 Patent date: January 3, 1922 Title: Transformer Inventor: James C. Armor Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: A series circuit transformer that is protected from ground related short circuits.
Patent No. 1546350 Filing date: November 20, 1920 Patent date: July 24, 1925 Title: Lamp Casing Inventor: James A. O'Neil Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: A luminaire casing (lamp base) that easily accomodates all components including multiple piece refractor elements.
Patent No. 1454855 Filing date: December 30, 1920 Patent date: May 15, 1923 Title: Lamp Hanger Inventor: Ernest Milton Larkins Assignee: George Cutter Co. Claims: Lamp lowering device that disconnects the lamp when it is lowered for servicing.
Patent No. 1545711 Filing date: January 5, 1921 Patent date: July 14, 1925 Title: Electric Lamp Structure Inventor: John R. Townsend Assignee: George Cutter Co. Claims: Low glare luminaire that uses a diffusing lamp bulb.
Patent No. 1512039 Filing date: January 12, 1921 Patent date: October 21, 1924 Title: Street Lighting Accessory Inventor: John Boden Radford Assignee: Western Electric Co. Claims: Improved conductor termination at post lamp socket.
Patent No. 1491107 Filing date: September 6, 1921 Patent date: April 22, 1924 Title: Pole for Arc and Street Lamp Lowering Devices Inventor: Roy B. Meredith and Stephen B. Dushenski Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Hook and pole device to simplify lowering of lamps for servicing.
Patent No. 1440664 Filing date: September 12, 1921 Patent date: January 2, 1923 Title: Street Lamp Inventor: Raymond A. Fancy Claims: Improved globe support and access to the lamp burner.
Patent No. D063560 (Design Patent) Filing date: February 27, 1922 Patent date: December 18, 1923 Title: Street Lamp Post Inventor: Arthur G. Kinney Assignee: The Fargo Foundry Co. Claims: Ornamental lamp post design.
Patent No. 1594042 (Design Patent) Filing date: May 4, 1922 Patent date: July 27, 1926 Title: Safety Island Light Fixture Inventor: Frank Brueggeman Claims: Ornamental lamp post design.
Patent No. 1548656 Filing date: May 5, 1922 Patent date: August 4, 1925 Title: Film Cut-Out Inventor: Henry E. Butler Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Film cutout attached to magazine bolus for easier insertion.
Patent No. 1551274 Filing date: June 16, 1922 Patent date: August 25, 1925 Title: Highway-Lighting Unit Inventor: John R. Townsend Assignee: George Cutter Co. Claims: Asymmetricalstreet light with flat refractor faces to rpoject low glare light along a roadway.
Patent No. D065205 (Design Patent) Filing date: July 13, 1922 Patent date: July 15, 1924 Title: Design for a Lighting Standard Inventor: John R. Townsend Assignee: George Cutter Co. Claims: Ornamental lamp post design.
Patent No. D63643 Filing date: May 11, 1923 Patent date: December 25, 1923 Title: Upright for a Lighting Unit Inventor: Joseph W. Gosling Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Design for luminaire post.
Patent No. 1646045 Filing date: June 14, 1923 Patent date: October 18, 1927 Title: Street Lighting System Inventor: William Van Allen Claims: Low level indirect lighting post luminaire.
Patent No. 1596006 Filing date: October 31, 1923 Patent date: August 17, 1927 Title: Luminaire Inventor: William A. Dorey Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Dual prismatic refractor with asymmetrical focal areas. (Holophane "Center Line" refractor.)
Patent No. D69100 (Design patent) Filing date: December 15, 1923 Patent date: December 22, 1925 Title: Street Lamp Inventor: Lynn A. Vietor Claims: Lamp post design
Patent No. 1522942 Filing date: February 12, 1924 Patent date: January 13, 1925 Title: Incandescent-Electric-Lamp Fixture Inventor: Thomas B. Cabell Claims: Adjustable lamp holder for use with various size lamp bulbs and various reflector designs.
Patent No. 1573580 Filing date: March 10, 1924 Patent date: February 16, 1926 Title: Canopy Holder Inventor: Harry E. Ruttle Claims: Spring clip type holder for post type luminaire canopies.
Patent No. 1667910 Filing date: March 24, 1924 Patent date: May 1, 1928 Title: Lamp Grip Inventor: John R. Townsend Assignee: George Cutter Co. Claims: Modified socket to prevent lamps from loosening due to vibration.
Patent No. 1733000 Filing date: April 17, 1924 Patent date: October 22, 1929 Title: Series Receptacle Inventor: Percy S. Bailey Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Series bayonet socket receptacle for porcelain luminaire head.
Patent No. 1622272 Filing date: May 15, 1924 Patent date: March 19, 1927 Title: Highway-Lighting Unit Inventor: Reuben B. Benjamin Assignee: Benjamin Electric Manufacturing Co. Claims: Transverse overhead highway lighting unit.
Patent No. 1549428 Filing date: August 1, 1924 Patent date: August 11, 1925 Title: Lamp Standard Inventor: Christopher C. Barrick Assignee: Union Metal Manufacturing Co. Claims: Fluted sheet metal lamp post.
Patent No. 1716271 Filing date: August 2, 1924 Patent date: June 4, 1929 Title: Street Lighting System Inventor: Samuel B. Hood Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Fail safe street lighting circuit.
Patent No. 1552701 Filing date: August 20, 1924 Patent date: September 8, 1925 Title: Street Lighting System Inventor: Samuel B. Hood Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: System for controlling groups of lights separately on the same series circuit.
Patent No. 1626498 Filing date: September 23, 1924 Patent date: April 26, 1927 Title: Reflector Inventor: Percy S. Bailey Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Asymmetrical radial wave reflector.
Patent No. 1662334 Filing date: November 24, 1924 Patent date: March 13, 1928 Title: Street Light Fixture Inventor: Fred B. Reberg Claims: Bracket arm designed to contain lowering cord for servicing lamp.

Continue to 1925 - 1927

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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!