Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1925 through 1927

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 following patents are from the second half of the "Roaring Twenties" when America started to fall in love with the automobile, electricity was reaching more rural areas, and the art of roadway lighting was expanding rapidly.

Patent No. 1579909 Filing date: February 24, 1925 Patent date: April 6, 1926 Title: Lamp-Post Structure Inventor: Henry Barkschat Claims: Double lamp post luminaire.

Patent No. 1640448 Filing date: February 28, 1925 Patent date: August 30, 1927 Title: Lighting Unit Inventor: Cromwell A. B. Halvorson Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Bottom inset deflector to redirect light.

Patent No. 1780413 Filing date: May 16, 1925 Patent date: November 4, 1930 Title: Combination Pothead and Series Cut-Out Inventor: Paul F. Williams Assignee: G & W Electric Specialty Co. Claims: Pot head that includes a bayonet and film cutout.

Patent No. 1624237 Filing date: June 10, 1925 Patent date: April 12, 1927 Title: Street Lighting Equipment Inventor: David B. Hanna Claims: Autotransformer compartment in the base of the post.

Patent No. D068616 (Design Patent) Filing date: June 16, 1925 Patent date: November 3, 1925 Title: Design for a Lamp Post Inventor: William Dill Claims: Ornamental design for a lamp post.

Patent No. 1754082 Filing date: August 14, 1925 Patent date: April 8, 1930 Title: Mast Arm Inventor: Philip H. Chase Claims: Improved, more versatile mast (bracket) arm.

Patent No. 1609621 Filing date: October 8, 1925 Patent date: December 7, 1926 Title: Street Lamp Globe Inventor: Helen Converse Gatchell Claims: Post mount globe that would accommodate illuminated street sign panels.

Patent No. 1644915 Filing date: November 6, 1925 Patent date: October 11, 1927 Title: Luminaire Inventor: William A. Dorey Claims: Prismatic inset for an acorn lamp to provide improved diffusion of light.

Patent No. 1713215 Filing date: December 11, 1925 Patent date: May 14, 1929 Title: Series Street-Lighting Socket Inventor: Henry E. Butler Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Socket bayonet and compartment designed to hold spare film cutouts.

Patent No. 1719977 Filing date: April 5, 1926 Patent date: July 9, 1929 Title: Illuminating Signal Inventor: Paul P. Horni Claims: Traffic signal street lamp combination.

Patent No. 1738383 Filing date: July 3, 1926 Patent date: December 3, 1929 Title: Street Illumination Inventor: Preston S. Millar Claims: Reduced glare refractors.

Patent No. 1635611 Filing date: September 22, 1926 Patent date: July 12, 1927 Title: Highway Lighting System and Apparatus Therefor Inventor: Raoul de la Lama Claims: Decorative arched roadway lighting system with sidewalk illumination.

Patent No. 1658309 Filing date: September 27, 1926 Patent date: February 7, 1928 Title: Lamp Inventor: Max J. Ritterath Claims: Improved deflection for roadway lighting.

Patent No. 1873500 Filing date: October 4, 1926 Patent date: August 23, 1932 Title: Lighting Fixture Inventor: Alwin G. Steinmayer Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Side pull film cutout device.

Patent No. 1872285 Filing date: November 30, 1926 Patent date: August 16, 1932 Title: Short Circuiting Device Inventor: Earl J. Haverstick Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Disc shaped film cutout device.

Patent No. 1635029 Filing date: December 27, 1926 Patent date: July 5, 1927 Title: Film Cut-Out Inventor: Henry E. Butler Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Film cutout design that produces more reliable breakdown voltages.

Patent No. 1734056 Filing date: December 27, 1926 Patent date: November 5, 1929 Title: Street-Lighting Fixture Inventor: Alwin G. Steinmayer Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Higher voltage luminaire body design.

Patent No. 1760978 Filing date: March 10, 1927 Patent date: June 3, 1930 Title: Holder for Lamp Housings Inventor: Ralph W. Erskine Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Improved supports and fastners for glass post luminaire enclosures.

Patent No. 1761496 Filing date: May 14, 1927 Patent date: June 3, 1930 Title: Combined Insulator and Shunt Circuit Closer Inventor: Raymond E. Sheperd Claims: A span wire luminaire insulator that includes a film cutout.

Patent No. 1674165 Filing date: June 15, 1927 Patent date: June 19, 1929 Title: Luminaire Inventor: William A. Dorey Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Dual prismatic gumball refractor.

Patent No. D76767 (Design patent) Filing date: June 24, 1927 Patent date: October 30, 1938 Title: Lamp Standard Inventor: Frank G. Welsch Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Concrete lamp post design.

Patent No. 1733277 Filing date: October 22, 1927 Patent date: October 29, 1929 Title: Canopy for Electric Light Fixtures Inventor: Kenneth A. Sawin Assignee: Wheeler Reflector Co. Claims: Two-piece canopy for easier socket repair.

Patent No. 1795009 Filing date: December 17, 1927 Patent date: March 3, 1931 Title: Street-Lighting Relay Inventor: Lewis W. Chubb Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Superimposed high frequency current control of lighting relays.

Patent No. 1716214 Filing date: December 27, 1927 Patent date: June 4, 1929 Title: Street Sign and Reflector Inventor: Walter Ducker and Frederick D. Luke Claims: Reflector system for illuminating lamp post mounted street signs.

Continue to 1928 - 1929

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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!