Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1928 through 1929

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.

There were so many patents issued for street and roadway lighting in the late twenties that we had to create a separate page for 1928 and 1929. Toward the end of the decade there was an aparent awareness as to the benefits of deflectors and improved reflectors to apply more light onto roadways and at the same time reduce glare.

Patent No. 1707038 Filing date: January 26, 1928 Patent date: March 26, 1929 Title: Street-Illuminating Apparatus Inventor: Walther Bauersfeld Assignee: Carl Zeiss Co. Claims: Cutoff style roadway luminaire.
Patent No. 1778061 Filing date: January 26, 1928 Patent date: October 14, 1930 Title: Lamp Fixture Inventor: Henry E. Butler Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved post acorn luminaire with refractor cap for the lamp bulb and moisture barrier for the film cutout.
Patent No. 1709218 Filing date: February 15, 1928 Patent date: April 16, 1929 Title: Street Lighting Fixture Inventor: George Rollo Harris Assignee: Prizmalite Co. Claims: Prizmatic post top acorn.
Patent No. 1761654 Filing date: July 5, 1928 Patent date: June 3, 1930 Title: Refractor Bowl Inventor: G. H. Cole Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Diamond shaped refractor facets.
Patent No. 1834535 Filing date: July 5, 1928 Patent date: December 1, 1931 Title: Tubular Pole Inventor: Edmund W. Reimenschneider Assignee: Union Metal Manufacturing Co. Claims: Reinforced tubular steel luminaire pole for dual pendant luminaires.
Patent No. 1903907 Filing date: July 5, 1928 Patent date: December 1, 1931 Title: Metal Pole with Reenforcing Pipes Inventor: Edmund W. Reimenschneider Assignee: Union Metal Manufacturing Co. Claims: Reinforced tubular steel luminaire pole for dual upright luminaires.
Patent No. 1816974 Filing date: July 26, 1928 Patent date: August 4, 1931 Title: Street Lighting Waste Receptacle Inventor: Michael Kavanagh Claims: Waste receptacle that also servesd as a street and sidewalk light.
Patent No. 1878799 Filing date: August 20, 1928 Patent date: September 20, 1932 Title: Metal Lamp Post Inventor: Justus F. Ne Page Assignee: Ne Page McKenny Co. Claims: Metal lamp post design.
Patent No. 1747506 Filing date: August 22, 1928 Patent date: February 18, 1930 Title: Bridge Light Unit Inventor: Ralph W. Erskine Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: External cutoff deflectors for bridges and narrow roadways.
Patent No. 1788111 Filing date: August 22, 1928 Patent date: January 6, 1931 Title: Street Lighting System Inventor: Dewey D. Knowles Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Improved photoelectric control for street lighting circuits.
Patent No. 1882228 Filing date: September 29, 1928 Patent date: October 11, 1931 Title: Metal Lamp Post Inventor: Justus F. Ne Page Assignee: Ne Page McKenny Co. Claims: Sectional decorative lamp post.
Patent No. 1752258 Filing date: November 3, 1928 Patent date: March 25, 1930 Title: Film Cut-Out Inventor: Henry Butler Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved cutout for lower voltage applications.
Patent No. 1752259 Filing date: November 3, 1928 Patent date: March 25, 1930 Title: Film Cut-Out Inventor: Henry Butler Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Mechanically joined film cutout disc.
Patent No. 1821406 Filing date: March 13, 1929 Patent date: September 1, 1931 Title: Shock Absorbing Electric Fixture Inventor: Kenneth A. Sawin Assignee: Wheeler Reflector Co. Claims: Vibration shock absorber for pendant street lamps.
Patent No. 1767585 Filing date: April 3, 1929 Patent date: June 24, 1930 Title: Bracket Inventor: John P. Hebendahl Assignee: Wheeler Reflector Co. Claims: Scroll bracket arm that can be assembled in sections.
Patent No. 1807381 Filing date: April 24, 1929 Patent date: May 26, 1931 Title: Cut-Out for Series Incandescent Street Lighting and the Like Inventor: Henry E. Butler Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Resettable magnetic cutout that fits into a socket bayonet.
Patent No. 1791674 Filing date: May 9, 1929 Patent date: February 10, 1931 Title: Lamp Inventor: Oliver M. King Claims: Gothic style post luminaire.
Patent No. 1918031 Filing date: August 10, 1929 Patent date: July 11, 1933 Title: Lighting Fixture Inventor: George Wesley Goldner Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Luminaire with internal relay for control circuit actuated multiple operation.
Patent No. 1758714 Filing date: October 25, 1929 Patent date: May 13, 1930 Title: Street Sign and Light Inventor: William P. Owens Claims: Combination standard for illuminated street sign and street light.
Patent No. 1792292 Filing date: August 14, 1929 Patent date: February 10, 1931 Title: Lighting Device Inventor: Harold J. Flaherty Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Luminaire with vertically adjustable lamp socket to accomodate various size lamps.
Patent No. D081634 (Design Patent) Filing date: November 25, 1929 Patent date: July 22, 1930 Title: Lighting Pole Inventor: Clinton De Witt Assignee: Taper Tube Pole Co. Claims: Ornamntal lamp post design.

Continue to 1930 - 1931

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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!