Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1938 through 1939

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.

Here are some additional innovations from the end of the 1930s. Among other things, inventors focused on mercury vapor and sodium vapor as high intensity light sources while dealing with glare issues.

Patent No. 2229034 Filing date: February 10, 1938 Patent date: October 15, 1940 Title: Highway Illumination Inventor: George B. Davis, Jr. Claims: Multiple filament lamp where backup filaments would come on-line if the primary filaments failed.
Patent No. 2217562 Filing date: April 19, 1938 Patent date: October 8, 1940 Title: Metal Street Light Shade Inventor: Charles A. Muller Claims: Metal vandal-proof surround for post mounted luminaires.
Patent No. 2156194 Filing date: June 16, 1938 Patent date: April 25, 1941 Title: Combined Street Light and Sign Structure Inventor: Roy W. Ranny Claims: Combined illuminated street sign and street light.
Patent No. 2217794 Filing date: June 13, 1938 Patent date: January 21, 1941 Title: Highway Illumination Inventor: Jan Bergmans and Wilhelmus Lambertus Vervest Assignee: Hartford National Bank and Trust Claims: Multiple filament "fail safe" lamp for critical installations.
Patent No. 2259321 Filing date: June 22, 1938 Patent date: October 14, 1941 Title: Lighting Device Inventor: Arno Pahl Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Broad beam reflected illumination.
Patent No. 2259107 Filing date: August 13, 1938 Patent date: October 14, 1941 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Cromwell A. B. Halvorson Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Combination incandescent - mercury vapor high intensity lighting for color correction and to warm the mercury vapor lamps.
Patent No. 2270801 Filing date: August 27, 1938 Patent date: January 20, 1942 Title: Lighting Unit Inventor: Samuel B. Kraut Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Asymmetric reflector for sodium vapor lamps.
Patent No. 2279170 Filing date: September 14, 1938 Patent date: April 7, 1942 Title: Insulated support for Lighting Units Inventor: Samuel B. Kraut Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Insulated side mount slipfitter canopy for pendant luminaires.
Patent No. 2260693 Filing date: September 28, 1938 Patent date: October 28, 1941 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Thomas W. Rolph Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improvements to the 79VR refractor.
Patent No. 2214861 Filing date: November 26, 1938 Patent date: September 17, 1940 Title: Luminaire Inventor: James A. O'Neill Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Deep cutoff deflector for pendant incandescent luminaires.
Patent No. 2199897 Filing date: December 2, 1938 Patent date: May 7, 1940 Title: Pole Mounting Inventor: Montford C. Stringer Claims: Hinged mounting base for posts and poles.
Patent No. 2259307 Filing date: January 12, 1939 Patent date: October 14, 1941 Title: Lighting Unit Inventor: Carl F. Herbold Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Pendant mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 2266190 Filing date: April 19, 1939 Patent date: December 16, 1941 Title: Reflector Inventor: Lawrence F. Geise Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Improved reflector system for post mounted luminaires.
Patent No. 2187771 Filing date: May 6, 1939 Patent date: January 23, 1940 Title: Combination Street Sign and Lamp Guard Inventor: Frank M. Currie, Jr. Claims: Post mount globe guard that doubles as an illuminated street sign.
Patent No. 2252022 Filing date: August 18, 1939 Patent date: August 12, 1941 Title: Highway Lighting System Inventor: Edward Morris and Allison E. Jones Claims: Low level directional highway lighting system.
Patent No. 2270474 Filing date: September 5, 1939 Patent date: January 20, 1942 Title: Highway Lighting System Inventor: George D. Recher Claims: Low level highway lighting system.
Patent No. 2289160 Filing date: September 7, 1939 Patent date: July 7, 1942 Title: Lighting Unit Inventor: Irvine A. Yost Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Directional sodium vapor lighting unit .
Patent No. 2253972 Filing date: December 15, 1939 Patent date: August 26, 1941 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Harold J. Flaherty Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved overall design to resist moisture intrusion.
Patent No. 2274404 Filing date: December 15, 1939 Patent date: February 24, 1942 Title: Latch for Luminaires Inventor: Harold J. Flaherty Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved refractor bowl to reflector latching system.

The remaining patents are still being uploaded. Please check back later.

Continue to 1940 - 1944

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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!