Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1940 through 1944

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.

WW-II changed America's focus and slowed down the development of street lighting, however a number of new designs still appeared.

Patent No. 2278218 Filing date: January 5, 1940 Patent date: March 31, 1942 Title: Canopy for Supporting Luminaire Inventor: Michael Ruggieri Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Improved one-piece canopy / body for luminaires.
Patent No. 2264556 Filing date: January 15, 1940 Patent date: December 2, 1941 Title: Collar Support Inventor: George H. Seal Claims: Improved collar for reflector / refractors on porcelain pendant luminaires.
Patent No. 2276559 Filing date: January 22, 1940 Patent date: March 17, 1943 Title: Hinge and Latch Device Inventor: Quinter E, Bashore Claims: Clamp for Attachment to Cables.
Patent No. 2264705 Filing date: February 21, 1940 Patent date: December 2, 1941 Title: Drainage Valve for Luminaire Inventor: Samuel B. Kraut and Edward A. McVein Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Moisture drain for pendant luminaire refractor.
Patent No. 2316539 Filing date: May 24, 1940 Patent date: April 13, 1943 Title: Street Sign Inventor: Henry M. Patterson Claims: Translucent street signs for post mounted luminaire.
Patent No. 2234026 Filing date: June 16, 1940 Patent date: March 4, 1941 Title: Street Lamp Puller Inventor: James C. Smith Assignee: A. B. Chance Co. Claims: Device for safely removing street lamp bulbs.
Patent No. 2337824 Filing date: June 18, 1940 Patent date: December 28, 1943 Title: Universal Street Lighting Luminaire Inventor: Samuel B. Kraut Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: Universal aluminum street lighting head.
Patent No. 2274405 Filing date: July 9, 1940 Patent date: February 24, 1942 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Harold J. Flaherty Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved reflector for Form 72 luminaire.
Patent No. 2267669 Filing date: July 24, 1940 Patent date: December 23, 1941 Title: Street Lamp Inventor: Hilyard R. Robinson and Aksel J. C. Knudstrup Claims: Musroom style street lamp.
Patent No. 2316069 Filing date: August 6, 1940 Patent date: April 6, 1943 Title: End Fitting for Street Lights Inventor: Andrew A. Hocher Assignee: Hubbard and Co. Claims: Improved decorative end fitting for bracket arm.
Patent No. 2309279 Filing date: August 20, 1940 Patent date: January 26, 1943 Title: Hinge and Latch Device Inventor: Robert L. Smythe Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Improved hinge and latch device for hinged refractors.
Patent No. 2262356 Filing date: January 31, 1941 Patent date: November 11, 1941 Title: Fire Hydrant, Street Light Standard and Similar Structure Inventor: William W. Corey Assignee: Iowa Valve Co. Claims: Break-Away Flange for Hydrants and Lamp Posts.
Patent No. 2305377 Filing date: January 31, 1941 Patent date: December 15, 1942 Title: Fire Hydrant, Street Light Standard and Similar Structure Inventor: William W. Corey Assignee: Iowa Valve Co. Claims: Break-Away Flange for Hydrants and Lamp Posts.
Patent No. 2355256 Filing date: February 3, 1941 Patent date: August 8, 1944 Title: Light Sensitive Device Inventor: Hugo Abramson and Carl Eckers Assignee: American Gas Accumulator Co. Claims: Photocontrol that uses solar heating of gas in a tube to trip a mercury switch.
Patent No. 2307247 Filing date: May 27, 1941 Patent date: January 5, 1943 Title: Lighting System Inventor: Davis H. Tuck and Robert W. Stanley Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Dual prismatic bowl refractor.
Patent No. 2300913 Filing date: July 22, 1941 Patent date: November 3, 1942 Title: Insulator Bushing Inventor: Harold J. Flaherty Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Entrance bushing for metal luminaire heads.
Patent No. 2282641 Filing date: August 14, 1941 Patent date: May 12, 1942 Title: Fire Hydrant, Street Light Standard and Similar Highway Accessory Inventor: William W. Corey Assignee: Iowa Valve Co. Claims: Break-Away Flange for Hydrants and Lamp Posts.
Patent No. 2330924 Filing date: September 25, 1941 Patent date: October 5, 1943 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Thomas W. Rolph Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Mercury vapor or sodium vapor luminaire with flat lateral aspects.
Patent No. 2304208 Filing date: February 11, 1942 Patent date: December 8, 1942 Title: Luminaire for Blackout Lighting Inventor: Thomas W. Rolph Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Reflector - refractor designed for wartime blackout conditions.
Patent No. 2328445 Filing date: May 4, 1942 Patent date: August 31, 1943 Title: Blackout Light Inventor: Raymond Arthur Francis Claims: Blackout lamp standards for air raids.
Patent No. 2327186 Filing date: May 26, 1942 Patent date: August 17, 1943 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Cromwell A. B. Halvorson Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Compound system of cutoff deflectors.
Patent No. 2385478 Filing date: June 2, 1942 Patent date: September 25, 1945 Title: Lamp Adapter and Receptacle Inventor: Alwin G. Steinmayer Assignee: Line Material Co. Claims: Plug-in lamp holder and socket system for parallel (multiple) luminaires.
Patent No. 2381292 Filing date: February 5, 1943 Patent date: August 7, 1945 Title: Canopy for Luminaire Inventor: Samuel B. Kraut Assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Claims: More moisture proof combination canopy - body.
Patent No. 2422378 Filing date: November 22, 1943 Patent date: June 17, 1947 Title: Low Level Reflector Inventor: David F. Welch Assignee: California Institute Research Foundation Claims: Improved combination reflector - deflector.
Patent No. 2456179 Filing date: June 10, 1944 Patent date: December 14, 1948 Title: Street Lighting Standard Inventor: Henry James Finer Assignee: Masts Limited Claims: Fluorescent street light standard with low level pilot lamps.
Patent No. 2383644 Filing date: August 17, 1944 Patent date: August 28, 1945 Title: Photoelectric Relay with Automatic Adjuster Inventor: Richard S. Gregory Claims: Photocontrol that automatically corrects evening and morning sensitivity.
Patent No. 2444745 Filing date: December 26, 1944 Patent date: July 6, 1948 Title: Circuit Control Apparatus Inventor: Carl E. Mosley Assignee: W. N. Mathews Corp. Claims: Improved relay system for multiple circuit and control circuit street lights.

Continue to 1945 - 1949

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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!