Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1954 through 1957

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.

At the 1950s progressed there was more development in mercury vapor and fluorescent luminaires for roadway lighting.

Patent No. 2878369 (Netherlands filing date: April 29, 1954) Filing date: April 12, 1955 Patent date: March 17, 1959 Title: Lighting Fixture Inventor: Johannes Rijnders Assignee: North American Phillips Co. Claims: Fluorescent Luminaire.
Patent No. 2908809 Filing date: June 25, 1954 Patent date: October 13, 1959 Title: Street Light Inventor: Edward L. Beach and Joseph W. Steiner Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Ovate (clamshell) mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 2926238 Filing date: August 31, 1954 Patent date: February 23, 1960 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Melvin R. Anderson, Avon Lake and Leonard H. Seeley Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Lower cost fluorescent roadway luminaire.
Patent No. 2878369 (Netherlands filing date: April 29, 1954) Filing date: April 12, 1955 Patent date: March 17, 1959 Title: Lighting Fixture Inventor: Johannes Rijnders Assignee: North American Phillips Co. Claims: Fluorescent Luminaire.
Patent No. 2846570 Filing date: January 28, 1955 Patent date: August 5, 1958 Title: Adjustable Support for a Fluorescent Street Light Inventor: Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Adjustable bracket for variable lighting angles.
Patent No. 2875323 Filing date: January 28, 1955 Patent date: February 24, 1959 Title: Outdoor Lighting Luminaire Inventor: Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Improved fluorescent luminaire.
Patent No. 2907544 Filing date: January 28, 1955 Patent date: October 6, 1959 Title: Fluorescent Luminaire and Mounting Arrangement Therefor Inventor: Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Triangle style fluorescent luminaire mounting.
Patent No. 2898525 Filing date: March 15, 1955 Patent date: August 4, 1959 Title: Light Responsive System Inventor: John E. Jacobs Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Photocontrol with photosensitive dome.
Patent No. 2776357 Filing date: April 4, 1955 Patent date: January 1, 1957 Title: Photosensitive Layer Cell Inventor: Norman E. Porath Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Photocontrol with photosensitive dome.
Patent No. 2838716 Filing date: April 20, 1955 Patent date: June 10, 1958 Title: Photoelectric Control System Inventor: Edward D. Spierer Claims: Improved reduced "stutter" photocontrol tube design.
Patent No. 2886698 Filing date: April 26, 1955 Patent date: May 12, 1959 Title: Street Lighting Luminaire Inventor: William H. Dorman Assignee: Corning Glass Works Claims: Improved ovate (clamshell) mercury vapor refractor.
Patent No. 2755392 Filing date: May 24, 1955 (Divided from original filing of Oct. 22, 1952) Patent date: July 17, 1956 Title: Photoelectric Lighting Control Unit Inventor: Philip Garnick Assignee: Fisher-Pierce Co. Claims: Luminaire mount photoelectric control.
Patent No. 2798941 Filing date: June 7, 1955 Patent date: July 7, 1957 Title: Luminaires Inventor: Harold A. Van Dusen, Jr. Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Bayonet socket for horizontal mounting.
Patent No. 2800576 Filing date: June 9, 1955 Patent date: July 23, 1957 Title: Street Lighting Fixture Inventor: Robert T. Burns and Dana W. Rowten Claims: Open fluorescent street luminaire.
Patent No. 2849574 Filing date: June 29, 1955 Patent date: August 26, 1958 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Robert T. Burns and Dana W. Rowten Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Ovate (clamshell) mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 2966324 Filing date: October 4, 1955 Patent date: December 27, 1960 Title: Supporting Bracket Inventor: Ruth W. Heinzen Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Double guy arched bracket arm.
Patent No. 3283140 Filing date: October 24, 1955 Patent date: November 1, 1966 Title: Street Luminaire Inventor: Charles H. Rex Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Ovate (clamshell) mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 2945945 Filing date: October 24, 1955 (Divided from original patent of the same date) Patent date: July 19, 1960 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Charles H. Rex Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Ovate (clamshell) mercury vapor luminaire improvements.
Patent No. 3350556 (Original Filing: November 14, 1955) Filing date: June 28, 1966 Patent date: October 31, 1967 Title: Street Lighting Luminaires Inventor: Kurt Franck Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Improved clamshell refractor designs.
Patent No. 2913637 Filing date: December 28, 1955 Patent date: November 17, 1959 Title: Photoconductive Control Unit Inventor: Charles D. Bayley Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Photocontrol with snap type relay.
Patent No. 3064123 Filing date: February 29, 1956 Patent date: November 13, 1962 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Melvin R. Anderson Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Improved reflector design for fluorescent street lighting.
Patent No. 3062953 Filing date: April 30, 1956 Patent date: November 6, 1962 Title: Luminaire and Refractor Therefor Inventor: Philip B. Clark and Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Bucket style luminaire.
Patent No. 2905808 Filing date: August 10, 1956 Patent date: September 22, 1959 Title: Outdoor Lighting Fixtures Inventor: Vearle S. Wince Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Simple post mount luminaire.
Patent No. 2952797 Filing date: January 16, 1957 Patent date: September 30, 1960 Title: Mercury Vapor Lamp Connector Construction and Starting Circuit Therefor Inventor: Harold A. Van Dusen, Jr. and Joseph C. Yaeger Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Improved socket and circuitry designed to reduce start-up current requirements for series mercury vapor circuits.
Patent No. 3210536 Filing date: March 5, 1957 Patent date: October 5, 1965 Title: Lumianire and Means for Lighting Streets Inventor: William B. Elmer Assignee: Wheeler Reflector Co. Claims: Low glare pendant mount mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 2985261 Filing date: May 17, 1957 Patent date: May 23, 1961 Title: Upright Erecting and Hinging Means Inventor: Milo F. Kubesh Claims: Post type luminaire with hinged base and clamp device for lowering and raising it.
Patent No. 2970208 Filing date: July 26, 1957 Patent date: January 31, 1961 Title: Lumianire Optical System Inventor: Merle E. Keck Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Improved ovate (clamshell) luminaire optics.
Patent No. 3043950 Filing date: July 26, 1957 Patent date: July 10, 1962 Title: Lumianire Optical System Inventor: Merle E. Keck Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Improved ovate (clamshell) luminaire latching and slip fitter.
Patent No. 2974219 Filing date: September 6, 1957 Patent date: March 7, 1961 Title: Lumianire Inventor: Donald E. Husby Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Improved latching and slip fitter for clamshell luminaire.
Patent No. 3189739 Filing date: October 14, 1957 Patent date: June 15, 1965 Title: Street Lighting Refractor Inventor: Robert G. McPhail Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Improved directional clamshell refractor.
Patent No. 2921181 Filing date: October 24, 1957 Patent date: January 12, 1960 Title: Street Lighting Lumianire Inventor: William B. Elmer Assignee: Wheeler Reflector Co. Claims: 4-way directional open bottom luminaire.

Continue to 1958 - 1959

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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!