Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1958 through 1959

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 end of the 1950s showed additional interest in mercury vapor luminaires and improvements in photelectric controls.

Patent No. 3062952 Filing date: January 6, 1958 Patent date: November 6, 1962 Title: Junction Box and Support Means for Luminaires Inventor: Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Mounting system for multiple fluorescent luminaires.
Patent No. 3249750 Filing date: February 4, 1958 Patent date: May 3, 1966 Title: Street Lighting Luminaire Inventor: Kurt Franck Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Improved prismatic refractor designs.
Patent No. 2933596 Filing date: February 28, 1958 Patent date: April 19, 1960 Title: Luminaires Provided with Cooling Systems Inventor: Joseph A. Tolbert Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Fan cooling system for fluorescent luminaires.
Patent No. 2900520 Filing date: March 24, 1958 Patent date: April 18, 1959 Title: Light Sensitive Control Means Inventor: Karl F. Frank Assignee: Micro Balancing, Inc. Claims: Compact photocontrol.
Patent No. 3018081 Filing date: March 27, 1958 Patent date: January 23, 1962 Title: Mounting for Luminaires Inventor: Walter M. Waldbauer Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Improved slip fitter for mercury vapor lamps.
Patent No. 3284626 Filing date: April 9, 1958 Patent date: November 8, 1966 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Kurt Franck Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Improved reflector for cobrahead luminaires.
Patent No. 3027450 Filing date: May 2, 1958 Patent date: March 27, 1962 Title: Incansdescent Lamp Protector for Street Lights Inventor: George W. Everest Claims: Aluminum mounting disc to prevent condensate from damaging sockets and lamp bulbs.
Patent No. 2978591 Filing date: May 5, 1958 Patent date: April 4, 1961 Title: Control Means for a Street Lighting System Inventor: Walter A. Ringger Assignee: American Electric Manufacturing Co. Claims: Improved solid state photocontrol that won't chatter under certain lighting conditions.
Patent No. 2970222 Filing date: May 19, 1958 Patent date: January 31, 1961 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Donald E. Husby Assignee: Westinghouse electric Corp. Claims: Photocontrol mount for mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 2970223 Filing date: June 11, 1958 Patent date: January 31, 1961 Title: Outdoor Lighting Luminaire Inventor: William H. Elmer Assignee: Wheeler Reflector Co. Claims: Slip fitter photocontrol adapter.
Patent No. 3040994 Filing date: June 15, 1958 Patent date: June 26, 1962 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Melvin R. Anderson Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Improved admiral's hat reflector.
Patent No. 2963574 Filing date: November 13, 1958 Patent date: December 6, 1960 Title: Outdoor Lighting Fixture Inventor: Henry C. Pfaff, Jr. Assignee: Pfaff and Kindall Claims: Fluorescent post luminaire.
Patent No. 2905862 Filing date: November 13, 1958 Patent date: September 22, 1969 Title: Illumination Control Inventor: Phillip Giuffrida Assignee: Electrioncs Corporation of America Claims: More reliable photocontrol using a glow discharge trigger tube.
Patent No. 3065338 Filing date: November 13, 1958 Patent date: November 20, 1962 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Donald E. Husby, Clem W. Eberhart and Edmund L. Izzi Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Cobrahead with internal ballast and components.
Patent No. 3191022 Filing date: November 21, 1958 Patent date: June 22, 1965 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Vearl S. Wince Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Post mounted mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 3154254 Filing date: January 2, 1959 Patent date: October 27, 1964 Title: Street Light Refractor Inventor: Robert G. McPhail and Kurt Franck Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Refractor for short bracket arm luminaire.
Patent No. 3081417 Filing date: February 24, 1959 Patent date: March 12, 1963 Title: Photoelectric Street Light Controls Inventor: Donald W. Collier Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Photoelectric control using heated vapor to actuate the relay.
Patent No. 3089024 Filing date: March 30, 1959 Patent date: May 7, 1963 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Herbert A. Odle Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Improved mercury vapor luminaire refractor bowl.
Patent No. 3102693 Filing date: May 25, 1959 Patent date: September 3, 1963 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Charles H. Rex Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved mercury vapor luminaire with interchangeable reflectors.
Patent No. 3045783 Filing date: June 18, 1959 Patent date: July 24, 1962 Title: Standard for Traffic Signals, Street Lights and the like Inventor: George E. Daniels Assignee: Kerrigan Iron Works Co. Claims: Multi-position traffic signal or street light standard.
Patent No. 3142501 Filing date: July 28, 1959 Patent date: July 28, 1964 Title: Adjustable Side Mount for a Light Inventor: Philip B. Clark and Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Improved slip fitter with luminaire pitch adjustments.
Patent No. 3094286 Filing date: September 25, 1959 Patent date: June 18, 1963 Title: Post Top Mounted Lighting Unit Inventor: Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Alumimum canopy post top luminaire.
Patent No. 3072783 Filing date: October 5, 1959 Patent date: January 8, 1963 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Donald W. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Incandescent bucket luminaire.
Patent No. 3067325 Filing date: December 31, 1959 Patent date: December 4, 1962 Title: Street and Sidewalk Lighting Means Inventor: James W. Kennedy Assignee: Kerrigan Iron Works Co. Claims: Decorative arched lighting system for both streets and sidewalks.

Continue to 1960 - 1962

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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!