Street Light Technical Information Willis Lamm   STREET LIGHTS: Patents from 1965

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.

In 1965 there was a drive to develop combination systems combining street light lumiares and residential service transformers. Also shallow bowl refractors were developed in an effort to provide lighting from pendant luminaires that was similar to that provided by ovate (clamshell) and cobrahead luminaires.

Patent No. 3361931 Filing date: January 11, 1965 Patent date: January 2, 1968 Title: Photocontrol Device for Gaseous Discharge Lamps Inventor: Dennis W. Vollrath Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Photcontrol better designed to handle heavy startup current for HID type lamps.
Patent No. 3341718 Filing date: April 15, 1965 Patent date: September 12, 1967 Title: Combined Street Light and Residential Power Construction Inventor: Clarence R. Acker Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Combination luminaire and transformer vault for residential services.
Patent No. 3320415 Filing date: May 17, 1965 Patent date: May 16, 1967 Title: Street Light Refractor Inventor: Franklin M. Neal and John D. Ryan Assignee: Corning Glass Works Claims: Improved shallow bowl refractor.
Patent No. D204081 (Design patent) Filing date: May 17, 1965 Patent date: March 15, 1966 Title: Street Lighting Refractor Inventor: Franklin M. Neal and John D. Ryan Assignee: Corning Glass Works Claims: Improved shallow bowl refractor.
Patent No. 3349239 Filing date: June 21, 1965 Patent date: October 24, 1967 Title: Outdoor Lighting Luminaire Inventor: James H. Fahey, Russell C. Dahl, Carl J. Fredrickson, Jr., and Leon F. Bonk Assignee: Joslyn Manufacturing and Supply Co. Claims: Improved bucket luminaire with ballast equipment in the bracket arm.
Patent No. 3359413 Filing date: June 29, 1965 Patent date: December 19, 1967 Title: Lamp Positioning Mechanism Inventor: Walter M. Waldbauer Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Claims: Improved adjustable socket holder for positioning mercury vapor lamps.
Patent No. 3325638 Filing date: July 23, 1965 Patent date: June 13, 1967 Title: Unitized Vapor Lamp Inventor: Henry C. Pfaff, Jr.and John Kepenach Assignee: Pfaff and Kendall Claims: Sealed beam reflector-lamp-refractor mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 3398274 Filing date: July 26, 1965 Patent date: August 20, 1968 Title: Optically Round, Mechanically Ovate Reflector with Radially Stepped Sections Inventor: Charles H. Rex Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Improved gumball refractor with ovate light distribution properties.
Patent No. 3315072 Filing date: August 16, 1965 Patent date: April 18, 1967 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Donald D. Harling Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Improved mini cobrahead.
Patent No. 3363092 Filing date: October 19, 1965 Patent date: January 9, 1968 Title: Luminaire Assembly for a Divided Highway Inventor: Donald D. Harling and Philip B. Clark Assignee: McGraw-Edison Co. Claims: Low level median luminaire for a divided highway.
Patent No. 3339065 Filing date: November 1, 1965 Patent date: August 29, 1967 Title: Post Top Mounted Luminaire Having Axially Mounted Components Inventor: Harold P. Kelley Assignee: General Electric Co. Claims: Post mounted mercury vapor luminaire.
Patent No. 3334219 Filing date: December 1, 1965 Patent date: August 1, 1967 Title: Luminaire Inventor: Kurt Franck and Herbert A Odle Assignee: Holophane Co. Claims: Clamshell refractor producing 4-way directional lighting when intalled on a corner.

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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!