Street Light Technical Information
Willis Lamm

  STREET LIGHTS:
Patents from 1887 through 1889

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.


Between 1887 and 1900 there was a huge rush to use arc lighting for city streets and many patents were filed to address the various quirks associated with producing reliable lighting with arc lamps.

Patent No. 375414

Filing date: March 6, 1887
Patent date: December 27, 1887
Title: System of Electric Gas-Lighting
Inventor: William H. Doering
Claims: Electrically controlled gas valve and spark ignition.

Patent No. 388697

(England patent filing date: March 12, 1887)
Filing date: January 19, 1888
Patent date: August 28, 1888
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: John Lee
Assignee: Hugh Watt
Claims: Clockwork type electrode feed.

Patent No. 375977

Filing date: April 5, 1887
Patent date: January 3, 1888
Title: Supporting-Arm for Electric Lights
Inventor: Daniel B. Banks and George K. Hutchins
Claims: Retractable lazy tongs style bracket arm.

Patent No. 378616

Filing date: April 21, 1887
Patent date: February 28, 1888
Title: Arc Light
Inventor: Lawrence N. P. Poland
Claims: Arc lamp electrode feed using opposing solenoid magnets.

Patent No. 430096

Filing date: April 21, 1887
Patent date: June 10, 1890
Title: Automatic Electric Cut-Out
Inventor: Montgomery Waddell
Claims: Magnetic series circuit lamp cutout.

Patent No. 380435

Filing date: April 23, 1887
Patent date: April 3, 1888
Title: Electric-Arc Lamp
Inventor: August Harding
Claims: Improved arc lamp with two sets of electrodes.

Patent No. 378913

Filing date: May 3, 1887
Patent date: March 6, 1888
Title: Supporting-Crane for Electric Lamps
Inventor: Leander J. Wing
Claims: Crane type bracket arm for arc lamps.

Patent No. 381167

Filing date: May 11, 1887
Patent date: April 17, 1888
Title: Reflectror for Electric Lamps
Inventor: Hiram Purdy
Claims: Reflector insert for arc lamps.

Patent No. 392513

Filing date: June 24, 1887
Patent date: Novemeber 6, 1888
Title: System of Incandescent Lighting
Inventor: Charles Heisler
Claims: Combination series circuit with multiple circuit taps.

Patent No. 412141

(German patent: June 25, 1887)
Filing date: April 5, 1889
Patent date: October 1, 1899
Title: Arc Light
Inventor: Friedrich Von Hefner-Alteneck and Carl Hoffman
Arc lamp with ratchet type electrode feed.

Patent No. 379396

Filing date: July 2, 1887
Patent date: March 13, 1888
Title: Electric Gas Lighter and Extinguisher
Inventor: George L. Hogan
Claims: Ignighter and extinguisher for gas lamps.

Patent No. 380074

Filing date: July 11, 1887
Patent date: March 27, 1888
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: Thomas E. Adams
Claims: Improved feeding and alignment of carbon electrodes.

Patent No. 380545

Filing date: July 14, 1887
Patent date: April 3, 1888
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: Camille Bertou
Claims: Counter weight and lever arm electrode feeding system.

Patent No. 375614

Filing date: August 23, 1887
Patent date: December 27, 1887
Title: Sparker Coil for Gas-Light
Inventor: Rudolf Eickemeyer
Spark coil circuit for igniting gas lamps.

Patent No. 391853

Filing date: September 9, 1887
Patent date: October 30, 1888
Title: Cut-Out for Electric Circuits
Inventor: Henry C. McDill
Claims: Magnetic cutout for series lighting circuits.

Patent No. 394791

Filing date: October 3, 1887
Patent date: December 18, 1888
Title: Electric-Arc Lamp
Inventor: Rupert Schefbauer
Claims: Electromagnetic arc rod feeding system.

Patent No. 391477

Filing date: October 10, 1887
Patent date: October 23, 1888
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: Hosea W. Libbey
Claims: Horizontally turning spiral arc electrodes.

Patent No. 391761

Filing date: November 18, 1887
Patent date: October 23, 1888
Title: Electric-Arc Lamp
Inventor: Samuel E. Nutting
Claims: Arc lamp with magnetic electrode feeding system.

Patent No. 421207

Filing date: January 27, 1888
Patent date: February 11, 1890
Title: Cut-Out for Incandescent Lamps
Inventor: Elihu Thomson
Claims: Magnetic cutout designs for series incandescent lamps.

Patent No. 388723

Filing date: January 29, 1888
Patent date: August 28, 1888
Title: Electric-Arc-Light-Support
Inventor: Benjamin Schardt and George Jones
Claims: Disconnect and automatic shunt type lamp canopy.

Patent No. 382231

Filing date: February 7, 1888
Patent date: May 1, 1888
Title: Electric Igniting Apparatus
Inventor: Leon Hen and Rodolphe Weinmann
Claims: Electric ignitor for alcohol lamps.

Patent No. 390245

Filing date: February 20, 1888
Patent date: October 2, 1888
Title: Electric-Arc Lamp
Inventor: Richard H. Mather
Claims: Compound wound feed mechanism armature solenoid.

Patent No. 388053

Filing date: March 24, 1888
Patent date: August 21, 1888
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: Virgil C. Killin
Claims: Chain and pulley rachet system to adjust arc electrodes.

Patent No. 393405

Filing date: May 7, 1888
Patent date: November 27, 1888
Title: Arc Light
Inventor: Donlee B. Turner
Claims: Arc light in which both carbon electrodes are fed.

Patent No. 395317

Filing date: May 9, 1888
Patent date: January 1, 1889
Title: Sign for Electric Lights
Inventor: Edward A. Dubey
Claims: Translucent sign system for attaching to post mounted luminaires.

Patent No. 430260

(New Zealand patent filed October 4, 1888)
Filing date: April 25, 1889
Patent date: June 17, 1890
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: Alfred U. Alcock and Henri GalopinBR> Claims: Automatic compensating electrode feed system.

Patent No. 420314

Filing date: January 2, 1889
Patent date: January 28, 1890
Title: Electric-Arc Lamp
Inventor: Rupert Schefbauer
Claims: Electromagnetic and oscillating armature electrode feed.

Patent No. 420675

Filing date: February 6, 1889
Patent date: February 4, 1890
Title: Street-Sign for Lamps
Inventor: Theodore Cocheu
Claims: Translucent sign system for attaching to post mounted luminaires.

Patent No. 424866

Filing date: April 10, 1889
Patent date: April 1, 1890
Title: Arc Light
Inventor: Julien Dulait
Claims: Improved feed system for carbon electrodes.

Patent No. 417787

Filing date: April 25, 1889
Patent date: December 24, 1889
Title: Incandescent-Lamp Socket
Inventor: James Ward Packard
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Co.
Claims: Incandescent series pendant lamp socket with plug type cutout.

Patent No. 418987

Filing date: July 24, 1889
Patent date: January 7, 1890
Title: Electric-Arc Lamp
Inventor: Edwin C. Russell
Claims: Arc lamp using rotating carbon disc electrodes.

Patent No. 424752

Filing date: August 12, 1889
Patent date: April 1, 1890
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: Ralph H. Beach
Claims: Spring and solenoid electrode feed design.

Patent No. 417788

Filing date: September 7, 1889
Patent date: December 24, 1889
Title: Incandescent-Lamp Socket
Inventor: James Ward Packard
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Co.
Claims: Incandescent series post mount lamp socket with plug type cutout.

Patent No. 423807

Filing date: September 21, 1889
Patent date: March 18, 1890
Title: Arc Lamp
Inventor: Henri Pieper
Claims: Arc lamp with multiple electrode aspects.

Patent No. 418444

Filing date: October 8, 1889
Patent date: December 31, 1889
Title: Electric-Arc Lamp
Inventor: Jesse H. Bunnell
Claims: Electrode feed using differential electomagnets.

Patent No. 425801

Filing date: November 2, 1889
Patent date: April 15, 1890
Title: Electric-Lighting System
Inventor: Frederick Johnson
Assignee: Edison Machine Works
Claims: More fault resistant circuit design for multiple DC arc and incandescent street lamp circuits.

Patent No. 435795

Filing date: November 4, 1889
Patent date: September 2, 1890
Title: Street Lantern
Inventor: William P. Butler
Claims: Glass panel street lamp with improved retaining hardware.

Patent No. 426405

Filing date: November 8, 1889
Patent date: April 22, 1890
Title: Arc Light
Inventor: James J. Wood
Claims: Arc lamp with rack and pinion feed system.

Patents filed before 1890 have been somewhat difficult to locate. If you are aware of an inventor or patent, please contact me at the link provided below.

Continue to 1890 - 1899

Go to Patents Index Page


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!


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