The International Guild of Lamp Researchers was inspired by Herbert Leflet's Index of Early U.S. Lighting Patents - 1836 to 1901, published in 1997 by The Rushlight Club, Inc. This project is an ongoing effort by a number of lighting researchers to expand upon Herb's earlier work by creating a more comprehensive database of Lighting Patents available to researchers world-wide.

The Guild's database is searchable by the following fields: Patent Number, Patent Classification, Patent Date, Patentee or Maker, and Patent Description, or across all fields (default). Additional fields and features of this search may be added at a later date. To review the Search Tips and Options, click here.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has set up an on-line Patent Database. It contains full text of all U.S. patents issued since January 1, 1976, and full-page images (in TIFF format) of each page of every U.S. patent issued since 1790.

The pre-1976 patents are not searchable by text because they are images stored in a TIFF format. They are indexed by Patent Number and by Patent Classification which are outlined on the USPTO web site. Navigating around the site is a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's fairly simple. You will need a compatible "TIFF Viewer" or equivalent plug-in for your browser.

The Guild recommends the AlternaTIFF plug-in for Windows-based operating systems.

AlternaTIFF

For Mac and Linux users, the USPTO offers some alternatives on their site - follow this link: http://www.uspto.gov/patft/help/images.htm