The light bulb invention

The Edison General Electric Company formed in 1889 as a result of many years of arduous laboratory work, which incorporated the time and contributions of multiple inventors, who improved the fifty year old idea. To the surprise of many Thomas Edison was not solely responsible for inventing the light bulb.

Inventor Tip:

Registering your idea early could be vital to keeping your rights. Sometimes it's a race to the patent office, as was the case with the telephone with two patents being filed the very same day. Do you even know the name of the OTHER guy?

Contributions to the light bulb invention?

Multiple other inventions and improvements contributed to the final product created by Edison, which included the development of seven system elements. All of these efforts and changes led up to the development of the light bulb invention patented in 1875 by Thomas Alva Edison, The Wizard of Menlo Park.

The light bulb invention resulted in seven system elements

Edison and his team of inventors designed the parallel circuit and the underground conductor network. Additionally, they created devices used to maintain consistent voltage, safety fuses, and insulating materials. A light socket with an on-off switch was also designed. Finally, a durable light bulb was invented.

The critical element needed to accomplish the light bulb invention

Edison worked to insure that the incandescent light was not only safe, but also economical and practical. The hardest part of the research was the discovery of the right kind of filament. The proper filament would result in electric lighting that was practical for home use. The ideal was a bulb that would burn for many hours. Finally, Edison achieved some success with a filament of carbonized sewing thread that burned for over thirteen hours.

The light bulb invention featured several key contributors

A team of inventors including Edward Shepard, Henricg Globel, Herman Sprengel, Henry Woodward, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, Willis Whitney and William David Coolidge worked to improve the method of making a tungsten filament, which was originally patented by the General Electric Company. This type of filament and the improvements made upon it came about during the years of 1850 to 1910, despite the fact Edison was granted a patent in 1889.

After Edison received a patent for the light bulb invention

Edison continued to improve upon the amount of hours in which the bulb would burn, and General Electric patented a method of making tungsten filaments that were compatible with incandescent bulbs. In 1925 frosted light bulbs were produced, and Phillips Company invented a light bulb that lasted 60,000 hours using magnetic induction. The light bulb invention involved countless hours of work done by numerous inventors in order to succeed.