Candy Cane Menorah?
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the electric menorah, or “electric Hanukkah lamp,” is here to stay. And many Hanukkah observers, when pressed, may admit to having a relative who proudly displays one (or more) in a window...
LED Rope Light Menorah Motif Kit from AQ lighting, online here.
From Shutterstock via Tablet Magazine.
Given the interest in our cowboy-themed menorah post, today we share two electric menorah patents.
Sixth in our first-ever 8 days of Hanukkah Tumblr series of surprising Hanukkah-related National Archives records. By Miriam Kleiman, Public Affairs.
Design Patent Case File No. D185,199 - Design for an Electric Hanukkah Lamp, submitted by Ernest Goldberg, NARA ID 167821649. filed 8/13/1958, patented 5/19/1959.
“Electric Hanukkah Lamp” - rejected, then approved
Ernest Goldberg’s menorah featured the Magen David, Star of David, as the key design feature, to be viewed from front or back, and illuminated “by a new method of wiring, that of distributing the wires through the side arms and then connecting it with the nine individual sockets."
Goldberg’s initial patent application was rejected. He was instructed to:
Remove the words “utilizing the Jewish Star of David”
Change the description to “electric Hanukkah lamp”
Redo his messy drawings.
The “Chief Draftsman” criticized the drawing’s “pale, blurred and indistinct” lines, and demanded a better drawing:
Goldberg resubmitted his design and it was approved. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Records (RG 241), nearly 5 million files, are held at the National Archives at Kansas City. Explore highlights from his incredible collection in the National Archives Catalog online.
CANDY CANE MENORAH?
Candy cane menorah US20060044790A1. “The illumination members include a translucent fixture having the shape and appearance of a candy cane.” Application submitted by John Crawley, 2004.
Happy 7th Night of Hanukkah!
Please note: the National Archives does not endorse or recommend any particular Menorah, electric or otherwise.
ICYMI:
1st Night: 1956 patent application for an unusual menorah with cowboys, horses, tassels, and perhaps mistletoe.
2nd Night: 1926 Sefer Sipur Nes Hanukkah from Baghdad.
3rd Night: the White House Hanukkah party invite with a Xmas tree!
4th Night: mention of Hanukkah in Rosenberg Trial Grand Jury testimony.
5th Night: 1st Pandemic Hanukkah, 1918.
6th Night: Hanukkah speech tips to NSC staffer Blinken 1998!
From here.
