Extending lifespan, Philips' first patent

First patent

Philips' first patent was granted on December 7, 1905 by the "Kaiserliches Patentamt" in Berlin. It concerned an invention by Gerard Philips to extend the lifetime of carbon filament lamps.

In the Netherlands, the Patent Act had been temporarily suspended. Not until 1910 would this law come back into force. Hence, the patent was filed in 1905 in Germany, where major competitors such as Siemens & Halske and AEG dominated the market.

Notebook by Gerard

Gerard Philips started the firm Philips & Co. with his father Frederik in 1891. This company would grow into a major international corporation within a few years. As an engineer, Gerard was heavily involved in improving light bulbs and how they were produced.

His only surviving notebook from 1893 - on display in the Philips Museum - details his personal experiments to improve the production and quality of light bulbs. He also initiated the establishment in 1914 of the Philips Physics Laboratory, the NatLab, which grew into a renowned research center. Today, about 60,000 Philips inventions have been patented.

Text by Philips Company Archives.
Copyright: Royal Philips / Philips Company Archives

Image: photo of first patent, 1905. It concerned an invention by Gerard Philips to extend the life of carbon filament lamps.

Want more fun Eureka facts?

October is History Month (Maand van de Geschiedenis), the largest history event in the Netherlands. Together with hundreds of cultural institutions, bookstores and libraries, we bring history to the attention of millions of Dutch people.

This year's theme is Eureka! And a lot of inventions have been made at Philips. That's why we like to give some extra attention to important discoveries made in Philips history.

Keep an eye on our website this month for more fun Philips inventions.