The "New Sunbeam" or "Acorn" Lamp
An effort was made in the early 1890s to develop a lamp that had a gas filling and one that did not infringe the basic Edison patent. It was called the "New Sunbeam" (also "Acorn") lamp and it was manufactured by the Star Electric Lamp Company of Chicago, IL., as well as by the Sunbeam Company. The physical design of the lamp was patented by John Von der Kammer, a German citizen who was residing in Chicago in the 1891-93 time period. The lamp design was covered by patent No. 492,809, dated Mar 7, 1893.

It's of interest to say something about the Star Company as well as the name "New Sunbeam." Apparently the manufacturing facilities of Star were simply the same as for the Sunbeam Incandescent Lamp Company. The officers were the same: David J. Kennedy, President; Albert S. Terry, Treasurer; Franklin S. Terry, Secretary. It appears that the announcement of this lamp was a desperate attempt to manufacture a non-infringing product. The physical design that was patented by Von der Kammer utilized a gas filling — apparently a hydrocarbon.

"Sunbeam acorn lamps can be furnished in colors as follows: Red, blue,green, amber and frosted. A peculiarity claimed for the material used to color the Sunbeam lamp is that it will not crack or peel off; it will last, too, as long as a lamp ordinarily lasts. The acorn lamp is especially suited for decorative work."3
In early 1894 the Star Electric Lamp Company, of Chicago, changed its name to the Sunbeam Lamp Manufacturing Company17.

Below is a timetable of some of the activities of that time period:
—1889—The SunbeamIncandescent Lamp Company organized23
—Jan 14, 1893—A restraining order was secured against the Sunbeam Incandescent Lamp Company of Chicago which prohibited the sale of their incandescent lamps, but not their manufacture4.
—Mar 7, 1893—Patent No. 492,809 issued to John Von der Kammer6
—Mar 18, 1893—The Star Electric Lamp Company was organized9
—Mar 22, 1893—An article describing the Von der Kammer lamp, with a filling of an undisclosed gas, appeared in The Electrical Engineer7.
—Aug 15, 1894—An injunction was brought against the Star Electric Lamp Company21, 22

Note: The picture on the left, above, was scanned from reference 10. The picture on the right is from reference 3.

References
1) Western Electrician, Vol 7, No 21, Nov 22, 1890, pg 286.
2) John Von der Kammer, "Illuminator For Electric Lamps," U. S. 457,830, Aug 18, 1891.
3) "The Acorn Sunbeam Lamp," Western Electrician, Vol 11, No 18, Oct 29, 1892, pg 231.
4) Legal Notes, The Electrical Engineer, Vol 15, No 246, Jan 18, 1893, pg 70.
5) "The Name of the Electrical Supply Company Changed to the Ansonia Electric Company," Western Electrician, Vol 12, No 7, Feb 18, 1893, pg 80.
6) J. Von der Kammer, "Incandescent Lamp," U. S. 492,809, Patented Mar 7, 1893.
7) "The Von der Kammer Incandescent Lamp," The Electrical Engineer, Vol 15, No 255, March 22, 1893, pg 281.
8) "Incandescent Lamp With Metallic Base," Western Electrician, Vol 12, No 12, Mar 25, 1893, pp 156-157.
9) New Incorporations, Western Electrician," Vol 12, No 12, Mar 25, 1893, pg 163.
10) "The 'New Sunbeam' Incandescent Lamp," The Electrical Engineer, Vol 15, No 259, Apr 19, 1893.
11) "Van der Kammer's Incandescent Lamp," Western Electrician, Vol 12, No 16, Apr 22, 1893, pg 205.
12) Western Electrician, Vol 12, No 16, Apr 22, 1893, pg 206.
13) Business, Western Electrician, Vol 12, No 17, Apr 29, 1893, pg 224.
14) Trade News, Western Electrician, Vol 12, No 22, Jun 3, 1893, pg 296.
15) Trade News, Western Electrician, Vol 13, No 2, Jul 8, 1893, pg 24.
16) Business, Western Electrician, Vol 13, No 7, Aug 12, 1893, pg 84.
17) Business, Western Electrician," Vol 14, No 5, Feb 3, 1894, pg 59.
18) "Mr. F. S. Terry," The Electrical Engineer, Vol 17, No 301, Feb 7, 1894, pg 119.
19) Our Western Letter, Electrical Review, Vol 24, Feb 7, 1894, pg 67.
20) "Incandescent Lamp Litigation," Western Electrician, Vol 15, No 6, Aug 11, 1894, pg 65.
21) Western Electrician, Vol 15, No 6, Aug 11, 1894, pg 66.
22) Legal Notes, Incandescent Lamp Litigation, "Edison Electric Light Co., et al, v Star Electric Lamp Co., et al", The Electrical Engineer, Vol 18, No 328, Aug 15, 1894, pg 135.
23) Letterhead, Sunbeam Incandescent Lamp Company, Jan 19, 1912.