Patents
Found in 54 Collections and/or Records:
Alfred Hermann Sommer papers
Alfred Hermann Sommer (1909-2003) was a physical chemist who specialized in photoemission research and development. After fleeing from the German Nazi regime and working in London, he immigrated with his family to the United States in 1953. He took a job with the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) at its David Sarnoff Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey, where he worked until 1974. The collection consists of several of Sommer's articles, publications, and patents.
All American Engineering Company records
The engineering and research unit of All American Aviation, once the principal feeder airline for the mid-Atlantic region, became the All American Engineering Company in 1953. Their records document the early evolution of All American Aviation, the development of its system of air pick-up service, and its use in postal and military applications.
Arthur D. Hall III papers
Arthur D. Hall (1924-2006) was a systems engineer who spent the first part of his career with Bell Telephone Laboratories and later taught at the University of Pennsylvania and conducted an independent consulting business. In the latter capacity he developed a patented automated agricultural production system that the called "Autofarm," but was unable to make the leap from invention to true innovation. It was an early, but failed attempt at "green" farming. The Arthur D. Hall III papers represent a portion of his total archive that survived at the time of his death and was removed from his home office in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The main focus of the papers is Hall's work to develop Autofarm and his unsuccessful attempts to secure funding and market the concept to paying customers. There are smaller amounts of material dealing with his career at Bell Labs and his writing and publishing efforts.
Artillery Fuse Company records
The Artillery Fuse Company of Wilmington, Delaware, was a special venture formed to supply ordnances during World War I and was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Manufacturers Contracting Company. The records consist of scattered business records for the Manufacturers Contracting Company, the Artillery Fuse Company, and the later General Manufacturing Company.
Barton H. Jenks papers
The Jenks family produced talented inventors over many generations. Between the 1820s and the 1870s the family businesses were the leading cotton textile machine builders in Pennsylvania. During the Civil War, the firm operated a rifle factory as part of the Union war effort. The collection consist of a series of fragments handed down in the Jenks family related to several of their business ventures.
Charles A. Rosencrans lab notebooks
Charles A. Rosencrans (1908-1991) was an RCA engineer who specialized in radio transmission. His notebooks largely consist of fragmentary handwritten notes from both his career at RCA and from his studies in electrical and mechanical engineering at Lehigh University.
Charles Shambelan patents and scientific publications
Charles Shambelan (1930-2018) was a chemist and senior research fellow at the DuPont Company's Pioneering Research Laboratory from 1959 to 1990. Throughout his career at the DuPont Company, Shambelan made signifcant contributions to the development of Sontara, for which he holds several patents, and Kevlar. This collection consists of two items: a bound volume of Shambelan's patents and publications, and one group photograph of Pioneering Research Laboratory staff in January 1981.
Donald R. Hull papers
Donald Robert Hull (1911-1995) was a longtime employee at the DuPont Company mainly working with nylon and textile fibers. The collection pertains to his work at DuPont and Hull's consulting firm, Fiber Concepts, Inc.
Donald R. Hull photograph collection
Donald Robert Hull (1911-1995) was a longtime employee at the DuPont Company mainly working with nylon and textile fibers. The collection consists of four scrapbook albums of material from Donald Hull's career with the Du Pont Company.
DuPont Company, Patent Department records
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company, commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. It manufactured paints, dyes, and photographic products, and focused on applied research. This collection consists of materials related to patents and patent research. It includes patent proposal logs and patent search files from several DuPont Company departments related to photographic film and electronic products. The departments include: Photo Products, Electrochemical (Elchem), Electronics, Imaging Systems, and Photosystems and Electronics Department. This collection would be useful for examining research trends and patented product development.
DuPont Information Systems records
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. DuPont Information Systems is a department of the DuPont Company that facilitates the adaptation of increasingly complex equipment and improved programming techniques, selects those with the greatest applicability to the company’s business, and guides other departments in their use. The records of DuPont Information Systems are incomplete and reflect only a portion of the department’s activities. These records are arranged in three series: Central Information Services Division; Planning and Development Division; and Telecommunications and network technology.
E. G. Bailey papers
Ervin George "E. G." Bailey (1880-1974) was a combustion engineer, inventor, and businessman. His personal papers include correspondence and articles on subjects relating to combustion engineering, and information about awards and honors Bailey received and conferences he participated in. Bailey's papers include copies of numerous speeches and publications on combustion engineering and engineering education.
Edwin A. Gee papers
Edwin A. Gee (1920-2013) was trained as a chemical engineer and worked as a metallurgist for the United States Bureau of Mines before joining the DuPont Company in 1948. The papers of Edwin A. Gee are incomplete and represent only a small portion of his work in the Development Department and as a member of the Executive Committee. The surviving records have been arranged in two series that document Gee's involvement in important phases of the company's history: Patent documentation and Diversification and research and development strategy.
Experimental Station Library collection
The Textile Fibers Department of the DuPont Company was established in 1936 (known then as the Rayon Department) which specialized in researching and developing synthetic fibers for fabrics such as Rayon, Nylon, Teflon, Corian, and Kevlar. This collection consists of materials once housed in the library of the Experimental Station and culled after the sale of the textile fibers business. The collection has been arranged into six series: Vertical file; Translation logs; Miscellany; Project indexes; Publications; Speeches.
Fred C. Ielfield patents
Fred C. Ielfield (1864-1948) was a mechanical engineer and inventor. This collection consists of twelve patents for mail canceling and postmarking machinery, corn-husking machinery, and a cereal cutter, all invented by Ielfield.
Fred L. Bechly papers
Fred L. Bechly (1924-2004) was an electrical engineer who worked for RCA's Camden, New Jersey, plant, where he aided in the invention of the Tricolor Kinescope Monitor, which became the standard for color television. His papers describe his work with RCA in television and video recording from 1944 to 1983.
George Parshall papers
George Parshall (1929-2019) was an organometallic chemist who made notable contributions to homogeneous catalysis. He worked as a senior scientist at E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company for thirty-eight years. This small collection mainly consists of a three-volume autobiography that covers Parshall's life, from growing up during the Great Depression, World War II, education, marriage and family, and career with the DuPont Company.
Guy B. Taylor papers
Guy B. Taylor (1888-1972) worked at the DuPont Company, where he specialized in the oxidation of ammonia, the method of contact catalysis, and the synthesis of acetylene. His fragmentary papers document his career as a research chemist and include an autobiographical notebook that chronicles his life from childhood to retirement, Princeton dissertation on the dissociation of mercuric oxide, technical papers, patents, and papers from employment at DuPont's Experimental Station.
H. Ray Warren papers and audiovisual materials
H. Ray Warren (1921-2011) was a physicist, engineer, and inventor at the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) for thirty-one years, working primarily on magnetic tape recording innovations. Warren's papers and audiovisual materials form a small collection that documents developments in magnetic recording for audio and video tape, primarily related to magnetic heads and low crosstalk processing signals. This collection is arranged into eight series: Personal files; Patent files; Proposals; Reports and technical data/information; SelectaVision files; Publications and reprints; Work meeting notes and photographs; and Audio and video recordings. The documentation is fragmentary; none of the sets of papers is complete.
Harvey family papers
Thomas William Harvey (1795-1854) and his son, Hayward Augustus Harvey (1824-1893), were two important inventors in the arts of metalworking and metallurgy. The Harvey Steel Company constructed a furnace for making file and tool steel in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1887. In 1889, the company erected a much larger plant near Brills Station in Newark, and expanded it into the treating of armor plate. Thomas W. Harvey is represented in this collection by a selection of documents covering his business career. These include deeds to family property. There are small amounts of correspondence regarding his inventions and the patent laws, including an "Essay upon Iron," affidavits regarding his screw machine, and sketches for several inventions. The papers of Hayward Augustus Harvey include copies of patents and drawings of his various inventions and documents arising from patent litigation. However, the bulk of papers concern the Harvey Steel companies and the Harvey process.
Hendrick Manufacturing Company records
The Hendrick Manufacturing Company was the nation's largest manufacturer of perforated screens. The company was founded by an inventor and entrepreneur, Eli E. Hendrick (1832-1909) in 1885 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania and remained in the hands of Hendrick's descendants until the 1980s, when it was sold. Hendrick's business ventures also included refining lubricating oils and cold storage refridgeration for argricultural produce. This collection consists of records detailing businesses founded by Hendrick and his descendants, including lubricating oil, refrigeration, and metal perforation, especially the Hendrick Manufacturing Company.
Henry J. Burt patent papers
Henry J. Burt (1895-1970) invented a batting and pitching apparatus known as the "Pitchin' Pete" in the 1960s. Burt was a research professor at the University of Missouri and a clergyman in Newfields, New Hampshire. This small collection illustrates the U.S. patent application process for Burt's invention. In September 1963, Burt met with patent attorney Norman S. Blodgett (1921-1991) and engaged his services in patenting his batting and pitching apparatus. The collection consists of correspondence between Burt and Blodgett regarding the patent application process, billing, licensing, and product specifications. The batting and pitching practice apparatus patent is included in the collection, along with Burt's drawings, prior art, and product figures. This collection would be useful to those interested in how a product concept develops from ideation through patent protection to manufacturing.
Herman Schroeder papers
H.E. Schroeder (1915-2009) was a research chemist who spent most of his career with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. His papers consist of documents and memorabilia covering his family and professional life.
Hudson Maxim papers
Hudson Maxim (1853-1927) was an inventor and chemist best known for his work in the development of smokeless gunpowder and military explosives. The papers consist primarily of Maxim's published and manuscript writings from the period between 1907 and 1926. The writings range in topics: Napoleon, the future of naval and aerial warfare, and social Darwinism and anti-immigration.
Hudson Maxim papers
Hudson Maxim (1853-1927) was an inventor and chemist best known for his work in the development of smokeless gunpowder and military explosives. This collection focuses on Maxim's attempt to float his inventions in England during the late 1890s, his anti-pacifist crusade and war-era activities, and his work at Lake Hopatcong.
Huston-Lukens family papers
Stewart Huston (1898-1971) began his career as a metallurgist and worked in varying capacities in the family business, Lukens Steel Company, in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, from 1923 until his death. Assembled by Huston, the collection relates to genealogy and family history.
Jackson Hunsicker papers on Memo Mate
Jackson Hunsicker (1948-2017) invented the Memo Mate in the mid-1990s. It was a small personal recording device that could store up to twenty seconds of audio. The Memo Mate was marketed as a handy way to remember appointments, phone numbers, directions, and the location of a car in a large parking lot. The Memo Mate was a successful invention, selling close to 10 million units. Hunsicker's papers on the patenting and marketing of Memo Mate document the typical process and pitfalls of patenting and marketing by a lone inventor. The collection consists of the legal correspondence of the patent application process and subsequent contractual disputes, along with schematics and designs, and possible names and logos. Hunsicker’s invention represents a demonstration of the patent process as well as a contribution from a woman inventor to the field.
Laboratory notebooks, diaries, and appointment calendars, 1880-1933
The Elmer Sperry papers contain a complete record of his published patents and his laboratory notebooks. These notebooks, which do have some gaps, can be used to trace the evolution of Elmer Sperry's approach to arc lighting, street railways, electrochemistry, gyroscopic technology, internal combustion engines, and the technological problems he encountered with each of these projects. Sperry was very articulate in his diaries and explored a variety of technological and scientific issues in them. It is evident that he drew on the work of a number of academic physicists and mathematicians and tried to apply their insights to experimental problems. Sperry's diaries contain a large number of sketches which reflect an appreciation of modern science. However, the diaries also show that in many ways Sperry was a nineteenth-century artist-engineer rather than a modern scientist whose insights are based on mathematical models.
Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company, 1918-1927
The Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company records include technical and sales correspondence, engineering drawings, and reports that document the development of the aerial torpedo, automatic pilot, airplane stabilizer, and other aeronautical instruments. Correspondence with the Navy's Air Service Department describes the company's research, development and testing programs. There are also a number of reports on test flights. Patents and financial records document the relationship between the Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company and the Sperry Gyroscope Company, as well as the agreements of both with the Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation. The Perry-Curtiss joint venture culminated with the invention of the flying bomb (1917-1918), which placed Sperry controls on a Curtiss-designed plane.
Levy family business papers
Brothers Louis Edward Levy (1846-1919) and Max Levy (1857-1926) founded a photoengraving business in Baltimore in 1875. In 1877, they moved to Philadelphia and reorganized the firm as the Levytype Company. Here they introduced their invention (jointly patented on January 4, 1875) of a new photochemical engraving process, which they called "Levy-type." The bulk of the papers consists of incoming correspondence relating to orders and shipments from 1895 to 1920, and includes letters from all parts of the United States, Europe (especially England and Germany), and more distant places such as India, Australia, and Chile.
"Mixobeater" development documents
The Mixobeater was a machine developed for the baking and food processing industries by the Meteor Mixing Machine Company and Mixobeater Machinery Company, of New York. The collection pertains mainly to the sale of machine parts and business dealings to Fitchburg Machine Works and include lists of patents, drawings and instructions, and correspondence.
Nesbitt Aire, Inc. records
Nesbitt Aire, Inc. is one of the leading manufacturers of school heating and cooling systems. The Nesbitt Aire, Inc. records are a collection of product catalogues from the heating and cooling business of the company dating from 1933 to 2001. There is also a small portion of business correspondence, meeting minutes, employee newsletters, manuals and other publications.
North Brothers Manufacturing Company records
The North Brothers Manufacturing Company was an iron and brass foundry that developed an expertise in manufacturing metal kitchen appliances. The records consist of a sample preserved at the time of the company's transfer to The Stanley Works in 1946. The bulk of the records concerns the manufacture of appliances, largely ice cream freezers. In particular, the records relate to the assignment and registration of patents and trademarks under which they were manufactured and sold.
NVF Company records
NVF Company was a manufacturer of laminated plastic plates and sheets composed of only cellulose; the material is called vulcanized fibre. Initially named the National Vulcanized Fibre Company, it was formed in 1922 by Israel Way Marshall (1850-1911) and Thomas Elwood Marshall (1855-1929) in Yorklyn, Delaware. NVF Company was one of the three largest fibre companies in the country and eventually dissolved in the early twenty-first century. The NVF Company collection consists of records beginning in the 1870s, before the official creation of the company, and continues until the dissolution of the company. These materials include the history of the Marshall family, the formation of the National Vulcanized Fibre Company, administrative and presidential papers, publications and reports, marketing and publicity materials, subject files, labor contracts, employee grievances, and arbitration cases.
Nylon patents notebook
John R. McGrath (1923-2002) was a patent attorney who worked for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company for most of his career. McGrath worked primarily on nylon and its products. This collection consists of a notebook McGrath assembled and titled "Collection of Nylon Art," containing all of the nylon patents of the DuPont Company that he could find.
Office of Alien Property Custodian records
The office of Alien Property Custodian was created by the Trading with the Enemy Act of October 6, 1917. According to the act, the right to seize enemy property was vested in the president, which was then delegated to the Alien Property Custodian. This collection consists of nine volumes, fifty-eight booklets, and foldouts concerning U.S. patents vested in the Alien Property Custodian (1943-1946). The materials specifically deal with mechanical and electrical patents, as well as chemical patents.
Patent and Licensing Records, 1914-1965
Patents , 1937-1992
Series I. Patents, 1937-1992 is divided into two separate subseries. Subseries A. contains patents issued to Kwolek while Subseries B. holds patents that were used for research and reference.
Pusey & Jones Corporation and Parsons Engineering Company records
The Pusey & Jones Corporation were shipbuilders, founders, and machinists of Wilmington, Delaware, which later expanded into papermaking machinery manufacturing. The Parsons Engineering Company was established for the manufacture of smoke-consuming devices and innovations with railroad technology. This collection includes papers from the Pusey & Jones Corporation and Parsons Engineering Company.
RCA Harrison records
RCA’s plant in Harrison, New Jersey was (originally founded in 1882) was acquired by RCA in 1930 and was the company's primary producer of receiving tubes for consumer, industrial, and defense electronics until the plant closed in 1976. The records consist primarily of the papers of engineers Ralph R. Fichtl (1918-2014) and Otto H. Schade, Sr. (1903-1981) on television and receiving tube development. Files include reports, ephemera, photographs, patents, and correspondence on their work and RCA Harrison in general.
Records of other RCA divisions
The Radio Corporation of America (renamed RCA Corporation in 1969) was best known for its pioneering radio and television development and manufacturing. In addition to consumer electronics, RCA was a major player in the development of electronics for industrial and military applications. The Records of other RCA divisions include documentation of RCA's research and development before the Second World War, as well material from the famous patent dispute case Armstrong v. Radio Corporation of America and National Broadcasting Company.
Richard Implay papers
Richard Imlay (1784-1867) was a railroad car manufacturer and inventor. The papers document his marketing of his patent for an improvement in the mode of supporting the bodies of railroad cars and carriages.
Robert Olodort archive
Robert "Bob" Allan Olodort (1946-2019) was an inventor, industrial designer, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his invention of the "Stowaway," a portable, full-size keyboard that folds up to be pocket-size. It was used for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) like the Palm Pilot. Olodort invented the first computer label printer, the Smart Label Printer, among many other wireless mobile products. He holds dozens of U.S. and foreign utility and design patents. The Robert Olodort archive documents the industrial design process from both an inventor's and an entrepreneurial standpoint. The collection shows the development of a concept into a final product through product research, notes, correspondence, sketches, mechanical drawings, and prototypes. It provides valuable insight into how proprietary technology can be monetized by patenting and maintaining company relationships through development, licensing, and purchase agreements. The records also document business operations with financial files, board of directors files, and investor files. While none of the record sets are complete, there is a large enough sampling for a researcher to comprehend the complexity of design and business practices.
Samuel Stockton White Dental Manufacturing Company records
Samuel Stockton White (1822-1879) was a Philadelphia dentist who, in the mid-1840s, began manufacturing porcelain teeth using feldspar. Within the next decades, the company he founded had become the largest manufacturer of dental instruments in the world. The S.S. White Dental Manufacturing Company records largely relate to patents and the manufacture of dental equipment. The company maintained its competitive edge by constant improvement and innovation and was thus dependent upon patent protection.
Singer Company records
The Singer Company, once the world's leading producer of sewing machines, was the successor to I.M. Singer & Co., established in 1851. The records of The Singer Company comprise a group of materials from its Trademark Department that were collected by a former employee.
Sperry Gyroscope Co. historical card file
The Sperry Gyroscope Company was originally organized by electrical inventor Elmer Ambrose Sperry (1860-1930) for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing his ship gyrostabilizer, gyrocompass, and high-intensity searchlight. Their card file documents over sixty years of the company's history.
T. Peter Brody papers
Thomas Peter Brody (1920-2011) was a theoretical physicist whose work in tunnel diodes and semiconductor device theory resulted in numerous electronic uses for thin film technology, eventually leading to his invention of active matrix flat panel display technology, or liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. The collection describes Dr. Brody's education, personal and professional character, scientific achievements, business successes and disappointments, as well as personal praise. Included are lecture notes, private and professional correspondence, research studies, patents, contracts, business records, and other documents related to Dr. Brody's career and the development of LCD technology.
Tallman family papers
The collection consists of correspondence, legal papers, notebooks, and memorabilia relating to the Tallman family, although the bulk of materials pertain to Frank Gifford Tallman.
Technical Records
Contains technical drawings and information, including patents, design drawings, diagrams, instruction sheets, parts lists, and memoranda from the technical divisions of the company.
The Maryland Steel Company, 1890-1927
The largest portion of the records deals with the Sparrows Point plant when operated by the Maryland Steel Company. It includes organization and title papers, organization charts, maps and drawings and financial and operating statements. The records give considerable information on Wood's technical contributions, including patents for mill improvements, notebooks covering production and tests and descriptions of the organizaton of work. There is also correspondence with salesmen and customers, notes on wages and working conditions and comparative reports on other British and American iron and steel works. There is particularly rich documentation on the construction and functioning of the company town.