Page:Popular Science December 1931.djvu/126

 There are RIDCID^ PipeWrenchei Cuttas.Vise* £r Thieadei-s For home or bu-^i- ness use,mnD(C> means easier work and more econo- my. Ask your dealer. THE RIDGE TOOL CO. Elyria, Ohio PIPE TOOLS BIG FORTUNES WON BY ( TINY INVENTIONS (Continued from page iq) not involve invention. But it was an inven- tion nevertheless, because it was the simple means of solving a problem which Younn had perceived ; namely, how to make you and me play the piano like Paderewski. "Putting the great and the little thing together," said the court, "constitutes inven- tion." I enjoy the doubtful distinction of having turned down the patent application of Wil- liam M. Folberth, who devised the auto- matic windshield wiper, which I now realize is an excellent e.ample of a successful inven- tion produced by merging two older mechanisms. ALL Folberth did was to put automatic control valves in the existing windshield wiper motor, which utilized the reduced pressure of the carburetor intake. Up to this time, the valves of all windshield wipers had been operated by hand. The automatic valves Folberth adopted to make the opera- tion continuous were the conventional type used in fluid-operated motors. I rejected the application because I felt there was nothing new in this, and that Folberth had merely put two and two together. Fortunately for Folberth and for all motorists who drive their cars on rainy days, others took a broader view. The Board of .Appeals reversed me. The patent was granted, and later was sustained in an Illinois court. Automotive engineers at first ridiculed Folbcrth's idea. But the inventor, a German immigrant, I believe, had the last laugh. -After manufacturing and marketing .•?.5O4.O00 worth of the cleaners himself, he sold the rights to his device for several mil- lions of dollars. One of the most remarkable instances of a patent being attacked because the device was only a slight alteration of an older con- trivance was the famous Lcnke cargo beam case. The peculiar feature was that the United States Government which, of course, had granted the patent, was infringing it. This was one of the few patent cases ever to reach the United States Supreme Court, and one of the last decided by the late Chief Justice Taft. The Government lost; Mr. Taft upheld the inventor. C.ARGO beams used prior to 1Q17, when Melchior Lenke, of Brooklyn, N. Y., pat- ented his improvement, consisted of two beams, spaced several inches apart, firmly riveted together at top and bottom, and rigidly fixed at cither end to two uprights. These beams, used for many years, weighed .v300 pounds. Lcnke made two small but highly ingeni- ous changes. He substituted for the heavy two-piece beam a single I-beam weighing only 1,,;00 pounds. Then he provided it with a pivot at either end. These improve- ments had three great advantages. Because it was a ton lighter and pivoted besides, the new beam was much easier to handle in loading and unloading cargo. Secondly, there was much less strain on the beam, since the pivots permitted it to turn always in the direction where the load was taken. Thirdly, there was a saving of .Sl.iO in the installation of each beam, the price of 2,000 pounds of metal at a'/z cents a pound. The Lenke beam, though a patented inven- tion, was adopted by the U. S. Government for use on its piers, docks, and boats. The inventor sued the Government. Court after Court upheld the United States, whose attoi- nevs claimed that Lenke had made no inven- tion at all, but (Continued on page 123) social welt-are m,,^. ,^ndr. * their capacity. ^ .^^^ the work of helping aritssj^^^^^ie creased almost beyond calv. • //) AN EVEN LARGER PROGRa£ HANDED THIS WINTER The contribution of The Salvation to the solution of the unemployment^ problem in national emergency relief, Christmas baskets, family welfare and a dozen other forms of assistance, will cost over $4,000,000. We rely on our friendi to give MS that amount. Ho^ MucK Will You Give? Mail your contribution today to COMMANDER EVANGELINE BOOTH, THE SALVATION ARMY, 120 West Fourteenth St., New York, N. Y. or, if you prefer, to your local resident officer. Gifts may be allocated to any specific purpose or district. ^^S^J-In Your Home ' Our marvelou?, practical Movie Machines sell as low as post- paid. Also finest Ifi mm. cameras anil projectors at factory prices. A complete line of lidtti statidaril and 1« mm. film arail- iil'Ic ut lew prices with exchange service. Write t(jr l,ii;. riil-:K catalogue. PARAMOUNT MFG. CO. S^'^Vor..^:^.. FANCY WOODS We have in alock 50 kinds of hard and soft fancy woods fur Inlayinfi, ModcU and Scroll work. Send 14c poilaiic for Lint No. I'. S. We alao have an 11- luatrated Calalonue describing our designs for Scroll Work, lin cents. H. L. WILD, 510 E. 11 Street phone AI.)(onquin l-60.'>r>. New York Cily BIG 3 FT. TELESCOPE Five Sections. Brassliound. Powerful Lenses. lO-Mile range Sj»ecial Eve Piece fc»r looitmK at tite sun, in- cluded FREE. Can be used as a Microscopc. Guaran- teed. Big Value. Postpaid S1.7=. C.O.I). extra. BENNER & COMPANY. T-69. TRENTON. N. i. NEW! X-RAY PICTURES AT HOME An experimental x-ray tube offered for the first time by Eurelia for only $12.00. Operates on 3 inch spark coil or static machine. Send 5 cent stamp for booklet. EUREKA X-RAY TUBE CO. 609 W. Lake St. Chicftgo, III. A definite program for getting ahead finaficially will be found on page four of this issue 122 O TUa „ sKnif-. .h. .PP-™" forvu^K sc^cz iNSTmrrt of standards... Se. p.,.8 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY