Robert Kearns... rest in peace.
Tough call...lead a normal life but feel ripped off... or go to war with the car companies.
"His daughter Maureen Kearns concurred, saying that her father's home was filled with legal files. "His life was simply this battle," she said. "
D from BC
Thanks for the link. That's one famous example of an inventor being ripped off and getting justice. That's probably the exception to the rule.
A famous example of how ridiculous the patent system is. Like anyone who has driven in light rain for more than 30 minutes didn't independently invent an intermittent wiper.
That statement's a famous example of not understanding patents.
Ideas aren't patentable, only the process or machine that implements them is. Then you have to teach the rest of the world how you did it. And you have to be the first.
Best, James Arthur
I heard about a similar gadget around 1968 (it might have been inspired by the patent) and built one for my little Fiat 500D, using a UJT as an oscillator with an SCR driving the motor.
Leon
Aha, that brings back memories, I recall reading about a similar device in a short news columm, IIRC, it might have been "Electronics Australia" in late 67 or 68. I did build one for my VW, using (IIRC) a pair of OC71s in a flip-flop, an OC74 driver and a relay. It worked well enough.
Leon snipped-for-privacy@btinternet.com posted to sci.electronics.design:
Hell, i saw the apparatus come out in kit form by the mid 1960's. Certainly before i started driving in 1966.
I had intermittent wipers on one of my trucks, but a new set of bearings fixed that problem.
-- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to prove it. Member of DAV #85. Michael A. Terrell Central Florida
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