Energy & Power

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  Frederick Everhart McKinley's 1881 School Desk and Seat Patent Model

  Description

  Frederick Everhart McKinley from Wellington, Kansas, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 246177 was issued on August 23, 1881.

  This desk is supported by a stationary bar that allows the desk to pivot. Both desk and seat can fold up to save space when room is needed. The desk has a shelf, which is supported by two wooden brackets. The seat folds with the use of metal hinges. The desk is made up of unpolished slats of light colored wood.

  Frederick Everhart McKinley was a carpenter born in 1850.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1881

  patent date

  1881-08-23

  associated date

  1876

  patentee

  McKinley, Frederick E.

  transfer

  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  inventor

  McKinley, Frederick E.

  ID Number

  CL.249602.583

  catalog number

  249602.583

  accession number

  249602

  patent number

  246,177

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Thomas Hart Benton Turner and Horace A. Logan's 1880 School Desk and Seat Patent Model

  Description

  Thomas Hart Benton Turner and Horace Archy Logan from Clinton, Missouri, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 231509 was issued on August 24, 1880.

  The dark wooden model is currently broken in four pieces and in poor condition.

  We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1880

  patent date

  1880-08-24

  associated date

  1869

  patentee

  Turner, Thomas H. B.

  Logan, Horace Archy

  transfer

  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  inventor

  Turner, Thomas H. B.

  Logan, Horace Archy

  ID Number

  CL.249602.585

  catalog number

  249602.585

  accession number

  249602

  patent number

  231,509

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  John Mott's 1881 School Desk and Seat Patent Model

  Description

  John M. Mott from Chicago, Illinois, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 245087 was issued on August 2, 1881.

  This model is made of tubular wrought iron or angle iron. It has a folding seat and folding desktop. The wood slats are pushed together to create horizontal grooves in the chair. The chair alternates between light and dark wood that is polished. It has metal legs that flare out with feet. The desk connects to the back of the backrest of the chair. There are a silver plated logo, keyhole, and an inkwell impression on the desk. There is a small gap in between the seat and backrest.

  We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1881

  patent date

  1881-08-02

  patentee

  Mott, John M.

  transfer

  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  inventor

  Mott, John M.

  ID Number

  CL.65.0412

  catalog number

  65.0412

  accession number

  249602

  patent number

  245,087

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Samuel Crumrine's 1876 School Desk and Seat Patent Model

  Description

  Samuel Crumrine from Indianapolis, Indiana, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 173272 was issued on February 8, 1876.

  This model is wooden with alternating dark and light slats for the bench. The desk does not use any screws or nails in its construction, nor does it have any metal parts. This makes the desk cheap, strong, and durable. However, the desk is meant to be fastened to the floor with the use of L-shaped pieces of iron. The desk is attached to the backrest and has wooden stilts underneath the desktop to prop it up or fold down.

  Samuel Crumrine was registered as a carpenter in 1880.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1876

  patent date

  1876-02-08

  associated date

  1880

  patentee

  Crumrine, Samuel

  transfer

  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  inventor

  Crumrine, Samuel

  ID Number

  CL.249602.580

  catalog number

  249602.580

  accession number

  249602

  patent number

  173,272

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Tricycle, Patent Model

  Description

  Francis Fowler of New Haven, Connecticut, submitted this model with his patent for a tricycle equipped with a ratchet connection in the hub of each driving wheel. The patent was issued patent number 224,165 on February 3, 1880. The allowed the outer of the two driving wheels to rotate freely on the crankshaft when the machine was making a sharp turn, thus d the function of a modern automobile differential unit. This model of the Fowler tricycle was transferred from the U.S. Patent Office to the Smithsonian in 1926. It is not known that this tricycle was ever manufactured.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1880

  patent date

  1880-02-03

  patentee

  Fowler, Francis

  inventor

  Fowler, Francis

  ID Number

  TR.309257

  catalog number

  309257

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  224,165

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Washing Machine Patent Model

  Location

  Currently not on view

  patent date

  1882-05-09

  ID Number

  1977.0977.006

  accession number

  1977.0977

  catalog number

  1977.0977.006

  patent number

  257774

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Frank G. Johnson's 1881 School Desk and Seat Patent Model

  Description

  Frank G. Johnson from Brooklyn, New York, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 248043 was issued on October 11, 1881.

  This model features a foldable desk and seat. The desk can be placed in five different positions, including an easel or book rest. The chair is curved for body support and possible comfort. The backrest and seat do not meet, showing a small gap. The seat folds up to create more space. Metal legs are set on a wooden foundation. It has metal hinges and detailed iron Gothic sculpting.

  We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.

  Location

  Currently on loan

  date made

  1881

  patent date

  1881-10-11

  patentee

  Johnson, Frank G.

  transfer

  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  inventor

  Johnson, Frank G.

  ID Number

  CL.65.0413

  accession number

  249602

  catalog number

  65.0413

  patent number

  248,043

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Holley’s Patent Model of a Steam-Boiler Furnace – 1880

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 238,235 issued to Alexander Lyman Holley of Brooklyn, NY on March 1, 1881. Holley’s patent was for an improved gas-fueled steam-boiler for use in a furnace. Mr. Holley noted that past objections to the use of gas for fuel dealt with poor combustion of the gas due to incomplete mixing with combustion air. His invention related to a new way to mix the air and gas more completely prior to introduction into the combustion chamber. He provided for separate entry flues for the gas and air. These ran beneath the floor of the combustion chamber. Slots were cut into the floor perpendicular to the flues. Alternate slots were connected to either the gas flue or air flue. In his patent application drawing, he showed five slots – two for gas and three for air. He conceived that the pressure feeding the air and gas would create jets through the slots into the combustion chamber where mixture would occur and combustion take place. To facilitate this, he included a curved diaphragm as the top of the combustion chamber. The combustion gases would then be carried upwards through tubes in the boiler and thence to the exhaust. Research of available trade literature and other sources has not revealed any commercial product that may have made use of Mr. Holley’s invention. Mr. Holley was an engineer of great reputation in the steel making industry and was a founding member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

  The patent model is constructed of wood and sheet metal. The boiler is sheet metal painted black. The wooden frame of the model is painted red with black lines to give it the appearance of being made of brick. The model conforms to the patent drawings and represents the major elements of the patent. The air and gas inlet pipes and flues are present. The burner is made of wood and has slots cut into it to represent the alternating gas air and gas ports. The model has a tag that includes the date (January 24, 1880) of the patent application.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1880

  patent date

  1881-03-01

  inventor

  Holley, Alexander L.

  ID Number

  MC.336506

  catalog number

  336506

  accession number

  1978.0318

  patent number

  29,007

  238,235

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  1882 - Daniel Mills, Buttonhole Sewing Machine Patent Model

  Description

  Daniel Mills, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Patent model for a machine to sew buttonholes. Patent No. 265,850 Issued October 10 1882. Buttonhole Sewing Machine.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  before 1882-10-10

  inventor

  Mills, Daniel

  ID Number

  TE.T06598

  patent number

  265850

  catalog number

  T.6598

  accession number

  89797

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Patent Model for the Improvement in Picking Cotton

  Description (Brief)

  David Rawl, of Batesburg, South Carolina, submitted this model with his patent application for an improvement for picking cotton 1882 to the United States Patent Office. The mechanism could be wheeled over the top of a cotton row. A frame is balanced over wheels and as the picker is moved the stalks are guided through spindles where the boll is removed and the cotton drops into a carrier.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1882

  patent date

  1882-10-31

  inventor

  Rawl, David

  ID Number

  AG.266884

  catalog number

  266884

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  266,884

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Patent Model for Bellows

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1880

  patent date

  1880-05-25

  inventor

  Smith, David B.

  ID Number

  DL.329541

  catalog number

  329541

  patent number

  228,131

  accession number

  88881

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Mauzey’s Patent Model of a Solar Heater – 1880

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 227,028 issued to James P. Mauzey of Blackfoot, Montana Territory on April 27, 1880. His patent was for a new and improved solar heater. Mr. Mauzey’s design provided for a series of reflecting mirrors mounted on a rectangular frame which could be oriented so as to focus the sun’s rays upon an object to be heated. The image of the patent model shows the frame and mirrors. The frame would be oriented to point the central, oval shaped mirror directly at the sun. This mirror was shaped and oriented so as to focus the sun’s rays along a line at some distance behind the mirror frame assembly. Additional mirror elements were mounted within the frame as shown, and these too were designed to focus energy at the same distance behind the frame. The brown colored rod and material at the top of the frame modeled a curtain which could be rolled across the frame to block the mirrors as necessary for repair or adjustment. The frame assembly shown in the image was intended to be mounted on a supporting base which could be used to tilt the frame up or down to track the sun’s position in the sky. The base was in turn mounted on wheels or rollers to allow additional adjustments to track the sun. The object to be heated would be located on the base at the focal point of the mirrors. Additionally, the mirror assembly could be moved up or down relative to the base allowing for an accurate focus on the object to be heated. Diagrams showing the complete design of the heater can be found in the patent document online www.USPTO.gov/patents/process/search/index.jsp). Research of available trade literature and other sources has not revealed any commercial use that may have made use of Mr. Mauzey’s invention. His work was mentioned by Charles H. Pope, a solar heating advocate, in his 1903 book titled Solar Heat: Its Practical Applications. However, Mr. Pope indicated no additional information on Mauzey had been found.

  The patent model is constructed of tin, wood and fabric. It models the mirror assembly and curtain mechanism. Also shown are the side arms that would have attached the assembly to the supporting base.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1880

  patent date

  1880-04-27

  inventor

  Mauzey, James P.

  ID Number

  MC.251506

  accession number

  48890

  catalog number

  251506

  patent number

  227,028

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Ericsson Hot-Air Engine, Patent Model

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 226,052 issued to John Ericsson of New York, New York on March 30, 1880. The patent was for an improvement in air engines.

  In this type of engine a charge of air is repeatedly heated and cooled as it is transferred from one end to the other of a single cylinder. One end of the cylinder is surrounded by a furnace, the other end of is water jacketed. The air expands and contracts beneath a work piston that travels through a short stroke near the upper end of the cylinder. The air is displaced from end to end of the cylinder at the proper time by a large loosely fitting transfer piston independently connected to the crankshaft.

  Mr. Ericsson claimed his design improved the method of connecting the short stroke of the work piston so as to magnify the length of its stroke at the crankshaft. This also produced a longer stroke for the exchange piston in order to properly time its movement. He also made provisions for a water pump that was operated by the engine. It circulated water into the jacket surrounding the engine’s cylinder in order to more rapidly cool the hot air in the upper part of the cylinder.

  Mr. Ericsson was a prolific inventor; his inventions included many types of steam engines and associated apparatus as well as hot air engines. He was the designer of the USS Monitor for the North during the Civil War, and that vessel included one of his then new marine steam engine designs.

  The patent model is shown in the image. It is made of brass, steel and wood. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model including the crank mechanism and the water pump. The upper cylinder is cut away to illustrate the motion of the two pistons. Diagrams showing the complete design can be found in the patent document online (www.USPTO.gov).

  Location

  Currently not on view

  patent date

  1880-03-30

  inventor

  Ericsson, John

  ID Number

  MC.251286

  catalog number

  251286

  accession number

  48865

  patent number

  226,052

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Benjamin Allen's 1875 Folding Seat Hinge Patent Model

  Description

  Benjamin Allen from Trenton, New Jersey, received a U.S. patent for a hinge for school seat. Patent no. 163622 was issued on May 25, 1875.

  This model features a side view of a wooden seat with an improved hinge and lever that lift the seat. The model is painted a dull green color. By adding a spring for constant friction, the seats could be raised and lowered without dropping, creating less noise. In addition to school desks, the invention was applicable to folding seats in other venues.

  We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1875

  patent date

  1875-05-25

  associated date

  1881

  patentee

  Allen, Benjamin

  transfer

  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  inventor

  Allen, Benjamin

  ID Number

  CL.249602.591

  catalog number

  249602.591

  accession number

  249602

  patent number

  163,622

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Sciple's Patent Model of a Portable Steam Engine –1879

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 224,482 issued to Harry M Sciple of Selin's Grove, Pennsylvania on February 10, 1880. The patent was for a new and improved portable steam engine. Mr. Sciple's goals for his design were lightness, durability and low cost. He claimed his innovation was making the majority of the engine from only two castings. The first and largest was the base, steam cylinder, and steam valve. The second was the cylinder head combined with the crosshead guides. In the image of the model the steam valve is the horizontal cylinder on the side of the steam cylinder; and the crosshead and guides casting is the arch shape at the top. The piston rod is attached to the crosshead which can be seen across the arch. Another new design feature claimed by Mr. Sciple was the use of vee- shaped crosshead guides. Instead of the typical metal sliding on metal crosshead and guide design, he used rubber coated rollers attached to each end of the crosshead. The connecting rod is the inverted u-shaped hoop seen connected to a bar across the crosshead and descending on each side of the cylinder to the crankshaft. The eccentric gear is shown on the shaft just outside the base. The rod connected to it operates the steam valve via the crank arm shown.

  Before the widespread use of electric motors, small high-speed steam engines such as the Sciple design were common for general light duty. Simple and dependable, such engines were cheap to build and easy to operate and maintain. They could be connected directly to pumps, generators, blowers and other machinery.

  All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated in detail by the model. The patent model parts representing the large castings are made of lead. Other metal is used for the moving parts. Diagrams showing the complete design of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

  date made

  1880

  patent date

  1880-02-10

  inventor

  Sciple, Harry M.

  ID Number

  MC.308710

  catalog number

  308710

  accession number

  89,797

  patent number

  224,481

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Clothes Dryer Patent Model

  Location

  Currently not on view

  patent date

  1886-01-19

  inventor

  Goodyer, Charles

  Morse, William

  ID Number

  DL.65.0435

  catalog number

  65.0435

  patent number

  334,656

  accession number

  249602

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Charles M. Hughes's 1881 Hinge Patent Model

  Description

  Charles M. Hughes from Lima, Ohio, received a U.S. patent for an improved hinge. Patent no. 249627 was issued on November 15, 1881.

  This model is made of wood and comprises two pieces. It has a hinge that goes up and down like a lever, making the seat and desk compactable for more space. The design includes a place to hold books.

  We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1881

  patent date

  1881-11-15

  associated date

  1873

  patentee

  Hughes, Charles M.

  transfer

  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  inventor

  Hughes, Charles M.

  ID Number

  CL.249602.599

  catalog number

  249602.599

  patent number

  249,627

  accession number

  249602

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Frederick Everhart McKinley's 1882 School Desk and Seat Patent Model

  Description

  Frederick Everhart McKinley from Wellington, Kansas, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 263558 was issued on August 29, 1882.

  This model has a singular bench seat with wooden hinges that come from underneath two front legs. The desk is attached to a backrest that has two slots underneath. The design promised better support and strength than previously made desks. The desk could swing downward, and the seat would be able to swing up. The desk is made of unpolished slats of light colored wood.

  Frederick Everhart McKinley was a carpenter born in 1850.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1882

  patent date

  1882-08-29

  inventor

  McKinley, Frederick E.

  ID Number

  CL.65.0414

  accession number

  249602

  catalog number

  65.0414

  patent number

  263,558

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Three Rudder Steering Device, Patent Model

  Description

  Pittsburgh steamboat owner and builder James Rees developed a way to reduce the amount of force needed to steer riverboats, an idea he patented in 1882. In place of the usual practice-attaching a tiller directly to the top of the boat's rudder-he moved the tiller's pivot point forward and its connecting point to the rudder aft, which improved the tiller's leverage and eased steering. This model demonstrates his invention applied to a three-rudder system.

  This model was found in the Smithsonian collections in the 1970s. It matches the drawings and specifications for James Rees's 1882 steering apparatus patent, but no information has yet been found to indicate how it came to the museum. Patent Office records state that no model was received for this invention. (And none was required: its application was submitted after models were generally no longer accepted.) Either the patent records are in error, or this was a demonstration model that came to the Smithsonian through Rees's descendants or associates.

  It is very likely the tiller arrangement demonstrated in this model was used commercially, as James Rees (1821-89) was an active owner and builder of river steamers, and his firm supplied engines for many vessels on the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri river systems. As he described the problem he hoped to solve through this invention, "The ordinary method of connecting the tiller involves the necessity of applying great force to the tiller for the purpose of manipulating the rudder, and often requires the pilot to throw the rudder into the desired position prior to any back movement of the vessel, otherwise it would be almost impossible to manipulate it when backing the vessel." His apparatus, by contrast, worked "with ease in either a backing or forward movement of the vessel."

  Location

  Currently not on view

  Date made

  1882

  patent date

  1882-02-07

  patentee

  Rees, James

  ID Number

  TR.337075

  catalog number

  337075

  accession number

  1978.2282

  patent number

  253226

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Davies Steam Pump, Patent Model

  Description

  This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Joseph D. Davies, of Covington, Kentucky, March 9, 1880, no. 225351.

  The model represents a direct-acting steam pump, provided with two auxiliary oscillating cylinders, which offer a constantly decreasing resistance to the movement of the steam piston during the first half of its stroke and a constantly increasing assistance during the remaining half. The purpose of this is to equalize the effective force of the steam piston throughout its stroke when the steam is used expansively.

  The two auxiliary cylinders are mounted in trunnions, one on each side of the frame of the engine. The rods from the auxiliary pistons are attached to a clamp on the main piston rod, so located that the auxiliary cylinders are perpendicular to the main piston rod when the main piston is at midstroke. The auxiliary pistons, in the model, work against a spiral spring, which is compressed during the first half of the stroke and which expands during the last half. In effect the springs act as would a flywheel, storing the energy in excess of the resistance, while steam at high pressure acts upon the engine piston, and delivering the stored energy after the steam has been cut off and is expanding in the cylinder. The inventor described his device using a fluid, as steam or water under pressure within the auxiliary cylinders.

  Reference:

  This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1880

  patent date

  1880-03-09

  inventor

  Davies, Joseph D.

  ID Number

  MC.308711

  catalog number

  308711

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  225,351

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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