Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press smithsonian contributions to history and technology • n u m b e r 5 4 Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press PatentA Chronology Models Index of MiddleGuide to Missouri the Collections of Plains the NationalVillage Museum of AmericanSites History, Smithsonian Institution Volume 1: Listings by Patent NumberBy Craig and M. InventionJohnson Name with contributions by Stanley A. Ahler, Herbert Haas, and Georges Bonani Barbara Suit Janssen SerieS PublicationS of the SmithSonian inStitution Emphasis upon publication as a means of “diffusing knowledge” was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: “It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge.” This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, com- mencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to History and Technology Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology In these series, the Institution publishes small papers and full-scale monographs that report on the research and collections of its various museums and bureaus. The Smithsonian Contributions Series are distributed via mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institu- tions throughout the world. Manuscripts submitted for series publication are received by the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press from authors with direct affilia- tion with the various Smithsonian museums or bureaus and are subject to peer review and review for compliance with manuscript preparation guidelines. General requirements for manuscript preparation are on the inside back cover of printed volumes. For detailed submissions require- ments and to review our manuscript preparation and style guides for authors, visit the Submissions page at www.scholarlypress.si.edu. smithsonian contributions to history and technology • number 54 Patent Models Index Guide to the Collections of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution Volume 1: Listings by Patent Number and Invention Name Barbara Suit Janssen washington d.c. 2010 ABSTRACT Janssen, Barbara Suit. Patent Models Index: Guide to the Collection of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution – Volume 1, Listings by Patent Number and Invention Name. Smithsonian Contributions to History and Technology, number 54, xviii + 357 pages, 76 figures, 2010. — This two-vol- ume catalog consists of four indexes providing information on more than ten thousand patent models housed throughout the National Museum of American History’s collections. These nineteenth century artifacts are the original models submitted to the United States Patent Office by their inventors. In Volume 1, the Listing by Patent Number sorts the NMAH patent models chronologically by the is- sued patent number. The Listing by Invention Name organizes the patent models alphabetically by the name of the invention. In Volume 2, the Listing by Inventor organizes the NMAH patent models alphabetically by the inven- tor’s last name. The Listing by Residence sorts the patent models by residence of the inventor at the time of patent issue by country, state, and city. The patent number is a unique number that ties all of the indexes together. Issued by the Patent Office at the granting of a patent, the number links the model to its patent specification. The terminology used is consistent with the Subject-Matter Index of Patents for Inventions Issued by the United States Patent Office from 1790 to 1873, compiled by Mortimer D. Leggett, Commissioner of Patents in 1874. Cover images, from left to right: Patent No. 173,295, Richard M. Hoe and Stephen D. Tucker, Printing Press, February 8, 1876 (SI neg. 86- 6340); Patent No. 99,743, William T. Smith, Sewing Machine, February 8, 1870 (SI neg. 2006- 1858); Patent No. 6,420, Samuel F. B. Morse, Electric Telegraph, May 1, 1849 (SI neg. 89- 6704). Photographs by Richard Strauss and Harold Dorwin. Published by Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press P.O. Box 37012 MRC 957 Washington, D.C. 20013- 7012 www.scholarlypress.si.edu Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data National Museum of American History (U.S.) Patent models index : guide to the collections of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. p. cm. — (Smithsonian contributions to history and technology number ; 54, 1–2) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Patents—United States. 2. Patents—United States—Indexes 3. Inventions—United States. 4. National Museum of American History (U.S.) I. Janssen, Barbara Suit. II. Title. T223.C2N38 2010 608.773—dc22 2010001060 ISSN (print): 1948-5999 ISSN (online): 1948-6006 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48–1992. Contents INTRODUCTION v The Purpose of Patent Models v The Origin of NMAH’s Collections viii Patent Specifications x Patent Model Database Project xi Key to NMAH Divisions with Patent Model Collections xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii Guide to the Listing By Patent Number 1 Listing by Patent Number 2 Guide to the Listing By Invention Name 187 Listing by Invention Name 188 appendix: List of illustrations 351 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 355 Introduction he Patent Models Index consists of four lists of information relating to patent models, each containing differ- ent information and sorted by a different key detail: patent number, invention name, inventor, and residence of Tinventor. Nowhere else does there exist such a record of the patent model collections of the Smithsonian Institu- tion’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) in an organized and comprehensive manner. The priorities of the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press (SISP) are to diffuse the information relevant to NMAH collections and to offer a searchable tool from which end users will benefit. Within the framework of existing processes, SISP has published this set of indexes and makes it available online to all users as a fully searchable PDF. The purpose of this index is specifically to document the collection of patent models in NMAH. A small number of patent models are in the collections of other Smithsonian museums. Those of the Anacostia Community Museum, the Na- tional Postal Museum, and the National Air and Space Museum are not included in this index. The index was not intended to address every question that might be of interest to historians of technology or the patent system, but rather to expose them to the breadth and depth of the NMAH collections. All of the listings include different fields, so their value varies. For example, in the listing by residence of inventor users may compare inventions by country, state, and city. The listing by inventor includes a field for multiple patentees, which is not included in the others. The listing by invention name groups models by name so users might realize the scope of any one set of models within a particular subject matter. All of the indexes include unique fields, with only major fields, such as invention name and patent number, being repeated. Just like Leggett’s 1874 three volume patent index, the Patent Models Index provides the foundation on which others might build. The PurPose of PaTenT Models For most of the nineteenth century, the Patent Office required inventors to submit a model with their patent applica- tion. Inventors placed great importance on their models and viewed a well-executed model as the key element in obtaining a patent. The inventor would often hire a professional model maker to turn a two- dimensional paper drawing into a three- dimensional miniature machine. The inventor might also turn to other skilled craftsmen, such as blacksmiths, watchmak- ers, or cabinetmakers, to fabricate models. Some inventors would construct their own models. How a model was constructed depended mostly on what the patented feature was. The inventor had a choice of show- ing the complete machine or only his patented device. Models could be fine miniatures of their commercial counterparts (like printing presses or plows) or they could be the actual manufactured machine (like sewing machines or firearms) with the patented feature added. While it was not essential that the model work, many of them did. In general, the models tended to adhere to requirements of the Patent Office that they not exceed one foot in any dimension. Some inventors took great care to ensure their models were neither too small to be seen on the cabinet shelves in the Patent Office Model Room nor too large to fit there. v i • smithsonian contributions to history and technolog y This 1868 engraving from Harper’s Weekly illustrates a typical model maker working in a small workshop. (SI neg. 86-930) In the second half of the nineteenth century, the U.S. Patent Office Model Room and its four halls showcasing thou- sands of models was of common interest for researchers as well as a popular destination for inventors, the curious public, and manufacturers seeking helpful mechanical inventions. To the inventor, the idea of investors and manufacturers study- ing his or her patent model offered great incentive to craft a striking, handsome model that would stand out on the crowded Model Room shelves. Stereoviews of the Patent Office Halls of seemingly endless rows of cabinets filled with models were a popular Washington, D.C., photographic souvenir. Viewed though a stereoscope, the double images were dizzyingly di- mensional. In 1855 Alfred Hunter published a guide to the Patent Office Model Room,A Catalogue Showing the Location of Every Model of Patented Inventions in the New Hall of the Patent Office.