WR PATENT NEWS #

Transcription

1 WR PATENT NEWS # PATENTS US VAJEN 1882 PLUMB BOB US LEIDGEN 1885 PLUMB BOB DE61539A HAEUSERMANN 1892 PLUMB BOB / Senkel US MAJEWSKI 1973 PLUMB BOB WITH INTERCHANGEBLE PARTS US MAJEWSKI 1969 PLUMB BOB WITH INTERCHANGEBLE PARTS THEME: VARIABLE PLUMB BOBS Today I will show some patents of plumb bobs that are used in different form or shape. About the VAJEN US from 1882 see also my UPDATE WR PATENT NEWS marking plumb bobs. We know patented plumb bobs that you can use in different positions. (Variable plumb bobs) I remember that there is a discussion about the optimal shape: weight down or up. (See also my WR PATENT NEWS where I wrote: If this distance is very long you have the disadvantage of a long time to motionless of the plumb bob. See the tests done by Bruce Cynar and Bernard Ridens in The Plumb Line Sept 1991: the LENGTH of the plumb line is the key factor in Time to Motionless. I am not sure about his statement: Page 1 of 8 WR Patent News

2 I was told that in the mines the plumb bobs (extremely heavy) were hang to the line (1000m +) on Friday and put into a bucket with oil to reduce the oscillation. Next Monday they could start with the surveying measurement. I am not sure if it is right, but it could. Another plumb bob that looks identical to the VAJEN is the LEIDGEN 1885, but the big difference is that the hole in the middle is NOT CYLINDRICAL, but CONE SHAPED. Coneshaped The invention of the LEIDGEN is: Page 2 of 8 WR Patent News

3 Two years ago, I was searching in the www for more information about VAJEN especially WILLIS C. VAJEN and I found an interesting page: Here is my conclusion: Short history of WILLIS C. VAJEN, holder of the patent US VAJEN 1882 PLUMB BOB His father John Henry VAJEN jun. was born in Hanover, Germany, on the 19th of March 1828; his grandfather, whose name was also John Henry sen., was a professor in the university at Stade, in Hanover/ Germany. The family came to the U.S.A. in 1836, and settled in Baltimore. His grandfather here taught school and was organist at the old Sixth street church until 1839, when he purchased land in Jackson County, near Seymour, and there organized a colony of German Lutherans. He, together with several hundred families, moved there and erected what is, perhaps, the largest log church in the State. In 1845, his grandfather John VAJEN sen. died and his father John Henry jun. seventeen years old went to Cincinnati to seek employment. He met an old friend of his father, Mr. G. Herder, who had a large wholesale and retail hardware store he received an interest in the business. Mr. John Henry jun. VAJEN was married to Miss Alice Fugate in October, In August 1851, he severed his connection with Mr. Herder and came to Indianapolis, and in September 1851, he opened a wholesale and retail hardware store on East Washington Street; he also commenced the manufacture of planes, which he discontinued three years later. In 1871, he sold to his partners the entire business and stock, and retired, on account of failing health, from the cares of business. He retired as one of the heavy capitalists of Indianapolis. At that time, WILLIS C. VAJEN was twenty years old. Mr. VAJEN's health being restored and several of his children having grown to manhood, he again embarked in business January, 1, 1877, by buying out the hardware establishment of Story, New & Co., at No. 64 East Washington street, and is now conducting the same successfully under the firm name of VAJEN, New & Co. (We read in the patent US267655: Inventor WILLIS C. VAJEN of Indianapolis, Indiana, assignor to VAJEN & NEW at same place) IN 1877: Mr. John Henry VAJEN jun. had seven children, Willis C, aged twenty-six years (*1851), Frank (24), John Henry (22), Fannie B. (19), Alice J. (17), Charles T. (14), and Carrie (7). His sons inherit a great deal of the fathers industry, enterprise, perseverance and the faculty of making friends. IN 1882 WILLIS C. VAJEN, thirty-one years old, got his patent US VAJEN 1882 PLUMB BOB. Page 3 of 8 WR Patent News

4 We find the VAJEN plumb bob in the catalogue MONTGOMERY April 1890 and others. Page 4 of 8 WR Patent News

5 In Germany, I found the patent DE61539A HAEUSERMANN Strassburg now belongs to FRANCE. The round part you can turn/screw up and down on the rod. The round part looks like the old FRENCH FLAT CARPENTER PLUMB BOB. (See WRPATNEWS ) The thread seems to be LEFT-HAND THREAD like in ENGLAND usual. Unfortunately, I did not see a produced example of this simple, but interesting invention. I have one VAJEN only in my collection. The set of four plumb bobs is from Nelson. Page 5 of 8 WR Patent News

6 A kind of VARIABLE PLUMB BOBS is the LAMP or COMMON SENSE shape. I will not talk much about LAMPS, but show some pictures of them; unfortunately, we do not have patents of them. Nelson is the specialist for this type. Some of them have a cylindrical stem (reversible), others a cone shaped stem/rod. Page 6 of 8 WR Patent News

7 A patent FULL OF VARIATIONS is US MAJEWSKI 1973 and US MAJEWSKI The first one from 1969 looks like a simple flat bottom plumb bob composed by cylindrical pieces. Later he modified his invention and it looked like this: Page 7 of 8 WR Patent News

8 Here is the full overview of the different pieces from BRASS, COPPER, LEAD, BRONZE (and MERCURY, in the first patent only). I would like to find one of these cases on Ebay Page 8 of 8 WR Patent News