Claim: Harry Schoell invented the master connecting rod eliminating the need for the spider bearing.
Evidence: Harry Schoell, inventor of the WHE, also invented what he called a 'spider bearing', which is a disk that can rotate around the crankpin, and has one bearing journal around its periphery for each of the six connecting rods. While this design eliminates the need for a separate master rod, it introduces one uncontrolled degree of freedom, i.e., the spider bearing itself can rotate in one direction until its motion is stopped by impacting with the connecting rods, then rotate in the other direction through some angle before it is stopped by again impacting connecting rods.