New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-28
PROF. ANTHONY'S OPINION
ON AN ELECTRIC ELEVATOR pArrNs
SUIT.
REPLY TO LETTER BY THE A. D. ~,
MANUFACTURING CO.

MANUFACTURING CO.
Prof. William A. Anthony.
Dear Strive would like to have you give M ~.
opinion on a patent which the "otis Company h.v.
brought suit We inciose the patent and much other MAJ
ter relating to the question.
More than years ago the otis Company be~>-
10 tell persons required electric eevaors tina, ,h.
going to bring suit against u.s. that they wers
the original Of electric elevators that ma
one but themselves had a right manufacture hes. M.
chimes Our reply always was. why don't they saar,
These threats they kept for more than two years
About a year ago asked Mr.. " r. Otis what ths-
intended bring their suit the operating mechss
ism which patented totally different from u
.Eicsemeyer' patent (the "otIs" Company did not n
vent the machine they sell, but the "Eickemeyerr
Mr. Otis replied I'VE have deal with another conpsny
by which we can their patents" and thai
all the time the otis Company had been threaten,n,
suit they had been looking for patent which /.
bring a suit
Shortly after conversation with Mr. Otis n
ceved word that customer OF ours had been served win
n,c. OF a suit by the "otis'' Company: We Immediate
| IT, through attorneys Messrs. Phillips Avery hA
the suit transferred to We agreeing to bear all the
expense This suit was brought on Wheels
patent August 49, 1855 No machine has beea
made In accordance with this patent anc It would ns<
work II II were made
We also retained Mr. Livingston CLIFFORD the eminent
patent advocate and Mr.. Franklin L. Pope. the well
known electrical expert, telling them that we desired to
hive them press the suit speedy conclusion a.
poss5le We also published circular at that time con-
Guiding follows
I'VE submit that a party who brings lawsuit ara
nroce.ds NJ once TO indus,riously circulate fact
amongst buyers have put in estimates and BE-
fore II can be sauarey tried the merits Is trading
the supposed fears OF buyers unfamiliar with the true
facts Do not deceived by them We shall protect
customers We know rights and shall maintain them"
"A soon as the OTIS Company had started the suit
they began to tell everywhere but when had published
our circular and given them understand that since they
had brought the suit they would have to try IT, they
changed their method Now they walt I'LL near the time
TO close the and then We have an infringe
rnent suit against the A. b. See Manufacturing Co." Our
only way 10 in this later move seems to be
make publlc all the the and have im-
partial statement made in regard to the patent on which
the suit is brought Yours very truly
Brooklyn ". T.. June is. 1894. A. D. SEE MFG. co.
The A. y. Mfg. Co.
entlemcn:-Your asking opinion upon certain
points relating o patent suit duly received
As understand H. for two years or more threats have
been made TO users wouldbe purchasers Of your sppa
r,,s that be brought against you FOR alleged
infringement patents relating TO electric elevators thai
you have denied infringement and expressed wish that
suit should he brought finally action was brought
against OF Of machines without any nots
TO you and that you Immediately defended same
In the case you have described. the long delay
and the final bringing Of the suit against user OF SIN
gle purchased Of YOU ere OF themselves strong
Now as N the patent on which you suit has been
brought have carefully read IT, and am surprised that
suit should have brought It with any expec
ton that could be sustained The specification rectes
tina, The object Of is to provide an orsani-
cation for raising lowering matter In which the ener-
~ deveopcd or expended descent OF the material IL
utilized supplement the electric energy In the working
system or The specification then explains mat
n motor driven by an have It's speed
deal IA a
generator feeding current back into the lines and II
further on explained that the elevator and It's load IN de-
scendlng may when mechanical connections are sua-
be drive enough 10 furnish current 10 me
line and so assist the generators the central station
All this was perfectly well known at least ten years
rror 10 The date Of patent II well known that
an produces back eectromotve force ana
that II It driven fast enough II becomes generator
Any one familiar with the art in 1915 would have SAID
at once that II be substituted for the
other motors in use for the elevator
might running down. nin the motor fast enough TO
generate reversed current. AT that date 1872 per-
and separately excited machines were wen
known and the theory OF their actions wei unoers'ooo
The fact that the could be used either as
generator Rad been known for years Inere
was no reason in 1873 except the want OF source OF
electric energy why electric motor should not nave
been used in place Of other motors and II such motor
had been used it could have helped doing Just what
the specifications Of patent describe. unless soma
special device had been used 10 prevent IT, In sno't
there Is nothing peculiar about OF electric
motor Elevators driven BY belts from
line shaft a factory II they Will run down when len
TO themselves help to the shaftng when they de-
scend and just that extent lessen the power that must
be furnished by engine II the shaf'ins were driven
by an electric motor. precisely the result would
follow
Elevator mechansns are old Driving them from lines
OF shaftng or directly engines engineA
water motors etc is also old. There could be no IN
ventlon when electric became available in suos
tung for OF the other sources OF
power The restoration the line the ee-
cescends is natural consequence OF the mode o.
working electric and requires no discovery
or invention 10 accomplish II Is impossible that there
should be any broad patent covering the OF an cleo
elevator service. Valid patents might %
obtained upon special modes OF connecting the motor to
the upon special devices for controlling the
motor. but nothing In this line IL described in inc
letters patent under consideration and nothing OF this
nature is claimed. The claims OF the patent al
refer to combinations OF several elements. all OF
which were old and which required invention
70 put them together. But be shown that
the combination itself not at the date OF the s-
pllcatlon this patent, and besides all this since the
gearing OF your elevator will run down
and the fast enough feed current you DO
not the combination claimed for every one OF hs
claims the combination
connecting ,hanlsm between the aud motor wnefe-
by the is driven n dynamic electric generator
when the car descends" The underscorng is my own
three then II to me there can
be but issue to this suit and that in your favor;
First. The clements Of the combination claimed IN inc
patent all old. and combining them involved no -
vention.
Second The combination claimed is Itself old
Third. You do the combination.
Yours truly. wM. A ANTHoNf'
Nineianl n. J., June 30, 1894.