The Washington herald., 1909-07-04

gave up the business OF repairing bicy-
cles In Dayton Ohio
After some discussion. in which 7 was
trying TO get my finger nails into a slip
perry question, Wilbur grinned, slapped
hts ice cream a couple Of times with the
convex side Of his spoon, and said 20 his
brother,
"OrYe. he iooRs-iike the thirteenth. We
have already tried 10 explain that 10
twelve newspaper men IN other places.
and they have all gotten II wrong I
guess it's time 20 chalk up another one.
I took a piece OF paper and wrote
down the gist Of what I understood their
fundamental patent 20 cover. Then VIII
bur took H. and changed a few words
There" he said. that's about the size
OF H."
The paper read
"The Wright patent covers all suc-
ceSsful FERNS Of regulating lateral
balance by the use of wing tips. or the
sustaining surfaces. or separate. AUX
Hilary planes. adjustable TO different
angles 10 right and left Of the center
OF the machine"
II was brief enough. II is quite pos
sible that a number OF inventors who
Try 70 place their machines on the mar
ket in the future. VIII md il bruJaly
brief For as il stands, II makes in
fringements of all other aerOplaues hat
have ever made successful flights. He'll
copters are different branch of the
aerial tree. But as regards aeroplanes.
the principle covered in the Wright pat
ents. II they be enforced. IS so broad
that up 10 the present time. no machine
has been made TO fiy that did not en-
body f. II their patent stands the strain.
the Wright brothers seem 70 have
heavier-than-air navigation by the hair
How Others Are Balanced
The June Bug" for instance. designed
by the Aerial Experiment Association,
of which Alexander Graham Bell Is pres
ident. maintains traverse equilibrium
by means Of four triangular. auxiliary
planes. pivoted so that they may be oper-
ated from the aviator's seat. The Far
man aeroplane. which won the Grand
Prix OF the Aero Club. Of France, IN
January, 1905. with a flight OF one min
ute and twenty-eight seconds. in which
time il covered somewhat more than a
knometer. = balanced by means Of a
box tail in the rear Of the two main
surfaces. The Girard aeroplane, which
looks like a Malay pagoda. or a Japan
ese tea house. depends on balancing sur
faces. the sole use Of which IS claimed
BY the Wrights in their letters patent
And so II goes. All down the line OF
aeroplanes that have really flown. the
side ways roll" IS controlled. or the
lateral balance Is maintained. BY the use
OF planes or surfaces OF one kind or
another. Scientific men. and inventors
have remarked that the Wright patents
are exclusive. and give them the entire
field, so far as aeroplaning is now known,
or even guessed at
what n Patent Covers.
To answer a question had asked as
70 the exclusiveness Of patents. Wilbur
picked up his ice cream spoon, and held
| II toward me-
Suppose" he said. that up 70 a Ger
tain time. spoons had been simply fat
slabs. and that then somebody came
along and got the idea OF having a hOl-
low surface at the end He could get
patent"
The older brother then held up the
spoon so that I could see the Sits in
I the end OF Il.
Suppose" he continued. that later
,
I Sits in the end Of the spoon, for certain
purposes. That would be an improve
ment. and would be patentable. But the
only thing the second fellow could get
a patent on is the slit arrangement IN
/ the end; and since the first fellow owns
the patent on the spoon Itself where
I does the second man land? He can
make Sits in the END Of a spoon with
out having the spoon. He is helpless
as badly as a nipple without the bottle.
: The fellow with the Sits has got 70 go
/ 70 the fellow with the spoon. and make
some sort Of an arrangement with him.
! Wilbur leaned back in his chair and
allowed a good natured smile 10 crease
the sides OF his aquiline face
so, you've got the spoon, and all that
the other aeTOplane inventors can get
/ IS the slits?" I asked.
Well answered Wilbur seriously. we
don't know now Of any practical method
Of flight In which the balancing surface
does not have 10 be used. that's all,
improvements OF another sort may be
patented. Of course. But they are the
Sits"
An incident showing how inventors have
followed the Wright principle occurred al