Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11
RADIO PATENT SUIT
SEEN LONG BATTLE
Inventors Face Two Fights
for Rights to "Socket
Power Unit"

More long years of litigation appear
to be III prospect before Percival D.
Lowell and Francis w. Dunmore, the
two young radio engineers who are
battling in the courts over patent rights
on the socket power unit" which elm
mates the need for batteries in radio
receiving sets, know whether their in
ventive efforts will reap a long-aWaited
fortune for them.
With the United States Government
filing separate claims on the patents
involved in the several lawsuits, Lowell
and Dunmore. must hurdle new and
more complicated legal obstacles be-
fore their claims are ultimately adjudi-
Gated.
Nearly a year ago they won the first
round In this celebrated patent battle,
one of the most momentous in radios
short history, because it involves prac-
tically all radio sets heretofore and
hereafter made which draw their power
from house lighting current. Judge
Hugh M. Morris, in the Federal District
Court at Wilmington, last August held
them to be the real inventors of this
important advance in radio.
The Radio Corporation of America,
which was held to be infringing the
Lowell-Dunmore patents, appealed to
the Circuit Court of Appeals at Phila-
delphia, where the case is still pending.
Now comes the Department of Justice,
claiming that the Government is really
the owner of the patents because the
invention was developed by Lowell and
Dunmore while they were in the en-
ploy. OF the Bureau Of Standards In
Washington.
Eliv,iuo ta~ Raffer;o~
Dunmore is still a radio scientist at
now with the Grebe Radio Co. It was
while they were still in their twenties
that, at the request Of the War Depart
ment, they were detailed to do special
research on aircraft radio relays. A
combination Of circumstances led them
to work out a method of eliminating
the storage battery by taking their
power directly off the alternating cur
rent power lines.
Both the outcome Of the r. c. A.
appeal and the Department of Justice
suits, which were filed in Federal Dis
trict Courts in New York and the Dis
trict, are in doubt, but the inventors
and their lawyers are confident of ulti-
mate success. Having licensed the Du-
bilier Condenser Corporation to use
their patent, Lowell and Dunmore
turned over half interest in it to VIII
liam Dubilier, who is f1nacing the pro-
tracted legal battle, and who estimated
at the time of the Wilmington victory
that back royalties on the use of the
patents may reach as high as
If the r. G. A. wins on appeal, the
Governments case will be dropped, for
the patent claims of Lowell and Dun
more Will have been invalidated. If
Lowell and Dunmore win, the case will
be prosecuted against them on the the
DRY that their employment by the Gov
eminent meant that all the products
Of their inventive genius must neces-
sarily revert to the Government. Who
ever wins in the final adjudication will
| have possession of one of the most val
liable patents in all radio.
The Governments claim arises out Of
the fact that the law passed only two
years ago which gives Government en-
ployeS the commercial rights to any Of
their inventions, but retains to the
Government a non-royalty license right,
was not In force at the time OF the in
vention. II the Government succeeds
IN this claim. it win be in the position
OF licensing or dedicating to the public
an invention whose value In dollars and
cents Is insstimable.
Patente0 IN 1S2Z.
When Lowell and Dunmore worked
out their idea Of the socket power unit
in 1922 they patented it despite the rule
OF the Bureau Of Standards that all in
ventions perfected there shall be dedi-
Gated to the people Of the United
| States.
It was part Of their task, In the
course Of their experiments on aircraft
| radio, to tote heavy storage batteries
around field while testing radio trans
| missions from Army airplanes flying
overhead. Each evening they had to
recharge the batteries to make them
| available for the next days tests. Then
they thought Of a scheme of getting
! rid OF batteries by taking their power
| directly off the power lines.
An accident to Lowell, who suffered
bad burns when chemicals from a bat
terry spilled over him, stimulated their
desire to perfect the batteryless radio
| receiver. They took out patents imme-
diately, but 1t was not until the Autumn
| Of 1925 that the radio industry broke
| away from the old "A" and "B" bat
teries and appealed to set buyers to
try out the new sets powerized from
, ordinary electric light sockets. Most of
the radio manufacturers being patent
Licensees of the r. G. A., the inventors
and Dubilier were convinced that others
using the device were infringing, and
so they brought suit.
Their patent counsel are Clifford v.
Edwards of New York and John B.
Brady of New York. Lowell is a grad
uate Of Central High School of wash
| ington, and was one of Washington's
| first radio amateurs. Dunmore is q
| native Of Haverhill, Mass, and a grad
| uate of Pennsylvania State College.
Their development was worked out
while DR.. Frederick A. holster, the IA
| NOUS inventor of the radio direction
finder, was director Of radio Of the
Bureau Of Standards.