Evening star., 1931-04-05
\ ESPITE the wide use Of
radio and the tremendous

CA0I IL = IIlS WlQe use VI
radio and the tremendous
- growth of broadcasting,
the Radio Manufacturers
Association optimistically esti-
mates that 100000 or more per-
sons will be added during 1881 to
the already enormous army of
radio listeners.
Recent surveys, according to
Bond P. Geddes, executive vice
president of the association, indi-
cate prospective sales in 1881 be-
tween 3,500,000 and 100000 new
modern receiving sets. OF these,
he said, probably 100000 will
replace antique receivers now in
use.
THE new and popular midget
radio set," Geddes said, "is an i'm
portant factor in replacement of
antique sets. Late last year
large proportion of radio sales
were of midget sets. This pro-
portion now is reported to be de-
creasing, with swing toward the
standard and better performing
console set. With business con-
ditions improving, the proportion
of console sales is expected to in
crease, although possibly so per
cent of the 1881 sales may be Of
the midget type.
preliminary Census Bureau fig
ures estimate that about 100000
American families now possess
receiving sets. OF these only about
100000 light-socket operated
sets are estimated to be in use.
Therefore about 100000 antique
radio fossils are still giving
service"
A LONG with the talking movies,
"A television is the youngest
brain child of science being nur-
tured by the Patent Office. Two
patents per week on the average
are being issued on television.
Many more may be expected,
Patent once examiners say, as
soon as the visual radio art throws
of its theoretical Swaddling
clothes and steps forth in the
fuli-fedged practicable propor-
tions of its sister art, audible
radio.
Only a few hundred patents on
wire and radio television have
been issued, although radio
patents of all kinds now number
in the thousands. The reason,
patent examiners explain, is that
television has not yet been offered
on the market on any great scale.
No sooner is an important inven-
tion brought forth than hundreds
or thousands of improvement and
other patents in the same art are
sought. That explains the great
activity now evident in the sec
ton of the Patent Office devoted
to talking motion pictures.
Though they probably know
more about television than any
other group of men in the country,
at least from its theoretical
aspects, the handful Of examiners
assigned to television in the
Patent Office are under strict
taboo against disclosing their
knowledge of individual patents.
AS soon as a patent is granted,
however, its details are open to
the public scrutiny and any one
can order a printed copy describ-
+, ing it from the Patent Office.
The wire and radio television
patents are under three general
sub b-classes. One covers photo
graphic recordings, and the rec
ords reveal that only 129 patents
have thus far been issued in that
| class. Another covers the auto
matte transmission of facsimiles,
and only Al patents have been
granted. The third classification,
covering what we now broadly
know as televiSion, or the trans
mission of images directly for
viewing, includes 174 patents. All
in all just $50 patents on wire and
radio televiSion have been granted
| by the U. S. Patent Office.
/ Practically all Of these patents
have been issued during the last
10 years. The earliest patent in
the visual transmission and re-
ception arts on record at the
! Patent Office is one granted by
| the German Patent Office to Paul
NipkoW of Berlin on January IS,
1885, covering an electric tele-
scope" in wire transmission. In
this patent the inventor, still liv-
ing in Germany, suggests color
television, stereoscopic effects and
the use of infra-red rays. Another
patent on radio television was
issued within the last few weeks
to Nipkow.
In a study of the television
field, N. S. Amstutz, an inventor
and research engineer of Val
paraiso, Ind, lists Nipkow sixth
among the pioneers in television.
He places Ayreton and Perry, with
their "telephote," patented in
1877, as first; Alexander Graham
Bells "photophone," 1873, second;
Senlecq's "telesotroscope," 1878,
third; Meeadier's radiophone,
1879, fourth, and Bidwell's ''tele.
photography" 1880, fifth.
*
MANY a kink remains to be
1'1 ironed out before complete
success can be attributed to the
synchronization experiments now
being conducted by the National
Broadcasting Co. with a view to
advancing network broadcasting