Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02
RADIO PATENT ROW
WON BY INVENTORS
U. S. Appeals Board Awards
to D. C. Engineers Rights
Worth $40, 900, 900.
BY ROBERT MACK.

Eight years Of entangling patent It'll
cation over the "plug-in" receiving set
device, used on all radios operating by
house electric current, have ended In
the third successive victory for Percival
D. Lowell and Francis w. Dunmore,
radio engineers, both well known in
Washington.
The Board Of Appeals Of the Patent
Office has held finally that the eng1-
neers, who invented the device while
employed at the radio laboratory Of the
Bureau of Standards in 1928, were en-
titled to priority over competitive
claims of four other individuals.
Back Claims Total S2O,OOO,OOO.
In cold cash. ownership of this pat
ent, considered one of the "key" de-
vices in radio, amounts to many mil
lions of dollars. The estimate has been
made that the two engineers have COM
ing to them something like $20,000,0OO
in back royalties from the Radio Cor
poration of America and other radio
manufacturers, once the case Is finally
cut of litigation.
The suit against the r. G. A. for In
fringement of the "plug-in" patent In
1929 was decided in favor of Lowell and
Dunmore by the Federal District Court
at Wilmington, Del. r. G. A., however,
now has an appeal pending before the
Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadel-
pllia, and until the case is decided the
patent claims of the engineers must re-
main in doubt.
United States Loses Suit for Patent.
Two years ago, shortly after the VIC
Iory for Lowell and Dunmore in the Del
aware court, the Department of Justice
fled suit against the inventors, claim
ing the patent was the property Of the
United States Government, since 1t was
developed while they were employees OF
the Bureau of Standards, with the aid
OF Government materials and during
Government time.
Lowell and Dunmore, however, again
won, the court holding that in other
cases inventors employed by the Gov
eminent have been given commercial
rights to their inventions, provided the
Government was privileged to use the
devices without payment Of royalty or
compensation.
In the latest case the Board of APP
peals of the Patent Office sustained the
findings of its examiner of interior
ences rendered in 1929. The patent
issued to Lowell and Dunmore was con-
tested by Prof Michael I. Rupin, famous
radio scientist of Westinghouse Electric
& Manufacturing Co.; Albert S. Blat-
ternan of the Muredo Radio Labora-
tory, Asbury Park. N. j.; Robert L.
Duncan of Wired Radio, Inc, of New
Jersey and Marius Latour of Paris.
Invented for Experiments.
Lowell and Dunmore perfected the
plug-in patent while experimenting with
aviation radio apparatus. At the time
they did not have in mind a "plug-in''
attachment for ordinary broadcast re-
ceivers, but were intent upon devising
q method Of using alternating current
'piped" into the laboratory in their
tests to energize their apparatus, rather
than lug heavy batteries from one labo-
ratory room to another. The result
was the development Of a device which
revolutioniZed radio receivers, making
battery operated sets obsolete.
Dunmore, who is 40 years old, still Is
employed at the bureau In its radio
laboratory. Lowell left the bureau and
became associated with the Grebe Radio
Co. at Long Island City, N. Y. He is SO.
Copyright, 1870.