112/5 Shelves

From 1790 to 1880, the US Patent Office required a three-dimensional working model to demonstrate each new invention.

1946.31

Perkinsville

Weathersfield

Windsor County

Vermont

United States of America

North America

Artist

1870

Overall

Metal, Copper, Tin

From 1790 to 1880, the US Patent Office required a three-dimensional working model to demonstrate each new invention.

1946.31

Person or Organization

Middletown Springs

Rutland County

Vermont

United States of America

North America

1842

Overall

Metal

From 1790 to 1880, the US Patent Office required a three-dimensional working model to demonstrate each new invention.

1946.31

Person or Organization

Bennington

Bennington County

Vermont

United States of America

North America

1867

Wood, Metal

1978.6

Artist

1863

1981.4

1845

H. Stanley

Tin

1978.6

1875

1978.6

Manchester

Bennington County

Vermont

United States of America

North America

1874

1978.7

1867

Iron, Metal

1978.22

Artist

1860

Patent Model, 1868 Benjamin F. Wheeler Calais, Vermont Wood, metal Gift of Myrtie B. Wheeler, 1966.19.1 The United States Patent and Trademark Office required inventors to submit a patent model for their designs from 1790 – 1880. Models could be no larger than 12” in any direction. The requirement was a way to make the patent process accessible to homegrown inventors who might not have the drafting or engineering expertise necessary to submit a full, formal patent application. Inventors can still submit a patent model today, particularly in situations where a working model would provide better evidence of their design than the patent application itself. Thanks to several fires at the patent offices in Washington, D.C., many patent models have been lost over the years; others were dispersed in subsequent sales. The Vermont Historical Society possesses a number of patent models related to Vermont inventions. This patent model showing a new design for carriage brakes was submitted by Benjamin Wheeler. We don’t know much about him other than he primarily worked as a farmer, and submitted this and one patent for a carriage braking system, also in the VHS collections (1966.19.1).

1966.19

Artist

1868

Overall

Wood, Metal

Patent Model Benjamin F. Wheeler Calais, Vermont Wood, metal Gift of Myrtie B. Wheeler, 1966.19.2ab The United States Patent and Trademark Office required inventors to submit a patent model for their designs from 1790 – 1880. Models could be no larger than 12” in any direction. The requirement was a way to make the patent process accessible to homegrown inventors who might not have the drafting or engineering expertise necessary to submit a full, formal patent application. Inventors can still submit a patent model today, particularly in situations where a working model would provide better evidence of their design than the patent application itself. Thanks to several fires at the patent offices in Washington, D.C., many patent models have been lost over the years; others were dispersed in subsequent sales. The Vermont Historical Society possesses a number of patent models related to Vermont inventions. This patent model showing a new design for carriage brakes was submitted by Benjamin Wheeler. We don’t know much about him other than he primarily worked as a farmer, and submitted this and one patent for a sleigh braking system, also in the VHS collections (1966.19.1).

1966.19

Artist

1868

Overall

Wood, Metal

Used as an example by traveling salespeople in order to sell full-sized silos.

1994.31

1900-1914

Manning Manufacturing Company

Overall

Metal

Portable Voting Booth Product Model, 1911 Made by David Mayo (1847 – 1934) Montpelier, VT Wood, metal, leather, fabric Gift of Earl Templeton, 1983.10.11a-c Vermont has long been proud of its democratic traditions, from Town Meeting Day debates to strong participation in local government. Much of our polling takes place in multi-use locations – school gymnasiums, church basements, grange halls, and other community gathering spaces. With this in mind, David Mayo’s design for a portable voting booth that could be folded up and stored flat when not in use made a lot of sense. Each modular booth attaches to the next in line, forming a bank of booths to fit any space. The writing platform folds down and faces a wall, and a curtain hangs at the back to preserve privacy. This model was constructed at the scale of 1 ½ inches to 1 foot. A fully constructed voting booth in this style would stand just over 6 feet tall. In 1911, Mayo developed this device specifically for use in Montpelier City Hall’s large auditorium, a multi-use space that required free-standing furniture without the use of floor or wall anchors. He used this small product model to demonstrate his system to Montpelier residents and City Council. On January 16, 1912, Montpelier City Council voted to acquire 66 panels of Mayo’s design, which would join to make 60 booths. The total cost for production was $287.75, or about $8,300 today. Unfortunately, none of the full-scale booths have survived to the present day. David Mayo was born in Chazy, New York, and came to Montpelier in the 1870s to apprentice as a wheelwright. He worked as a wheelwright, carriage maker, and general handyman for 47 years and retired to live with his daughter in Newport, Vermont, in 1914. He passed away in 1934. He constructed a number of small scale models that are today in the collections of the Vermont Historical Society. He does not seem to have applied for patents for any of them.

1983.10

Artist

1911

Overall

Owned by James M. Ewen of Barre in the 1920s.

2013.35

Person or Organization

J. E. Hanger

Leather, Metal, Composition

1962.42

Person or Organization

1923

Steam Engine, ca. 1793 Samuel Morey Fairlee, Vermont Tin, brass Gift of Amelia S. Morey Kibbey, 1900.2 Samuel Morey was an inventor from Fairlee, Vermont and Orford, New Hampshire. He first began experimenting with steam power in the 1780s, and his first patent, in 1793, was for a steam-powered spit (for cooking food). In the early 1790s, he began to develop a steam engine that he ultimately used to power a small boat that he drove up and down the Connecticut River. Legend has it that he snuck out to test his craft early on a Sunday morning, while the rest of the town was at church, so that he would be spared embarrassment in case of failure. Morey continued to develop his ideas for steam-powered boats, but he was slow to patent them, and in the early 19th century Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston joined together to create the first steamship line in America. They have typically received credit for creating workable steam engines, though Morey disputed their claims and argued that they stole his ideas. Morey continued to invent throughout his life, and in the 1820s he invented and attempted to sell an early internal combustion engine. He failed to attract buyers, but beginning in the 1890s, many automobile inventors credited his work as an inspiration. This model of Morey’s original steam engine comes from the Morey family, and is one of the longest-tenured objects in our collections.

1900.2

Person or Organization

Bradford

Orange County

Vermont

United States of America

North America

Artist

circa 1793

Overall

Tin, Brass

Permutation Typograph, ca. 1857 Benjamin Livermore Harland, VT Brass, steel Transfer from Hartland Historical Society, 1982.6.1 Benjamin Livermore’s “Permutation Typograph” is a kind of early typewriter. He was far from the first to develop a machine for writing; many others had been experimenting with and tweaking mechanical devices for typing for decades before him. Livermore, who lived in Hartland, patented his device and advertised it via pamphlets and public demonstrations. It’s not clear how widely it was produced. His innovation was in slimming down the device into something he could – and did – operate out of his own pocket. The six keys on the device could be used singly or in combination to select a letter or symbol, and could then type out notes in a kind of shorthand. The case held both type keys and a scroll of paper. A family member recalled that he used the device personally: “He would print with it in the dark. He usually carried it in his pocket and could print it there, placing his hand in such a position that his fingers rested on the keys. After taking down the conversation of those he met, he placed it under his pillow at night to catch any stray thoughts, as he termed it.” Livermore’s device, while not necessarily crucial in the larger story of printing, is a fascinating and highly personal story within that history. Livermore was a prolific inventor who also patented a machine for forming cement pipes and a boot crimper.

1982.6

Artist

circa 1857

Overall

Brass, Steel