Just to back up what DB said, patent numbers do not mean anything. Bring up the Gilbarco Pump Co. who is still in business. On their website they state that they started making gas pumps in 1910.
I have ads from 1902 showing the pumps they claim they started makeing in 1910. In my gas pump ID book I also identify over 17 pumps they made before 1910.
It seems that in 1910 someone at Gilbert & Barker decided that they should patent all the pumps they had been making for ten years. I have sent this information to Gilbarco, but they have not changed their website.
Never look at when a patent was issued, look at when it was applied for. Then figure it took at least a year to perfect the item, and since no one waited for a patent to be issued to start production, you might be able to estimate when the item was first produced.
DB and I are really into patents, and I think he will agree, that most pumps were not patented. The pump companies didn't bother, they just went into production.
In the history of gas pumps, the item that was patened that caused the most law suits for infringements was the patent that was issued to the Wayne Pump Co. for what we refer to as he "Computer." When this was introduced, many companies tried to come up with their version, but from my research, every pump company that tried to make their on version was sued successfully by Wayne.
Thus, the same computer was in every pump made from 1932 to into the 1980s.
Jack Sim
Last edited by Jack Sim; Fri Nov 09 2012 01:16 AM.
Author, 1st & 2nd editions of Gas Pump ID book, 3rd edition is now available at
www.gaspumpbible.comAir Meter ID book also available
