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Hughes Vs. Bendix Patent court case.
From: Douglas Denny
Date: 2009 Jul 2, 15:38 -0700
From: Douglas Denny
Date: 2009 Jul 2, 15:38 -0700
For your interest. ------------------ Whilst making some researches into Mr. Everitt of Henry Hughes and Son I came acros this reference which gives details of a court case in 1957 between Bendix and HH and Son, regarding the averaging mechanism and shutter of the MkIX sextant which was given to the Americans in WW2 and subsequently used commercially to Bendix's advantage after the war. Smiths (who presumably owned HH and Son) won the case. Mr Everitt was the person who designed the optical system for the MkIX bubble sextant. According to this court suit, it seems he was also responsible for designing the shutter device on the clockwork averaging Mk IX sextant. http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/248/248.F2d.621.13339_1.html ------------------ It has never been fully recognised by the Americans I think, that they were very lucky to be given priceless inventions from GB with absolutely no strings attached in the war, which would have helped GB considerably afterwards to get out of the bankruptcy it was in post war. (On the other hand, we might have been all speaking German now I suppose). Britain should have insisted on making patents and retaining them for commercial use after the war in my opinion, as with this Bendix/Smiths case: with the magnetron (and hence obtain some return on all radar industries post war); the Whittle jet engine (and hence all jet engine manufacture post war); the proximity fuse (and very profitable arms manufacture for this device post war); and progammable electronic computer technology as with Colossus. I believe it was on Churchill's orders that these secret cutting-edge technologies were given gratis to the Americans as he wanted to not only show absolute confidence and solidarity with the Americans for their support, but prove it uniquivocally with suitable action. Douglas Denny. Chichester. England. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
