Patent Infringement
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 12:32 am
Most of us that love the history behind the birthing pains of the phonograph ( or graphophone) know about all the patent infringement cases brought about in the late 1880s and 1890s. It’s incredibly interesting history. I stumbled across this tonight searching for something else coin op related, and maybe it’s my eureka moment!
I’ve often had a gut feeling that the lack of many surviving examples of obviously well made machinery was perhaps that toes were stepped on. There are quite a few examples remaining of Rosenfield Coin Operated Graphophones, and I have a 40 year list of Rosenfield Illustrated Song Machines that has 18 known to me at this date.
Caille brothers of Detroit also made both types of machines, and I’ve only seen just a couple of the coin op phonograph and only 1 Illustrated Song Machine.
Mills Novelty co of Chicago, only a couple coin op phonographs and only 3 Illustrated Song Machines. This in my 40 years of being actively interested in them.
I’ve asked a good friend who knows the patent system intimately to see what else she can dig up. In 1907 , both Mills Novelty and the Caille Brothers Co. were very large companies compared to Rosenfield. Rosenfield was established before both, and may have killed the giants, at least in this battle. We shall see……….
I’ve often had a gut feeling that the lack of many surviving examples of obviously well made machinery was perhaps that toes were stepped on. There are quite a few examples remaining of Rosenfield Coin Operated Graphophones, and I have a 40 year list of Rosenfield Illustrated Song Machines that has 18 known to me at this date.
Caille brothers of Detroit also made both types of machines, and I’ve only seen just a couple of the coin op phonograph and only 1 Illustrated Song Machine.
Mills Novelty co of Chicago, only a couple coin op phonographs and only 3 Illustrated Song Machines. This in my 40 years of being actively interested in them.
I’ve asked a good friend who knows the patent system intimately to see what else she can dig up. In 1907 , both Mills Novelty and the Caille Brothers Co. were very large companies compared to Rosenfield. Rosenfield was established before both, and may have killed the giants, at least in this battle. We shall see……….