[CW] Lightning Deluxe questions

[Richard Knoppow via CW]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "D.J.J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea at arrl.net>
To: "Richard Knoppow" <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>; "CW 
Reflector" <cw at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: "Joe Pontek" <v31jp1957 at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2014 4:42 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] Lightning Deluxe questions


> Tom W1TP has a list of all (most?) of the patents on 
> telegraph keys:
>
> http://www.qth.net/pipermail/morsecode/2005-August/002821.html
>
> It's an interesting list.  One of the last on the top part 
> of the list is
> to "Ricks" which is Jim Ricks, W9TO "Big Bird" of the 
> famous (infamous?)
> CFO club.  Jim Ricks designed the TO keyer - which he sold 
> to Bill Halligan
> W9AC (Hallicrafters) and it was sold for years there. 
> Halligan was one of
> the founders of Radio Shack in Boston near Boston City 
> Hall.
>
> 73
> David

     Thank you so much for the link. The lists are valuable 
to me because I often search patents for historical 
purposes.  I was interested to discover an early patent 
issued to McElroy for an automatic circuit closer. I thought 
at first the date was in error but it turns out to be a 
different McElroy long before Ted.
     We are lucky that its now relatively easy to search for 
and find patents from all over the world.  I used to have to 
go to the patent room at the Los Angeles public library to 
find patents. They had (and probably still have) a complete 
set of patents on microfilm. There were only a few places in 
the country that did. Of course, they did not have British 
and German patents both of which have important items.  BTW, 
from research in photographic history I found that the 
contents of the patents in various countries differs. I 
think most of the time the U.S. patents have more 
information in them.
    For those who have not done much patent reading they 
take some getting used to. Remember that patents are _legal_ 
not technical or scientific papers and are couched in a 
strange sort of legalese with its own peculiar jargon.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com