US Patent: 779
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| Machine for planing boards
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Patentee:
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| Robert Luscombe (exact or similar names) - Benton, NY |
| Manufacturer: |
| Not known to have been produced |
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Patent Dates:
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| Granted: |
Jun. 12, 1838 |
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Jeff Joslin
Olcott v. Hawkins
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Description: |
| The 1849 lawsuit Olcott v. Hawkins, 2 Am. Law J. (N. S.) 317, involved Thomas W. Olcott who had purchased a license to the Woodworth patent planer, against William Hawkins, who "constructed and put in operation a machine for planing boards...in conformity to a patent to Robert Luscombe..." This Luscombe patent does not incorporate tonguing and grooving and Hawkins did add that feature to his machine. "The patent to Luscombe consists of a moveable or receding face, which is to act in connexion with a wheel, to which gouges and iron, similar to plane bits, are attached for the purpose of planing." The judge considered whether the Luscombe patent in itself conflicted with the Woodworth patent, and concluded that the action of the Luscombe design is essentially similar to that of both the Ira Gay planer (patent 9,769X) and the McGregor planer (patent 7,730X). Since both those planers had already been found to infringe the Woodworth patent, the Luscombe patent did as well.It is instructive to realize that the above description of a planer built to the Luscombe patent (and presumably under license by Luscombe) is typical during this era: these larger machines were not manufactured but rather were built either by the owner or by a machine shop hired by them. The techniques for "economies of scale" did not yet exist, nor did the transportation infrastructure to allow a manufacturer to supply customers over distances larger than a handful of miles. |
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