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88-404: The first rangefinder telemeter was invented by James Watt in 1769 and put to use in 1771 in surveying canals. Watt called his instrument a micrometer, a term now used with a different meaning in engineering (the micrometer screw gauge ). It consisted of two parallel hairs in the focal plane of a telescope eyepiece crossing an upright hair. At the point to be measured, two sliding targets on

176-478: A circular arc . This was patented in 1784. A throttle valve to control the power of the engine, and a centrifugal governor , patented in 1788, to keep it from "running away" were very important. These improvements taken together produced an engine which was up to five times as fuel efficient as the Newcomen engine. Because of the danger of exploding boilers, which were in a very primitive stage of development, and

264-475: A deist . Watt's grandfather, Thomas Watt (1642–1734), was a teacher of mathematics, surveying and navigation and baillie to the Baron of Cartsburn . Initially, Watt was educated at home by his mother, later going on to attend Greenock Grammar School. There he exhibited an aptitude for mathematics , while Latin and Greek failed to interest him. Watt is said to have suffered prolonged bouts of ill-health as

352-471: A surveyor , then as a civil engineer —for 8 years. Roebuck went bankrupt , and Matthew Boulton , who owned the Soho Manufactory works near Birmingham , acquired his patent rights. An extension of the patent to 1800 was successfully obtained in 1775. Through Boulton, Watt finally had access to some of the best iron workers in the world. The difficulty of the manufacture of a large cylinder with

440-552: A 1959 Australian decision ("NRDC"), they believe that it is not possible to grasp the invention concept in a single rule. A British court once stated that the technical character test implies a "restatement of the problem in more imprecise terminology." In the United States, all patent applications are considered inventions. The statute explicitly says that the American invention concept includes discoveries (35 USC § 100(a)), contrary to

528-465: A Glasgow dye -maker, with whom he had 2 children: Gregory (1777–1804), who became a geologist and mineralogist, and Janet (1779–1794). Ann died in 1832. Between 1777 and 1790 he lived in Regent Place, Birmingham . There is a popular story that Watt was inspired to invent the steam engine by seeing a kettle boiling, the steam forcing the lid to rise and thus showing Watt the power of steam. This story

616-515: A child and from frequent headaches all his life. After leaving school, Watt worked in the workshops of his father's businesses, demonstrating considerable dexterity and skill in creating engineering models. After his father suffered unsuccessful business ventures, Watt left Greenock to seek employment in Glasgow as a mathematical instrument maker . When he was 18, Watt's mother died and his father's health began to fail. Watt travelled to London and

704-510: A commercially viable process. He discovered that a mixture of salt, manganese dioxide and sulphuric acid could produce chlorine, which Watt believed might be a cheaper method. He passed the chlorine into a weak solution of alkali , and obtained a turbid solution that appeared to have good bleaching properties. He soon communicated these results to James McGrigor, his father-in-law, who was a bleacher in Glasgow. Otherwise, he tried to keep his method

792-406: A cylinder with a diameter of 50 inches and an overall height of about 24 feet, and required the construction of a dedicated building to house it. Boulton and Watt charged an annual payment, equal to one-third of the value of the coal saved in comparison to a Newcomen engine performing the same work. The field of application for the invention was greatly widened when Boulton urged Watt to convert

880-896: A firm called James Watt and Co. The perfection of the invention required much more development work before it could be routinely used by others, but this was carried out over the next few years. Boulton and Watt gave up their shares to their sons in 1794. It became a commercial success and was widely used in offices even into the 20th century. From an early age, Watt was very interested in chemistry. In late 1786, while in Paris, he witnessed an experiment by Claude Louis Berthollet in which he reacted hydrochloric acid with manganese dioxide to produce chlorine . He had already found that an aqueous solution of chlorine could bleach textiles, and had published his findings, which aroused great interest among many potential rivals. When Watt returned to Britain, he began experiments along these lines with hopes of finding

968-456: A full-scale engine. This required more capital , some of which came from Black. More substantial backing came from John Roebuck , the founder of the celebrated Carron Iron Works near Falkirk , with whom he now formed a partnership. Roebuck lived at Kinneil House in Bo'ness , during which time Watt worked at perfecting his steam engine in a cottage adjacent to the house. The shell of the cottage, and

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1056-410: A kettle as a boiler to generate steam. In 1759, Watt's friend, John Robison , called his attention to the use of steam as a source of motive power . The design of the Newcomen engine, in use for almost 50 years for pumping water from mines, had hardly changed from its first implementation. Watt began to experiment with steam, though he had never seen an operating steam engine. He tried constructing

1144-411: A loaded cannon than settle an account or make a bargain." Until he retired, he was always very concerned about his financial affairs, and was something of a worrier. His health was often poor and he suffered frequent nervous headaches and depression. When he retired in 1800, he became a rich enough man to pass the business on to his sons. At first, the partnership made the drawings and specifications for

1232-399: A model; it failed to work satisfactorily, but he continued his experiments and began to read everything he could about the subject. He came to realise the importance of latent heat —the thermal energy released or absorbed during a constant-temperature process—in understanding the engine, which, unknown to Watt, his friend Joseph Black had previously discovered years before. Understanding of

1320-480: A new kind of abstraction by dripping, pouring, splashing and splattering paint onto un-stretched canvas lying on the floor. Inventive tools of the artist's trade also produced advances in creativity. Impressionist painting became possible because of newly invented collapsible, resealable metal paint tubes that facilitated spontaneous painting outdoors. Inventions originally created in the form of artwork can also develop other uses, e.g. Alexander Calder's mobile, which

1408-656: A partnership with John Craig, an architect and businessman, to manufacture and sell a line of products including musical instruments and toys. This partnership lasted for the next six years, and employed up to 16 workers. Craig died in 1765. One employee, Alex Gardner, eventually took over the business, which lasted into the 20th century. In 1764, Watt married his cousin Margaret (Peggy) Miller, with whom he had 5 children, 2 of whom lived to adulthood: James Jr. (1769–1848) and Margaret (1767–1796). His wife died in childbirth in 1773. In 1777, he married again, to Ann MacGregor, daughter of

1496-420: A projectile weapon for distance. Laser rangefinders are used in golf to measure the yardage of a particular shot but also to gauge slope and wind as well. There has been debate over whether they should be allowed in tournaments. While their use is banned on the professional level, they are becoming widely used on the amateur level. Rangefinders may be used by users of firearms over long distances, to measure

1584-456: A secret. With McGrigor and his wife Annie, he started to scale up the process, and in March 1788, McGrigor was able to bleach 1,500 yards (4,500 feet) of cloth to his satisfaction. About this time, Berthollet discovered the salt and sulphuric acid process, and published it, so it became public knowledge. Many others began to experiment with improving the process, which still had many shortcomings, not

1672-639: A small workshop within the university. It was initiated in 1757 and two of the professors, the physicist and chemist Joseph Black as well as the famed economist Adam Smith , became Watt's friends. At first, he worked on maintaining and repairing scientific instruments used in the university, helping with demonstrations, and expanding the production of quadrants . He made and repaired brass reflecting quadrants , parallel rulers , scales , parts for telescopes , and barometers , among other things. Biographers such as Samuel Smiles assert that Watt struggled to establish himself in Glasgow due to opposition from

1760-476: A surveyor's rod were adjusted to align with the hairs in the telescope. The distance to the rod could then be determined from the distance between the targets on the rod by trigonometry. Several others have been credited with the invention of the rangefinder telemeter at one time or another. The Royal Society of Arts gave an award to W. Green for its invention in 1778, even though they were made aware of Watt's priority. In 1778, Georg Friedrich Brander invented

1848-457: A tightly fitting piston was solved by John Wilkinson , who had developed precision boring techniques for cannon making at Bersham , near Wrexham , North Wales . Watt and Boulton formed a hugely successful partnership, Boulton and Watt , which lasted for the next 25 years. In 1776, the first engines were installed and working in commercial enterprises. These first engines were used to power pumps and produced only reciprocating motion to move

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1936-732: A trip on the paddle-steamer Comet , a product of his inventions, to revisit his home town of Greenock. He died on 25 August 1819 at his home " Heathfield Hall " near Handsworth in Staffordshire (now part of Birmingham) at the age of 83. He was buried on 2 September in the graveyard of St Mary's Church, Handsworth . The church has since been extended and his grave is now inside the church. On 14 July 1764, Watt married his cousin Margaret Miller (d. 1773). They had two children, Margaret (1767–1796) and James (1769–1848). In 1791, their daughter married James Miller. In September 1773, while Watt

2024-544: A very erroneous idea of his character; he was equally distinguished as a natural philosopher and a chemist, and his inventions demonstrate his profound knowledge of those sciences, and that peculiar characteristic of genius, the union of them for practical application". He was greatly respected by other prominent men of the Industrial Revolution . He was an important member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham , and

2112-424: A very large part of one of his projects, still exist to the rear. The principal difficulty was in machining the piston and cylinder. Iron workers of the day were more like blacksmiths than modern machinists , and were unable to produce the components with sufficient precision. Much capital was spent in pursuing a patent on Watt's invention. Strapped for resources, Watt was forced to take up employment—first as

2200-510: A wealthy man. In his retirement, Watt continued to develop new inventions though none was as significant as his steam engine work. As Watt developed the concept of horsepower , the SI unit of power, the watt , was named after him. James Watt was born on 19 January 1736 in Greenock , Renfrewshire , the eldest of the five surviving children of Agnes Muirhead (1703–1755) and James Watt (1698–1782). Watt

2288-449: Is also an important component of artistic and design creativity . Inventions often extend the boundaries of human knowledge, experience or capability. Inventions are of three kinds: scientific-technological (including medicine), sociopolitical (including economics and law), and humanistic, or cultural. Scientific-technological inventions include railroads, aviation , vaccination , hybridization, antibiotics , astronautics, holography ,

2376-427: Is also an important legal concept and central to patent law systems worldwide. As is often the case for legal concepts, its legal meaning is slightly different from common usage of the word. Additionally, the legal concept of invention is quite different in American and European patent law. In Europe, the first test a patent application must pass is, "Is this an invention?" If it is, subsequent questions are whether it

2464-494: Is closely associated with science and engineering, inventors are not necessarily engineers or scientists. Due to advances in artificial intelligence , the term "inventor" no longer exclusively applies to an occupation (see human computers ). Some inventions can be patented. The system of patents was established to encourage inventors by granting limited-term, limited monopoly on inventions determined to be sufficiently novel, non-obvious, and useful . A patent legally protects

2552-612: Is new and sufficiently inventive. The implication—counter-intuitively—is that a legal invention is not inherently novel. Whether a patent application relates to an invention is governed by Article 52 of the European Patent Convention, that excludes, e.g., discoveries as such and software as such . The EPO Boards of Appeal decided that the technical character of an application is decisive for it to represent an invention, following an age-old Italian and German tradition. British courts do not agree with this interpretation. Following

2640-461: Is now commonly used over babies' cribs. Funds generated from patents on inventions in art, design and architecture can support the realization of the invention or other creative work. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi 's 1879 design patent on the Statue of Liberty helped fund the famous statue because it covered small replicas, including those sold as souvenirs. The timeline for invention in the arts lists

2728-415: Is told in many forms; in some Watt is a young lad, in others he is older, sometimes it's his mother's kettle, sometimes his aunt's, suggesting that it may be apocryphal. In any event, Watt did not invent the steam engine, but significantly improved the efficiency of the existing Newcomen engine by adding a separate condenser , consistent with the now-familiar principles of thermal efficiency . The story

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2816-478: Is unique enough either as a stand-alone invention or as a significant improvement over the work of others, it can be patented. A patent, if granted, gives the inventor a proprietary interest in the patent over a specific period of time, which can be licensed for financial gain. An inventor creates or discovers an invention. The word inventor comes from the Latin verb invenire , invent- , to find. Although inventing

2904-895: The Baháʼí Faith . Some of these disciplines, genres, and trends may seem to have existed eternally or to have emerged spontaneously of their own accord, but most of them have had inventors. Ideas for an invention may be developed on paper or on a computer, by writing or drawing, by trial and error , by making models, by experimenting , by testing and/or by making the invention in its whole form. Brainstorming also can spark new ideas for an invention. Collaborative creative processes are frequently used by engineers, designers, architects and scientists. Co-inventors are frequently named on patents. In addition, many inventors keep records of their working process – notebooks , photos, etc., including Leonardo da Vinci , Galileo Galilei , Evangelista Torricelli , Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein . In

2992-565: The Trades House , but this has been disputed by other historians, such as Harry Lumsden . The records from this period are fragmentary, but while it is clear that Watt encountered opposition, he was nevertheless able to work and trade as a skilled metal worker , suggesting that the Incorporation of Hammermen were satisfied that he met their requirements for membership, or that Watt managed to avoid their outright opposition. In 1759, he formed

3080-719: The United Nations , the European Union , and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , as well as movements such as socialism , Zionism , suffragism , feminism , and animal-rights veganism. Humanistic inventions encompass culture in its entirety and are as transformative and important as any in the sciences, although people tend to take them for granted. In the domain of linguistics, for example, many alphabets have been inventions, as are all neologisms ( Shakespeare invented about 1,700 words). Literary inventions include

3168-430: The coincidence rangefinder . Two mirrors set a distance apart horizontally in a long slim box, similar to a subtense bar but located at the measuring station, and forming two images. This rangefinder does not require a measuring rod at the target and could perhaps be considered the first true telemeter. In 1790 Jesse Ramsden invented a half-image range finder. Though Alexander Selligue is often mistakenly credited with

3256-463: The engine cylinder on every cycle. This energy was wasted because, later in the cycle, cold water was injected into the cylinder to condense the steam to reduce its pressure. Thus, by repeatedly heating and cooling the cylinder, the engine wasted most of its thermal energy rather than converting it into mechanical energy . Watt's critical insight, arrived at in May 1765 as he crossed Glasgow Green park,

3344-428: The parachute became more useful once powered flight was a reality. Invention is often a creative process . An open and curious mind allows an inventor to see beyond what is known. Seeing a new possibility, connection or relationship can spark an invention. Inventive thinking frequently involves combining concepts or elements from different realms that would not normally be put together. Sometimes inventors disregard

3432-443: The skinny triangle . Solutions can be obtained automatically, using tables or, rarely, manual calculation. The greater the distance to the target, the longer the baseline needs to be for accurate measurement. Modern rangefinders use an electronic technology such as lasers or radar . Applications include surveying , navigation , to assist focusing in photography , choosing a golf club according to distance, and correcting aim of

3520-479: The "abstract idea" test, which suffers from abstractness itself, but none have succeeded. The last attempt so far was the "machine or transformation" test, but the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2010 that it is merely an indication at best. In India, invention means a new product or process that involves an inventive step, and capable of being made or used in an industry. Whereas, "new invention" means any invention that has not been anticipated in any prior art or used in

3608-484: The European invention concept. The European invention concept corresponds to the American "patentable subject matter" concept: the first test a patent application is submitted to. While the statute (35 USC § 101) virtually poses no limits to patenting whatsoever, courts have decided in binding precedents that abstract ideas, natural phenomena and laws of nature are not patentable. Various attempts have been made to substantiate

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3696-857: The Nobel Prize in 2000 and has led to innovative lighting, display screens, wallpaper and much more (see conductive polymer , and organic light-emitting diode or OLED ). Invention is often an exploratory process with an uncertain or unknown outcome. There are failures as well as successes. Inspiration can start the process, but no matter how complete the initial idea, inventions typically must be developed. Inventors may, for example, try to improve something by making it more effective, healthier, faster, more efficient, easier to use, serve more purposes, longer lasting, cheaper, more ecologically friendly, or aesthetically different, lighter weight, more ergonomic , structurally different, with new light or color properties, etc. In economic theory , inventions are one of

3784-785: The atomic bomb, computing, the Internet , and the smartphone. Sociopolitical inventions comprise new laws, institutions, and procedures that change modes of social behavior and establish new forms of human interaction and organization. Examples include the British Parliament , the US Constitution , the Manchester (UK) General Union of Trades, the Boy Scouts, the Red Cross , the Olympic Games ,

3872-514: The banks of the Birmingham Canal , to establish a new foundry for the manufacture of the engines. The Soho Foundry formally opened in 1796 at a time when Watt's sons, Gregory and James Jr. were heavily involved in the management of the enterprise. In 1800, the year of Watt's retirement, the firm made a total of 41 engines. Watt retired in 1800, the same year that his fundamental patent and partnership with Boulton expired. The famous partnership

3960-487: The boundaries between distinctly separate territories or fields. Several concepts may be considered when thinking about invention. Play may lead to invention. Childhood curiosity, experimentation, and imagination can develop one's play instinct. Inventors feel the need to play with things that interest them, and to explore, and this internal drive brings about novel creations. Sometimes inventions and ideas may seem to arise spontaneously while daydreaming , especially when

4048-554: The case of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon). Insight can also be a vital element of invention. Such inventive insights may begin with questions, doubt or a hunch . It may begin by recognizing that something unusual or accidental may be useful or that it could open a new avenue for exploration. For example, the odd metallic color of plastic made by accidentally adding a thousand times too much catalyst led scientists to explore its metal-like properties, inventing electrically conductive plastic and light emitting plastic—an invention that won

4136-517: The chief examples of " positive externalities ", a beneficial side effect that falls on those outside a transaction or activity. One of the central concepts of economics is that externalities should be internalized—unless some of the benefits of this positive externality can be captured by the parties, the parties are under-rewarded for their inventions, and systematic under-rewarding leads to under-investment in activities that lead to inventions. The patent system captures those positive externalities for

4224-482: The conscious mind turns away from the subject or problem when the inventor's focus is on something else, or while relaxing or sleeping. A novel idea may come in a flash—a Eureka ! moment. For example, after years of working to figure out the general theory of relativity, the solution came to Einstein suddenly in a dream "like a giant die making an indelible impress, a huge map of the universe outlined itself in one clear vision". Inventions can also be accidental, such as in

4312-473: The country or anywhere in the world. Invention has a long and important history in the arts . Inventive thinking has always played a vital role in the creative process . While some inventions in the arts are patentable , others are not because they cannot fulfill the strict requirements governments have established for granting them. (see patent ). Some inventions in art include the: Likewise, Jackson Pollock invented an entirely new form of painting and

4400-689: The distance to a target to allow for projectile drop. Until the development of electronic means of measuring range during the Second World War , warships used very large optical rangefinders—with a baseline of many meters—to measure range for naval gunnery. Rangefinders are used for surveying in forestry. Special devices with anti-leaf filters are used. Since the 1990s, rangefinders have been used in virtual reality systems to detect operator movements and locate objects. James Watt James Watt FRS , FRSE ( / w ɒ t / ; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS ) – 25 August 1819)

4488-577: The engines, and supervised the work to erect them on the customers' property. They produced almost none of the parts themselves. Watt did most of his work at his home in Harper's Hill in Birmingham, while Boulton worked at the Soho Manufactory . Gradually, the partners began to actually manufacture more and more of the parts, and by 1795, they purchased a property about a mile away from the Soho Manufactory, on

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4576-839: The epic, tragedy , comedy, the novel , the sonnet , the Renaissance , neoclassicism, Romanticism , Symbolism , Aestheticism, Socialist Realism , Surrealism , postmodernism , and (according to Freud) psychoanalysis . Among the inventions of artists and musicians are oil painting, printmaking, photography , cinema , musical tonality, atonality, jazz , rock, opera , and the symphony orchestra. Philosophers have invented logic (several times), dialectics , idealism, materialism, utopia , anarchism , semiotics , phenomenology , behaviorism , positivism , pragmatism , and deconstruction . Religious thinkers are responsible for such inventions as monotheism , pantheism , Methodism , Mormonism , iconoclasm, puritanism , deism , secularism, ecumenism, and

4664-592: The first sculptures he produced with the machine was a small head of his old professor friend Adam Smith . He maintained his interest in civil engineering and was a consultant on several significant projects. He proposed, for example, a method for constructing a flexible pipe to be used for pumping water under the River Clyde at Glasgow. He and his second wife travelled to France and Germany, and he purchased an estate in mid-Wales at Doldowlod House, one mile south of Llanwrthwl , which he much improved. In 1816, he took

4752-538: The infringement in 1796. Boulton and Watt never collected all that was owed them, but the disputes were all settled directly between the parties or through arbitration . These trials were extremely costly in both money and time, but ultimately were successful for the firm. Before 1780, there was no good method for making copies of letters or drawings. The only method sometimes used was a mechanical one using multiple linked pens. Watt at first experimented with improving this method, but soon gave up on this approach because it

4840-412: The infringers, except for Jonathan Hornblower, all began to settle their cases. Hornblower was soon brought to trial in 1799, and the verdict of the four was decisively in favour of Watt. Their friend John Wilkinson, who had solved the problem of boring an accurate cylinder, was a particularly grievous case. He had erected about 20 engines without Boulton's and Watts' knowledge. They finally agreed to settle

4928-399: The ink, select the thin paper, to devise a method for wetting the special thin paper, and to make a press suitable for applying the correct pressure to effect the transfer. All of these required much experimentation, but he soon had enough success to patent the process a year later. Watt formed another partnership with Boulton (who provided financing) and James Keir (to manage the business) in

5016-510: The intellectual property rights of the inventor and legally recognizes that a claimed invention is actually an invention. The rules and requirements for patenting an invention vary by country and the process of obtaining a patent is often expensive. Another meaning of invention is cultural invention , which is an innovative set of useful social behaviours adopted by people and passed on to others. The Institute for Social Inventions collected many such ideas in magazines and books. Invention

5104-468: The invention, he did invent an improved rangefinder with fixed lenses in 1821 and is responsible for coining the term. In 1881, the British Royal Artillery adopted the depression range finder , which had been developed by Captain H.S.S. Watkin for use by coastal artillery . It used the measurement of the angle of depression from the observer, sited on a high vantage point, to the waterline of

5192-441: The inventor or other patent owner so that the economy as a whole invests an optimum amount of resources in the invention process. In contrast to invention, innovation is the implementation of a creative idea that specifically leads to greater value or usefulness. That is, while an invention may be useless or have no value yet still be an invention, an innovation must have some sort of value, typically economic. The term invention

5280-450: The least of which was the problem of transporting the liquid product. Watt's rivals soon overtook him in developing the process, and he dropped out of the race. It was not until 1799, when Charles Tennant patented a process for producing solid bleaching powder ( calcium hypochlorite ) that it became a commercial success. By 1794, Watt had been chosen by Thomas Beddoes to manufacture apparatuses to produce, clean and store gases for use in

5368-415: The mind is free from its usual concerns. For example, both J. K. Rowling (the creator of Harry Potter ) and Frank Hornby (the inventor of Meccano ) first had their ideas while on train journeys. In contrast, the successful aerospace engineer Max Munk advocated "aimful thinking". To invent is to see anew. Inventors often envision a new idea, seeing it in their mind's eye . New ideas can arise when

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5456-402: The most notable artistic inventors. Historically, women in many regions have been unrecognised for their inventive contributions (except Russia and France ), despite being the sole inventor or co-inventor in inventions, including highly notable inventions. Notable examples include Margaret Knight who faced significant challenges in receiving credit for her inventions; Elizabeth Magie who

5544-456: The new Pneumatic Institution at Hotwells in Bristol . Watt continued to experiment with various gases, but by 1797, the medical uses for the " factitious airs " (artificial gases) had come to a dead end. Watt combined theoretical knowledge of science with the ability to apply it practically. Chemist Humphry Davy said of him, "Those who consider James Watt only as a great practical mechanic form

5632-559: The next six years, he made other improvements and modifications to the steam engine. A double-acting engine, in which the steam acted alternately on both sides of the piston, was one. He described methods for working the steam "expansively" (i.e., using steam at pressures well above atmospheric). A compound engine , which connected two or more engines, was described. Two more patents were granted for these in 1781 and 1782. Numerous other improvements that made for easier manufacture and installation were continually implemented. One of these included

5720-521: The ongoing issues with leaks, Watt restricted his use of high pressure steam – all of his engines used steam at near atmospheric pressure. Edward Bull started constructing engines for Boulton and Watt in Cornwall in 1781. By 1792, he had started making engines of his own design, but which contained a separate condenser, and so infringed Watt's patents. Two brothers, Jabez Carter Hornblower and Jonathan Hornblower Jnr also started to build engines about

5808-415: The power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of steam engines. Eventually, he adapted his engine to produce rotary motion, greatly broadening its use beyond pumping water. Watt attempted to commercialise his invention, but experienced great financial difficulties until he entered a partnership with Matthew Boulton in 1775. The new firm of Boulton and Watt was eventually highly successful and Watt became

5896-445: The process of developing an invention, the initial idea may change. The invention may become simpler, more practical, it may expand, or it may even morph into something totally different. Working on one invention can lead to others too. History shows that turning the concept of an invention into a working device is not always swift or direct. Inventions may also become more useful after time passes and other changes occur. For example,

5984-478: The pump rods at the bottom of the shaft. The design was commercially successful, and for the next five years, Watt was very busy installing more engines, mostly in Cornwall , for pumping water out of mines. These early engines were not manufactured by Boulton and Watt, but were made by others according to drawings made by Watt, who served in the role of consulting engineer . The erection of the engine and its shakedown

6072-400: The question of whether or not the original specification of the patent was valid was left to another trial. In the meantime, injunctions were issued against the infringers , forcing their payments of the royalties to be placed in escrow . The trial on determining the validity of the specifications which was held in the following year was inconclusive, but the injunctions remained in force and

6160-428: The reciprocating motion of the piston to produce rotational power for grinding, weaving and milling. Although a crank seemed the obvious solution to the conversion, Watt and Boulton were stymied by a patent for this, whose holder, James Pickard and his associates proposed to cross-license the external condenser. Watt adamantly opposed this and they circumvented the patent by their sun and planet gear in 1781. Over

6248-473: The same time. Others began to modify Newcomen engines by adding a condenser, and the mine owners in Cornwall became convinced that Watt's patent could not be enforced. They started to withhold payments to Boulton and Watt, which by 1795 had fallen on hard times. Of the total £21,000 (equivalent to £2,740,000 as of 2023) owed, only £2,500 had been received. Watt was forced to go to court to enforce his claims. He first sued Bull in 1793. The jury found for Watt, but

6336-409: The steam engine was in a very primitive state, for the science of thermodynamics would not be formalised for nearly another 100 years. In 1763, Watt was asked to repair a model Newcomen engine belonging to the university. Even after repair, the engine barely worked. After much experimentation, Watt demonstrated that about three-quarters of the thermal energy of the steam was being consumed in heating

6424-413: The target vessel. In 1899, Carl Pulfrich at Carl Zeiss AG fabricated a practical stereoscopic rangefinder , based on a patent of Hector Alexander de Grousilliers. World War II -era rangefinders worked optically with two telescopes focused on the same target but a distance apart along a baseline. The range to the target is found by measuring the difference in bearing of the two telescopes and solving

6512-426: The technology of steam engines . At the time engineers such as John Smeaton were aware of the inefficiencies of Newcomen's engine and aimed to improve it. Watt's insight was to realize that contemporary engine designs wasted a great deal of energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder . Watt introduced a design enhancement, the separate condenser , which avoided this waste of energy and radically improved

6600-429: The use of the steam indicator which produced an informative plot of the pressure in the cylinder against its volume, which he kept as a trade secret . Another important invention, one which Watt was most proud of, was the parallel motion linkage , which was essential in double-acting engines as it produced the straight line motion required for the cylinder rod and pump, from the connected rocking beam, whose end moves in

6688-452: Was a Scottish inventor , mechanical engineer , and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen 's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world. While working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow , Watt became interested in

6776-529: Was a much sought-after conversationalist and companion, always interested in expanding his horizons. His personal relationships with his friends and business partners were always congenial and long-lasting. According to Lord Liverpool (Prime Minister of the UK), A more excllent and amikable man in all the relations of life I believe never existed. Watt was a prolific correspondent. During his years in Cornwall , he wrote long letters to Boulton several times per week. He

6864-408: Was able to obtain a period of training as an instrument maker for a year (1755–56), then returned to Scotland, settling in the major commercial city of Glasgow , intent on setting up his own instrument-making business. He was still very young and, having not had a full apprenticeship , did not have the usual connections via a former master to establish himself as a journeyman instrument maker. Watt

6952-557: Was averse to publishing his results in, for example, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society however, and instead preferred to communicate his ideas in patents . He was an excellent draughtsman . He was a rather poor businessman, and especially hated bargaining and negotiating terms with those who sought to use the steam engine. In a letter to William Small in 1772, Watt confessed that "he would rather face

7040-559: Was baptised on 25 January 1736 at Old West Kirk , in Greenock. His mother came from a distinguished family, was well educated and said to be of forceful character, while his father was a shipwright , ship owner and contractor, and served as the Greenock's chief baillie in 1751. The Watt family's wealth came in part from Watt's father's trading in slaves and slave-produced goods. Watt's parents were Presbyterians and strong Covenanters , but despite his religious upbringing he later became

7128-529: Was not credited for her invention of the game of Monopoly ; and among other such examples, Chien-Shiung Wu whose male colleagues alone were awarded the Nobel Prize for their joint contributions to physics. Societal prejudice, institutional, educational and often legal patent barriers have both played a role in the gender invention gap. For example, although there could be found female patenters in US patent Office who also are likely to be helpful in their experience, still

7216-496: Was possibly created by Watt's son, James Watt, Jr. , who was determined to preserve and embellish his father's legacy. In this light, it can be seen as akin to the story of Isaac Newton and the falling apple and his discovery of gravity . Although likely a myth, the story of Watt and the kettle has a basis in fact. In trying to understand the thermodynamics of heat and steam, James Watt carried out many laboratory experiments and his diaries record that in conducting these, he used

7304-469: Was saved from this impasse by the arrival from Jamaica of astronomical instruments bequeathed by Alexander MacFarlane to the University of Glasgow – instruments that required expert attention. Watt restored them to working order and was remunerated . These instruments were eventually installed in the Macfarlane Observatory . Subsequently, three professors offered him the opportunity to set up

7392-428: Was so cumbersome. He instead decided to try to physically transfer ink from the front of the original to the back of another sheet, moistened with a solvent, and pressed to the original. The second sheet had to be thin, so that the ink could be seen through it when the copy was held up to the light, thus reproducing the original exactly. Watt started to develop the process in 1779, and made many experiments to formulate

7480-400: Was supervised by Watt, at first, and then by men in the firm's employ, with the actual work being accomplished by the purchaser of the engine. Supervising erectors included at various times William Murdoch , John Rennie , William Playfair , John Southern , Logan Henderson , James Lawson , William Brunton , Isaac Perrins and others. These were large machines. The first, for example, had

7568-478: Was to cause the steam to condense in a separate chamber apart from the piston , and to maintain the temperature of the cylinder at the same temperature as the injected steam by surrounding it with a "steam jacket". Thus, very little energy was absorbed by the cylinder on each cycle, making more available to perform useful work. Watt had a working model later that same year. Despite a potentially workable design, there were still substantial difficulties in constructing

7656-618: Was transferred to the men's sons, Matthew Robinson Boulton and James Watt, Junior . Longtime firm engineer William Murdoch was soon made a partner and the firm prospered. Watt continued to invent other things before and during his semi-retirement. Within his home in Handsworth , Staffordshire, Watt made use of a garret room as a workshop, and it was here that he worked on many of his inventions. Among other things, he invented and constructed machines for copying sculptures and medallions which worked very well, but which he never patented. One of

7744-552: Was working in the Scottish Highlands , he learned that his wife, who was pregnant with their third child, was seriously ill. He immediately returned home but found that she had died and their child was stillborn . Invention An invention is a unique or novel device , method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an idea

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