Robert Kearns is an American engineer who first invented and patented the first mechanism for automobiles in 1964. The design innovation of a smart American first gained popularity in 1969.

Robert is famous all over the world for the fact that he won several scandalous court hearings over patent rights from large automotive companies. The thing is that when Robert Williams Kerns (not to be confused with the Swedish folklorist poet Robert Burns, photos below) came up with a mechanism car wipers on glass (1964), he began to offer his development to several powerful corporations such as Ford and Chrysler.

An American inventor patented his product and wanted to produce them for large automobile companies, which, in turn, were developing a similar product. Robert did not receive a positive response, but after a few years he learned that his invention had been appropriated by the above automobile companies. And then Robert thought...

American inventor Robert Kearns: biography

In the 60s, Robert Kearns married Phyllis. The couple had six children.

American inventor Robert Kearns: where did the idea come from?

In 1953, Robert went blind in one eye when he unsuccessfully opened a bottle of champagne and the cork flew into his eye. Every year his eyesight deteriorated, and with the slightest rain, it was difficult for Kearns to see the road when he was driving a car.

One day Robert was driving home and it started to rain heavily. At this point, the engineer comes up with the idea of ​​how to create a useful mechanical device that will clean water from windshield. Keeping the idea in mind, the next day, Robert began to develop such a mechanism.

After several weeks of experimental research, he created moving "wipers" in the likeness of repeating the movements of the eyelids of the human eye. The only thing left to do was to develop the necessary documentation and test this design on your own car.

After successful exploitation, Robert patents his product and visits the engineering office of the Ford automobile company, which has been working on the same problem to no avail.

Bad News: Deception

Surprised by this, manager McLean Tyler suggested that Kearns compile a business plan and calculate the cost of running car wipers for fabrication. But Robert said that he would like to manufacture windshield wipers himself, after which it was not possible to reach a consensus.

However, Kearns had already demonstrated the operation of the mechanism in practice, and even provided all the necessary documentation, which was subsequently preserved by McLean Tyler. Ultimately, after a visit to the Ford plant, Robert stopped calling and notifying him with news. A few years later, Cairns accidentally got to the presentation of a new sports ford car where he saw his "wipers". At this moment, a depressed Robert realizes that he was simply deceived and appropriated his invention.

Litigation spanning 35 years

Robert was shocked that he had been deceived like a foolish boy. Without thinking twice, he decides to go to court in Washington. But when it became known that a simple American engineer of advanced age intended to challenge Ford, he was sent for treatment to a psychiatric ward, where he was diagnosed with a "nervous breakdown".

After some time, Robert manages to be discharged from the hospital. His condition was again on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but he gathered his courage and will and continued to fight. Relatives and friends tried in every possible way to dissuade Kearns from this crazy idea. But all attempts to convince the true creator of car windshield wipers were in vain. As a result, Robert lost his family: his wife left him and took the children with her.

All legal attempts were paid from Robert's pocket, it was hard, but he did not give up. Kearns sued two major auto companies at once - Ford (from 1978 to 1990) and Chrysler (from 1982 to 1992). In the end, Robert Kearns won his lawsuits and received a cash settlement of $10 million from Ford and, five years later, $19 million from Chrysler.

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The invention of the wipers

Until 1903, precipitation caused motorists a lot of trouble. To improve visibility, drivers had to stop and manually wipe the windows. This problem was solved by a young American woman. She invented windshield wipers.

The idea to make life easier for motorists came to Mary while traveling from Alabama to New York. It snowed and rained all the way. Mary Anderson saw drivers constantly stop, open the windows of their cars and clear snow from the windshield. Mary decided that this process could be improved and began to design a windshield wiper.

It turned out a device with a rotating handle and a rubber roller. The first windshield wipers had a lever that allowed them to be operated from inside the car.. With the help of a lever, a pressure device with an elastic band described an arc on the glass, removing raindrops, snow flakes from the glass and returned to its original position.
Mary Anderson received a patent for her invention in 1903.. Similar devices have been developed before, but Mary ended up with a device that actually works. In addition, its windshield wipers were easily removed.

At the beginning of the last century, cars were not yet very popular (Henry Ford did not create his famous car until 1908), so many scoffed at Anderson's idea. Skeptics believed that the movement of the brushes would distract drivers. However, by 1913, thousands of Americans had own cars, and mechanical wipers became standard equipment.

Automatic windshield wiper invented by another woman inventor - Charlotte Bridgwood. She headed the Bridgwood Manufacturing Company of New York. In 1917, Charlotte Bridgwood patented an electric roller windshield wiper called the Storm Windshield Cleaner.

affairs of life

Of course, in the end, “everything remains for people,” but in order to bring even a simple idea to life, sometimes you have to sacrifice your own destiny.
Robert Kearns came up with an ordinary car wiper. It would seem that a very simple device, but for the sake of it I had to go through painful and exhausting lawsuits for many years, go to prison and a psychiatric hospital. Although the first inventor of the "janitor" was a lady.

Undoubtedly, if Mary Anderson of Birmingham, Alabama, had not been in New York on that winter day in 1903, the problem of cleaning car windows would still have been solved. But it was she who, having observed during heavy snow how the tram driver got out of the car over and over again to remove snow from front glass, returning home, designed the first simple device that allows you to do this work from the inside. To do this, the driver, using the wiring passing through the frame into the cab, moved a rubber brush pressed against the outer surface of the glass by a spring.
Mary Anderson's device was intended exclusively for trams: most cars in those years did not yet have front windows. When it was raining, cars open top were forced to stand in the garages. But it was necessary to ride in any weather. And this need led to the emergence of covered car models with front windshields. But when it rained, they all became "blind". So, a "janitor" was needed to clean them. Buffalo, New York-based Tri-Continental took over the business—nowadays largest manufacturer wipers. In 1917, the first Rain Rubber model appeared on the market. No. 3.
This was an important step, but, naturally, new problems arose. Even in conditions of low traffic density on the roads in those days, the driver was not sitting idle at the wheel. He needed to adjust the ignition timing, use his hands to report his maneuvers, apply sound signals. The need to also clean the front glass, even from the cabin, did not inspire him. "Tri-Continental" soon solved the problem by developing and introducing into production the first automatic glass cleaner, which was set in motion due to the rarefaction of air that periodically occurred during engine operation. But the efficiency of the novelty fell with an increase in the load on the engine. And on steep climbs the glass was completely dirty. Despite this serious shortcoming, since 1922, the Cadillac company began producing cars equipped with such wipers. In 1926, windshield wipers appeared with electric drive. They were installed on prestigious models, but simpler "vacuum" devices were used until the 1960s.
The last century was marked not only by an unprecedented increase in the number of cars on the roads. Improved comfort models, their design. New tasks arose before the creators of windshield wipers. Back in the late 20s, paired brushes appeared, they were moved to the lower part of the windshield, and then they completely “drowned” the entire structure into special slots. Since 1937, liquid has been used to wet glass before cleaning. In the late 1960s, "wipers" appeared rear windows and headlights.
IN modern cars optimal mode the work of the janitor is usually chosen by the driver himself, and in prestigious models this is taken care of on-board computer using data from the "rain" sensor on the amount of water on the windshield.
But in the fifties, working windshield wipers had a serious drawback: after switching on, they moved monotonously in front of the driver, regardless of the strength of the rain. The flickering and additional noise continued even when the glass was completely dry. After each working cycle, the wiper had to stop for a few seconds. There is a need for a new idea. But for the practical implementation of this rather simple idea, it took years.
At the Ford enterprise, they tried to periodically turn off the wiper motor due to the thermal expansion of the bimetallic spiral. But the operation of the circuit depended on the air temperature, and in cold weather she was totally off. Serious problems also arose when testing the system proposed in Tri-Continental, in which the wiper was turned on and off by a special spring.
Solved the problem of providing intermittent mode windshield wipers professor at the University of Detroit Robert Kearns. In fact, he created the modern janitor.
His interest in the problem was not accidental. In 1953, when Kearns opened champagne at his wedding, a cork flew out of the bottle and knocked out his eye. 10 years later in heavy rain Robert was driving along the highway, and the constant flickering of the wiper not only annoyed him, but also prevented him from driving. He found a solution to the problem and soon became the owner of a patent for electronic device, which provided intermittent operation of the wipers. His scheme made it possible to adjust the value of the interval when the weather changed. The janitor worked flawlessly.
For testing, Kearns handed over a prototype device to Ford. The results were successful, and it was decided from 1969 to introduce the idea of ​​​​Robert Kearns in Mercury cars. By that time, the author had sold the rights to further use of his invention to the Detroit company Tann Corporation. After evaluating the novelty, the buyer gave Kearns a monthly stipend of $1,000 to improve the scheme.
And in his relationship with Ford, Robert Kearns had serious problems. Before testing, the inventor did not reveal the secret of the sealed block, which was equipped with a formidable and categorical inscription "Do not open!" Only a few years later, the company's lawyers managed, referring to the laws, to force Robert to lift the bans. When the specialists figured out the work of the novelty, Ford changed his attitude towards the author: he was informed that now not his own scheme would be used in cars, but his own. Tann Corporation, which is dependent on the auto industry giant, did not dare to file a lawsuit in defense of its rights.
In 1976, Kearns, having received a job at the State Bureau of Standards, moved with his family to Maryland. But fate threw Kearns another surprise. This time it turned out to be a junkyard janitor in the car of one of the sons. Knowing the qualifications of his father, he asked to deal with the malfunction. And then Robert easily determined that the model, released at one of Ford's enterprises, used a device he had created, which had previously been rejected by the company. This so shocked the inventor that he had to spend several weeks in a psychiatric hospital.
Nevertheless, in 1978 Kearns filed copyright infringement charges against Ford and Chrysler. He was going to compete with General Motors and a number of foreign firms, but even in the first trials, cases reached the court only after 12 years. The best lawyers of the automotive giants argued that the electronic device that regulates the operation of the windshield wiper is associated with the development of technology and is not the subject of patents. Kearns stubbornly refused the proposals of Ford's representatives to conclude an out-of-court agreement. The stubborn man was not stopped by his own troubles: in 1980 he had a divorce proceeding, later Robert spent 5 weeks in prison for tax evasion.
Finally, in 1990, the inventor received, by court decision, $10 million from Ford, and after 5 years, almost $19 million from Chrysler. But the endless processes so exhausted the strength of Robert Kearns that he could no longer compete with the lawyers of the auto giants. This struggle was stopped by Alzheimer's disease. The inventor passed away in 2005 while in the Maryland Home for the Disabled.

Windscreen wipers

Peugeot car

At the end of the 19th century, the production of automobiles was at an early stage of development. Most car models did not have a roof or windows, so the headwind blew the driver and passengers right in the face.

Over time there were windshields, however, the motorist was still dependent on the vagaries of the weather, since initially the cars were without wipers, or as they are also called windshield wipers.

To improve visibility in rain or snow, drivers often had to stop the car, get out of it and manually wipe the windows. The trip turned into a slow and tiring event.

Mary Anderson, a young American from Alabama, helped solve this problem by inventing windshield wipers for cars.

Through the frame of the windshield, she passed a rod with a cleaning agent attached to it. rubber band. The other end of the cord was attached to a handle inside the machine. By rotating it, it was possible to clear the glass from rain and snow. The first wiper had a lever that allowed it to be operated from inside the car, andthe driver did not have to leave the cab in order to wipe the glass.

With the help of a lever, a pressure device with an elastic band described an arc on the glass, removing raindrops, snow flakes from the glass and returned to its original position. This is how the first one was invented. car windshield wiper swinging from side to side.

In 1903, Mary Anderson received a patent for this device.

Many people met this invention with distrust - after all, it was invented by a woman, and it was believed that the flickering of the wipers in front of their eyes would interfere with driving. Similar devices have been developed before, but Mary ended up with a device that actually works. In addition, its windshield wipers were easily removed.

In 1908, Prince Heinrich of Prussia patented a manual windshield wiper that moved from top to bottom.

And by 1913, slightly improved windshield wipers were installed on almost every car. Mechanical wipers became standard equipment. The history of "wipers" counts down the second century.

It's interesting that electric windshield wiper, powered by a car engine, was also invented by a woman inventor - Charlotte Bridgewood. She headed the Bridgewood Manufacturing Company of New York.

In 1917, Charlotte Bridgewood patented the electric windshield wiper.

In the 1920s, the first electrically operated wipers appeared on the market. Since then, they have been improved many times, but the basic principle of the device has remained practically unchanged to this day.

Professor Robert Kearns in 1963 invented a device needed in almost any car: he invented intermittent wipers. And received in 1964 a US patent for them.

In modern cars, the optimal mode of operation of the wiper is usually chosen by the driver himself, and in latest models the on-board computer takes care of this, using data from the "rain" sensor about the amount of water on the windshield.

, Vladimir Maslakov , Elena Shulman , more Composer Aaron Zigman Editing Jill Savitt DOP Dante Spinotti Writers Philip Railsback , John Seabrook Art Hugo Lutsyk-Vykhovsky, Patrick Banister , Luis Sequeira , more

Do you know that

• Kearns received many offers from Hollywood to film his story, but refused everyone, fearing that it might be distorted. In the end, the inventor gave in under the pressure of Mark Abraham and provided him with all the materials. The film took 9 years to make.
• Unlike what is shown in the film, Kearns was represented by professional lawyers during the Ford trial.
• Unlike what is shown in the film, Kearns' main desire was not a public apology from Ford, but exclusive rights to manufacture his invention.
• To date, more than 145 million vehicles have Kearns' invention installed.
• The director asked lead actor Greg Kinnear to gain weight because he didn't look like a college professor with 6 kids.

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Mistakes in the movie

• The model of the bus that the hero takes to get to Washington did not exist in the 1960s.
• When the Kearns family is celebrating his invention at home, a white car modern model.
• The aquarium in which Kearns demonstrates his invention to the family had not yet been invented at the time.
• In the scene where Dr. Kearns is talking to his grown-up son Dennis in a coffee shop, the newspaper lying on the table constantly changes its location.
• The uniform worn by Maryland police officers was not invented until the 1990s.

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Plot

Beware, the text may contain spoilers!

The plot of the film is based on real events that took place in the United States in the late 60s. The protagonist of the story is the talented inventor Robert Kearns. Since childhood, he was fond of engineering, loved to build, make or improve something already in existing models. Therefore, when the question arose about choosing a university and a profession, Kearns did not even doubt it. After receiving a degree from the University of Detroit, he soon became a teacher and enthusiastically told students about all the inventions that inspired him. Kearns taught them to think critically and not to take even the most hyped novelties for perfection. An extraordinary mind, energy and sincere passion for his work made Kearns a real star at the university. It was impossible to resist his charm, and neither could his future wife, Phyllis. Gentle, romantic, but at the same time decisive, she became for Robert perfect couple and supported him in all his endeavors. Soon the couple had two beautiful children, the hero received a promotion at the university, and life seemed like a fairy tale. But all this time, Kearns did not abandon his favorite pastime. One fine day, he realized that one of the systems in his wife's car was not working perfectly and was causing her problems while driving. When it rains, the car wipers have to be turned on manually, and they have only one mode, which is not suitable for different rain intensity. Kearns decided to improve on this system and create electronic wipers that turn on automatically and choose the appropriate mode according to the intensity of the rain. The Kearns family is testing this invention and is absolutely delighted. Phyllis assures her husband that he has created a real masterpiece that can make them a fortune.

Inspired by the words of his wife, Kearns presents his invention to the three largest automobile corporations: “ General Motors”, “Ford” and “Chrysler”. At first, Ford is interested in the invention of Kearns, but at the last moment refuses him. A few months later, the hero sees that his idea was stolen. With nothing but the truth behind him, Kearns begins a years-long lawsuit against the auto industry giant.