Patents

Frederick Lanchester patented his first invention - a draughtsman's drawing aid to rule equidistant lines - in November 1888 when he was just 20 years old. He applied for 440 patents during his life and was successful with 230 of them. Most of the patents items in the Lanchester collection are photocopies of originals held by other organisations. They are ordered by the date of application for the patent. All patents are by Frederick Lanchester unless indicated otherwise. The original patent number is given in the alternative reference field. Details of Frederick Lanchester's patents (including the ones which were not proceeded with) are also listed in Volume 3 of the Lanchester Legacy - a celebration of genius (edited by John Fletcher, Coventry University, 1996).