WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has accepted the donation of the papers of the late inventor Jerome H. Lemelson, a gift from the Dorothy Lemelson Trust. The Jerome H. Lemelson Papers, spanning 1943–2003, consist of 363 cubic feet of papers documenting Lemelson’s inventions, his creative process, the patent process and the legal process by which he secured his rights. Lemelson’s patents cover a wide range of topics—toys, medicine and technology. In addition to documenting Lemelson’s inventions, the papers also document his work defending the rights of independent inventors by working to reform patent law and the legal system. The collection includes invention notebooks, patents, patent applications, correspondence, subject reference files, licensing agreements, patent litigation files, newspaper clippings, sketches, ephemera and audio-visual materials.
The invention notebooks form the core of the collection, providing detailed descriptions of possible new inventions and ideas spanning 46 years. Lemelson’s notebooks contain notes about meetings with colleagues, variations on patent ideas, outlines of patent specifications and related sketches. Notebook entries are often dated and signed by Lemelson and witnesses to whom he disclosed his ideas. The notebooks present a comprehensive overview of his ideas and are significant to understanding his creative process and how his ideas changed or did not change over time.
“We are deeply honored to receive the Jerome H. Lemelson Papers, a collection that encapsulates the boundless creativity and ingenuity of one of America's most prolific inventors,” said Anthea M. Hartig, the museum’s Elizabeth MacMillian Director. “This archive not only documents the vast range of Lemelson's inventions but also provides invaluable insights into the innovative spirit that has driven technological progress over the decades. By preserving and sharing these materials, we continue our mission to inspire future generations of inventors and innovators.”
Lemelson was one of the most prolific American inventors of all time, and in the sheer range of his ideas—from cutting-edge medical and industrial technologies to novelties, gadgets and toys—undoubtedly one of the most versatile. Lemelson holds 606 patents documenting a wide range of inventions, from toys to “machine visioning.” The portfolio of products covered by his patents is voluminous, including, for example, components in the Walkman, the VCR, the fax machine and the camcorder. His background in aeronautical and industrial engineering served him well, allowing him to understand increasingly complex technologies, to see their potential and to exploit them. For example, Lemelson’s machine visioning involved a camera to inspect items on an assembly line, compare them with a digital image stored in its memory and determine whether they are defective. He designed computer-controlled machine tools used in automated, flexible manufacturing systems that let an assembly line produce different products at the same time. The audio-cassette mechanism he developed and licensed to Sony became a standard part of cassette players.
The Jerome H. Lemelson Papers join a significant body of archival collections that document independent inventors that include the Earl S. Tupper Papers, Charlotte Cramer Sachs Papers, the Brannock Device Company Records, the Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, the Patricia Bath Papers and the Robert W. Kearns Papers, to name a few. The collection is available for research in the Archives Center.
