| March 1905 - Feb. 1906 |
Albert Marsh discovers and patents the chromium-nickel alloy for resistance wire which was essential for toasters as
we know them. Hoskins Mfg. Co. formed to develop the new
material. Notices appear on other manufacturers' products
only from 1915 to 1923. |
| June 1905 - July 1906 |
George Schneider invents a practical if complicated, enclosed toaster specifying "suitable resistance wire," probably referring to Marsh's alloy. It appears fully engineered for production; the patent is assigned to American Electric Heater Co. of Detroit. |
| Nov. 1907 - Oct. 1908 |
Dempster of G.E. patents a wire alloy intended to circumvent the Marsh invention. It failed to save G.E. from successful prosecution by Marsh's company a few years later. |
| October 1908 |
Parkhurst of G.E. applies for a patent on a porcelain base
toaster like the D-12 except for its impractical elements.
Andrews of G.E. invents another unworkable toaster
interesting for its wire-frame 'doors'. |
| Feb. 1909 - June 1909 |
Harold Bradley invents another enclosed toaster, reminiscent
of the Schneider. |
| May 1909 - Dec. 1910 |
William Hadaway of Westinghouse invents a horizontal combination toaster-cooker, the important feature of which is a
stamped sheet-metal element like a flatiron's. This was the
first toaster made by Westinghouse. |
| July 1909 - Feb. 1910 |
G.E.'s Frank Shailor patents the original first version of the
D-12, (shown at the top of this page). |
| Oct. 1909 - March 1910 |
James Ayer invents the Ultimate Toaster when only the G.E.
perchers were around to improve upon. It was so elegant and
expensive that Simplex shortly abandoned
the T211. in favor of a simpler design. |
| Jan. 1912 - July 1914 |
Spencer Wiltsie patents a complicated and costly toaster
which embodies a most important advance. The patent was
assigned to the Copeman Electric Stove Co., and its importance was overlooked until Mrs. Copeman saw how to apply
it to existing toasters. |
| September 1912 |
Edward Schwartz received a design patent on the spidery
cabriole-legged percher, which was made by Pelouze
Mfg. of Chicago. |
| May 1912 - Dec. 1913 |
Alonzo Warner patents the smart and efficient little pincher
that was the first in a long line of Landers, Frary & Clark (L.F.& C)
toasters. |
| June 1913 - Aug. 1914 |
Hazel Copeman combines the Wiltsie slice-turning door with
the El Tosto percher frame (as well as with those of the
Simplex T211 and G.E. D-12) in perhaps the most important
toaster patent of all. Its first known appearance is in the
Westinghouse wheel-top toaster. |
| December 1913 |
Frank Kuhn is granted a design patent on a straightforward
pincher with a novel laminated and removable element; it
was made by American Electric Heater Co. |
| October 1914 |
Edward Farr patents a decorative design for the Simplex
T215 type toaster which had been taken over to be made
thereafter by Manning & Bowman. |
| March 1915 - Oct. 1915 |
James Lamb of L.F.& C. patents a brilliant simplification
of Warner's 1913 design. It resulted in sturdier and cheaper
toasters which were made for many years. |
| June 1915 |
George Curtiss of L.F.& C is granted a design patent for
the styling of the production version of Lamb's improvement.
This lovely toaster (the E944) was made for at least 15
years. |
| June 1915 - Nov. 1915 |
Leon Parkhurst of G.E. is granted a design patent on the infamous X-2, claimed by the G.E. Bridgeport public relations department to have been "made in 1905". As far back as 1908 Parkhurst was working on a composite tubular element,
to avoid use of the Marsh alloy or infringement with the
patent. The idea was to protect inferior wire from oxidation
by enclosure in a tube with insulating material. This design
seems to be an attempt to establish priority on what became
G.E.'s famous and excellent CALROD unit.
It is our carefully considered opinion that this toaster
was made only in sample quantities, in 1914 or 1915. |
| Feb. 1917 - Nov. 1920 |
Frederick Collier patents the first rotating basket toaster.
It was the last hand-operated toaster invention of absolutely
first magnitude, and it spawned a whole school of design. |
| March 1917 - Jan. 1921 |
It is one of those historical niceties that as Collier was in
venting the Swinger, Edwin Rutenber developed a non-infringing slice-turning mechanism to compete with Copeman-licensed designs. It was a solid success, made in large numbers by Rutenber Electric Co. of Marion, Indiana. Many
other turning mechanisms were patented in the years following, including another by Rutenber which infringed neither
with Copeman nor with his first one. |
| June 1919 - Aug. 1922 |
Edward Schwartz, copying L.F.& C. outlines, patents an up
dated enclosed or oven-type toaster, as pioneered by
Schneider and Bradley ten years before. This design belonged
to Manhattan Electric Supply Co. and the idea had limited
appeal, only during the twenties. The very similar L.F.& C.
is not common. |
| Jan. 1921-Aug. 1922 |
Maurice Fitzgerald is the first to follow Collier's lead, with
a patent that sidesteps it. Fitzgerald swingers are relatively
common to this day. |
| Feb. 1921- Jan. 1922 |
Alonzo Warner is later applying for but earlier receiving his
swinger patent. The drawing of his invention resembles Collier's in styling.
Both Fitzgerald and Landers, Frary & Clark scrambled to design and market swingers as soon as they saw Collier's patent, and the actual toaster in the shops. The two manufacturers seemed to have reasoned that the visual appeal of the idea outweighed the merits of possible Copeman-evading
turners. |
| May 1922 |
As before, George Curtiss secures a design patent on another
brilliant design, for the familiar and beloved E947 |
| Oct. 1922 - Dec. 1923 |
William Dodge, Jr. of Manning & Bowman patents one of history's giddiest toasters. It is a swinger with horizontally
pivoted baskets which must be opened and closed by hand
- 8 moving parts not counting little springs. Horizontal pivoting was used in a few later swingers. |
| June 1923 - April 1925 |
Bertrand Kahn of the Estate Stove Co. patented a most
amusing but quite successful toaster. It is a swinger with
four sides and four synchronized baskets. Frivolous and less
useful toaster inventions proliferated during the twenties. |
| Jan. 1924 - Feb. 1928 |
Frederick Hummel and John Noeth patented a "family bread
toaster", which looks like an L.F.& C. tipper of a later period except that it has a timer which makes the rack tip out when the cycle ends. This is a most advanced design for 1924, and may be the parent of better-known later products. |
| July 1926 - Feb. 1928 |
Charles Strite secures a patent on the original pop-up toaster
as made by Waters Genter of Minneapolis (the Toastmaster Model 1-A-1). Strite had pioneered the automatic pop-up toaster in a restaurant version in 1921. |
| May 1929 |
George Curtiss is granted a design patent on the fabulous
diamond and ear ring pattern UNIVERSAL E9410 (the Sweetheart toaster shown in the 1920-1940 section of the Cyber-Toaster Museum).
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