Railroad Company v. Mellon

by William Burnham Woods

United States Supreme Court

104 U.S. 112

Railroad Company  v.  Mellon

APPEAL from the Circuit Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

On Oct. 2, 1866, letters-patent No. 58,447 were granted to Edward Mellon for an improvement in the mode of attaching tires to the wheels of locomotives. For the purpose of illustration, three figures, numbered respectively 1, 2, and 3, were appended to the specification on which the application for the letters was based. The specification is as follows:-- 'Figures 1 and 2 are central sectons of a locomotive wheel having a tire applied to it according to my invention. Figure 3, a section of a portion of a locomotive wheel having its tire affected by wear, drawn with a view of showing the advantage of one feature of my invention. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

'This invention has for its object the securing of tires on the wheels of locomotives without the aid of bolts, and in such a manner that the tire, in case of becoming loose, cannot casually slip off from the wheel.

'The invention consists in having the wheel, or the tire which is to be fitted on the same, provided with a single flange, arranged in such a manner that said flange, in connection with the usual flange on the tire, will keep the latter on the wheel. The invention also consists in constructing the tire with a rounded edge at one side of its inner surface in order to prevent said edge from indenting and sinking into the periphery of the wheel, a contingency which would otherwise occur in consequence of the tire becoming stretched by use .

'A represents a locomotive wheel which may be constructed in the usual or any proper manner, and B is the tire fitted thereon. The periphery of the wheel A is provided at the inner edge with a flange a, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

'The tire B is shrunk on the periphery of the wheel A, as usual, and it will be seen that the flange a prevents the tire, should it become loose on the wheel A, from slipping off at the inner side of the wheel, and the flange b of the tire will of course prevent the latter from slipping off at the outer side of the wheel.

'By this arrangement no bolts or set screws are required to aid in fastening the tire on the wheel, for it is impossible for the tire to leave the wheel either at the right or left side thereof.

'The same result may be attained by having the surface of the tire at its outer edge provided with a flange, a', as shown at the upper part of Figure 2.

'The inner surface of the tire at its inner edge is rounded, as shown at c, in all the figures, in order to prevent said edge from indenting or sinking into the periphery of the wheel. The tires of locomotive wheels are, under the jars, concussions, and wear to which they are subjected, considerably stretched, and they invariably become concave at their inner surface (see Figure 3), the edges spreading over the sides of the wheel, and forming in a lock, in some cases, so as to render the cutting of the tire necessary, in order to detach it from the wheel. With my improvement the flange a would cause the inner edge of the inner surface of the tire to indent the periphery of the wheel, or form a crease in it if the edge c were not rounded.

'The great feature in this invention is that I retain the tire on the wheel without the employment of bolts, rivets, keys, or other like attachments. I heat my tire until it has expanded sufficiently to be slipped over the periphery of the wheel; it then cools and contracts, and holds or binds the wheel firmly.

'After the wheel, as completed, has been in use a certain length of time, the tire will stretch and thus become loose on the wheel; then the pressure of the resistance against the rail will bear or force the tire inward against the flange a of the wheel.

'Now, it is not intended to run the engine unnecessarily with a loose tire, but should this tire become loose while on the road, there is sufficient safety in running the engine until the depot is reached, or until it will be convenient to repair or replace it by a new one.

'The tire can be readily slipped off, there being no rivets or other fastenings to undo, and the convenience and utility of my improvement is apparent.

'I am aware of the invention described in patent to N. Hodge, Nov. 18, 1851, but I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the invention therein described, viz. the angular flange upon the inner edge of the wheel and the flange upon the outer edge of the wheel, but I do claim as my invention the wheel with the curved flange upon the inner edge in combination with a tire with a rounded corner to fit said curved flange, as set forth.'

The application for letters-patent, as is shown by the filewrapper, was made Oct. 6, 1865. It was twice rejected; the last time on April 23, 1866.

The bill in this case charged that the letters-patent had been infringed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, the defendant, and it prayed for an injunction and an account of profits.

The answer of the company denied that Mellon was the first inventor of the mode of attaching tires to wheels of locomotives, described in his letters-patent, and it also set up former letters-patent and publications, bearing date many years before his alleged invention, and showing, as was claimed, tires and wheels such as the company use.

Among them are letters-patent No. 8526, granted to Nehemiah Hodge, Nov. 18, 1851, for a new and useful improvement in railroad car wheels. One of the drawings (that designated as Figure 2) annexed to his specification on which the letters-patent were granted shows a flange or shoulder from the rim of the wheel-centre projecting over and overlapping the tire.

The answer, by way of further defence, denied infringement.

The Circuit Court upon final hearing found against the company upon both issues made by the answer, perpetually enjoined it from further infringement, and directed an account of profits to be taken. Upon the coming in of the master's report a decree was rendered in favor of Mellon for the sum of $3,018.

This appeal was thereupon taken by the company.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 appended to Mellon's specification are as follows:-- The following represents Figure 2 of the drawings annexed to the specification of Hodge.

Mr. Alexander D. Campbell and Mr. Medward N. Dickerson for the appellant.

Mr. Furman Sheppard, contra.

MR. JUSTICE WOODS, after making the foregoing statement of facts, delivered the opinion of the court.

Notes