Sir Hiram (Stevens) Maxim - Patents

Inventor and engineer, born in Sangerville, Maine, USA. He became a coachbuilder in an engineering works in Fitchburg, MA (1865), and from 1867 took out patents for a wide range of inventions, including electric lamps and gas equipment. An interest in automatic weapons took him to England in 1881, where he perfected the Maxim machine-gun in 1883. He also invented a pneumatic gun, a smokeless powder, a mousetrap, and carbon filaments for light bulbs. He became a British subject in 1900, and was knighted in 1901.

Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (February 4, 1840 - November 24, 1916) was the inventor of the Maxim Gun in 1884, the first portable, fully automatic machine gun, and the ubiquitous mousetrap. Maxim founded an armaments company to produce his machine gun in Crayford, Kent, which was later bought out by the Vickers corporation in 1896, becoming 'Vickers, Son &

Maxim is also credited with inventing the common mousetrap and, as a long-time sufferer from bronchitis, he also patented and manufactured the "Pipe of Peace", a menthol amodium inhaler. Over the years he was involved in several patent disputes with Thomas Edison. His son Hiram Percy Maxim followed in his father and uncle's footsteps and became a mechanical engineer and weapons designer as well, but he is perhaps best known for his early amateur radio experiments and for founding the American Radio Relay League.

Patents

U.S. Patent 208252 - Electric lamp U.S. Patent 230310 - Electric lamp U.S. Patent 230953 - Electric lamps U.S. Patent 230954 - Process for removing air from globes of electric lamps U.S. Patent 230309 - Electric lamp U.S. Patent 234835 - Electrical lamp U.S. Patent 237198 - Process of manufacturing carbon conductors U.S. Patent 244277 U.S. Patent 247083 U.S. Patent 247084 U.S. Patent 247085 U.S. Patent 247380 U.S. Patent 255308 - Electrical meter U.S. Patent 277846 U.S. Patent 283629 U.S. Patent 405239 U.S. Patent 405170 U.S. Patent 430212 - Manufacture of explosive U.S. Patent 594805 - Motor vehicle U.S. Patent 618703 U.S. Patent 618704 U.S. Patent 757941 - Motor vehicle running gear U.S. Patent 772571 - Electric motor vehicle U.S. Patent 845106 - Motor road vehicle GB189700207 (1897 with Louis Silverman) - automatic fire mechanism GB189607468 (1897) - gas action for machine guns GB189607045 (1897) - breech mechanism of machine gun