Granville T' Woods - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 20
About This Presentation
Title:

Granville T' Woods

Description:

Most believe Woods attended school until the age of 10 ... Woods attempted to invent other devices to build up funds to patent and sell ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:973
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 21
Provided by: mikede8
Category:
Tags: granville | woods

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Granville T' Woods


1
Granville T. Woods
  • 1856-1910

2
Who is Granville T. Woods ?
  • Colored inventor during the late 20th and early
    21st century
  • According to the Catholic Tribune Greatest
    inventor in the history of his race
  • Many called him the Black Edison
  • Note during the time of segregation race was
    clearly emphasized.

3
Background
  • Born April 23, 1856 in Australia
  • (Note, other sources say he was born in Ohio)
  • Part Aborigine and part African
  • No one is certain when he immigrated to the U.S.

4
Education
  • Most believe Woods attended school until the age
    of 10
  • Dropped out to support his family, worked in a
    machine shop.
  • Some believe that he received formal training as
    an Electrician.
  • All agree, however, that Woods was largely
    self-taught.

5
Background Cont.
  • 1872 Fireman on Danville and Southern Railroad
  • Eventually became and engineer
  • 1874 Moved to Springfield, IL
  • Worked in a rolling mill
  • 1876 Moved east
  • Worked in a machine shop
  • Took Mechanical engineering course

6
Background Cont.
  • 1878 Became engineer
  • British steam boat (Iron sides)
  • 2 years later - Chief engineer
  • Could never advance in careers
  • Even with his great experience and background

7
Inventive Career
  • Woods created an invention that sent a signal to
    the elevator operator from a floor.
  • Did not posses enough money to patent the idea
    (repeating problem throughout most of his life).
  • Eventually became discouraged and abandoned this
    device, but not his career

8
Inventive Career
  • Invented Inductive Communication Device.
  • This device was far ahead of anything previously
    used.
  • This device allowed for communication between
    trains and stations.
  • If used this device could save many lives and
    prevent many accidents.
  • Couldnt patent this device because he had no
    money.
  • Woods attempted to invent other devices to build
    up funds to patent and sell this communication
    device.

9
Inventive Career
  • Attempted to patent and sell many of his ideas to
    fund Inductive Communicator, but unsuccessfully.
  • Eventually Lucius J. Phelps invented similar
    device
  • After a long court battle Woods was awarded the
    right for the patent.

10
Inventive Career
  • 1880 Starts his own business
  • Woods electrical company
  • With help of John A. Gano and Ralph Peter
  • This new company used Woods more than helped him
  • Woods Electrical Company turned into a big mess
  • After a long battle he was able to leave
  • Once again Woods had no money!

11
Inventive Career
  • He moved to New York city, where Woods found
    himself in an even bigger mess.
  • Woods attempted to promote his ideas, but with no
    success.
  • Probably because of racial discrimination, bad
    ideas, or because he lacked business connections.
  • After a year he ran into James S. Zerbe, promoter
    of inventions.
  • Desperate for help Woods trusted Zerbe and
    American Engineering Company is formed.

12
Inventive Career
  • During his time with AEC Woods found himself
    working on a new railroad system. Incorporating
    idea for the Third Rail on the modern Subway.
  • When Woods completed this system, he realized
    that Zerbe was going to steal it away from Woods
    and take full credit for the invention as well as
    the money it would generate (estimated at over
    1,000,000 at the time).

13
Inventive Career
  • After a very lengthy and challenging court battle
    with Zerbe, Woods once again wins the right to
    the patent.
  • Unfortunately Woods, did not receive any money
    from the patent because other inventors claimed
    credit for this third rail during the court
    battle.
  • Now this system is used in almost every Subway
    around the world.

14
Inventive Career
  • After this unsuccessful and unrewarding (at least
    monetarily) attempt, Woods switches his inventive
    genius from large systems, to small components.
  • In other words, he no longer builds new devices,
    but instead, small devices that improve existing
    ones.
  • After the battle with Zerbe, little known about
    Woods.

15
Inventive Career
  • He did however patent 17 more things bring his
    lifetime total to over 45 devices.
  • And it appeared that he was beginning to receive
    the attention and reputation that he deserved
    within engineering and inventive community.
  • However, as it seemed that Woods life was
    beginning to reach success, he died of cerebral
    hemorrhage.

16
Inventive Career
  • Although it is hard to say how much direct
    discrimination Woods faced through his career due
    to his ethnicity, it is clear that he was
    discriminated again all along as an inventor.
  • When Woods was looking for partners and
    investors, people continuously took advantage of
    him.
  • People like Zerbe, Gano, and Peter exploited his
    inventive talents with no regard to their mutual
    partnership.

17
CONTEMPORARIES
  • Its hard to find and real contemporaries of
    Woods because everyone he worked with took his
    ideas!
  • It seems Woods may have been a mentor to many
    other indirectly (Phelps, Zabre, Gano, and Peter)
  • Also Woods seemed to be the leader in everything
    he did without any mentors showing him the way

18
Summery
  • Inventions
  • Improved Steam-Boiler Furnace
  • Telephone transmitter
  • Telegraphony
  • Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph
  • Electric Motor Regulator
  • Third Rail System
  • Dimmer Switch
  • And many others!

19
Steam Boiler
20
Summery
  • Woods biggest challenge to patent inventions was
    a constant lack of funding (money).
  • During his early career, Woods was often taken
    advantage of by the people whom he choose to
    trust.
  • In order to continue his inventive career, Woods
    began inventing smaller components for larger
    devices.
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com