RankingsPrimerArbiterPhysicistMathematicianContrarianQESites logClaimsSourcesResearch notes

Google Patents, 2026-10-04 (Investigator, Step I, run 1)

Site: https://patents.google.com (Chrome) Queries / pages: - https://patents.google.com/patent/US2482773A/en (citations, cited-by, family) - inventor:Hieronymus before:priority:19900101 (235 results; too broad, unrelated Hieronymus inventors) - inventor:"Thomas G Hieronymus" (1 result: US 2,482,773 only) - inventor:"Galen Hieronymus" (1 result: CA 486,008 only) - https://patents.google.com/patent/GB663978A/en - https://patents.google.com/patent/CA486008A/en - https://patents.google.com/patent/US2115578A/en (the one reference cited on US 2,482,773)

Findings

Patent family (priority 1: the inventor's own work)

The inventor's autobiography (see 2026-10-04-archive-org.md) names the foreign members: "Canada patent No. 486,008, or British patent No. 663,978" [web: archive.org autobiography p.308]. Both are indexed on Google Patents:

  • GB 663,978 A, "Detection of emanations from materials and measurement of the quantities of said materials". Application GB18866/49 filed 18 July 1949 by the individual; published 2 Jan 1951; status expired. Classified G01J3/443 (emission spectrometry). The English abstract follows the US text (coil 12, condensers 22/24, prism 28, electrodes 32/38, variable resistance 40, transformer 58, amplifier 70, transformer 74, detector 72 whose coating "changes its surface tension or viscosity and thus produces a greater drag ... to the movement of the operator's hand"). [web] https://patents.google.com/patent/GB663978A/en
  • Note: the British abstract gives the reference numerals cleanly (amplifier 70, detector 72, transformer 74). This confirms the deep reader's reading of the Fig. 1 numerals (the US text layer's "detector 12" is detector 72).
  • Note: British title says "quantities", US title says "volumes".
  • CA 486,008 A, "Detection of emanations from materials and measurement of the volumes thereof". Inventor indexed as "Galen Hieronymus Thomas" (name order swapped in the index). Granted and published 26 Aug 1952; expired. No text on Google Patents (CIPO link only). [web] https://patents.google.com/patent/CA486008A/en
  • No other patents by T. G. / Galen Hieronymus are indexed on Google Patents. The autobiography says "other patents are on file in the United States patent office" (p.242) and a Radiation Laboratories leaflet says "other patents applied for" (autobiography p.~106 appendix). No granted later patent was found; whether applications were filed and abandoned is unknown (would need USPTO file wrapper or the applicant's papers).

Cited reference (correction to facts.json)

facts.json says the one reference is "Hall, US 2,115,578 (1938); its content not checked". Google Patents: US 2,115,578 A, "Radiant energy receiver", inventor William M. Hall, assignee Hammond V. Hayes, filed 31 Oct 1936, granted 26 Apr 1938. It improves the receiver of Hayes US 1,954,204 (1934): "a chamber enclosing a body of dark heat-absorbing substance which is sensitive to radiant energy over a wide range of frequencies, together with a member such as a diaphragm which is influenced by the pressure changes induced by the dark substance" [web] https://patents.google.com/patent/US2115578A/en. That is a pneumatic (photo-acoustic, thermal) detector of ordinary radiation. The examiner cited it; why is not stated.

Cited by (13), as listed on the US 2,482,773 page [web]

Examiner-cited (*) later patents include: US 2,779,917 (Phillips Petroleum, 1957, ionized fluids), US 2,930,977 (Machts Ludwig, 1960, "detecting differences and changes in bodies"), US 2,972,251 (Well Surveys, 1961, infrared detection of subsurface hydrocarbons), US 4,260,933 (Volland, 1981, selective frequency optical generator), US 4,839,581 (Peterson, 1989, absolute electrical potential measuring), WO 1996/004574 (tactile vibrations), US 2006/0030031 (Modrovich, measuring molecules through a barrier), WO 2013/155580 (Mendes Waechter, "Scalar energy generation device"). The rest are lighting-control patents (Vantage Controls etc.), likely citing the touch-detector idea. These are leads for priority 3 (related work); none was opened in this run.

Bearing on claims

  • All claims: confirms the patent family (US, CA, GB) that the inventor names; the GB filing date (July 1949) shows he sought foreign protection before the US grant.
  • Claim 5 (detector): the GB abstract states the same "drag" detector.