ENIAC Trial Exhibits Collection, 1864-1973 (inclusive), 1938-1971 (bulk) [microform].

Format:

Microformat

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Atanasoff, John V. (John Vincent).

Atanasoff, John V.

Mauchly, John W. (John William), 1907-1980.

Mauchly, John W.

Goldstine, Herman Heine, 1913-.

Goldstine, Herman Heine.

Brainerd, John G. (John Grist), 1904-1988.

Brainerd, John G.

Eckert, J. Presper (John Presper), 1919-.

Eckert, J. Presper.

Berry, Clifford Edward, 1918-1963.

Berry, Clifford Edward.

Lukoff, Herman.

Desch, Joseph R.

Mumma, Robert E.

Rajchman, Jan A. (Jan Aleksander), 1911-.

Rajchman, Jan A.

Caldwell, Samuel Hawks, 1904-.

Caldwell, Samuel Hawks.

Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957.

Von Neumann, John.

Honeywell Inc.

Radio Corporation of America.

Sperry Rand Corporation.

International Business Machines Corporation.

National Cash Register Company.

Remington Rand, Inc.

Computers.

Computer engineering.

ENIAC (Computer).

EDVAC (Computer).

BINAC (Computer).

Univac computer.

Patent suits.

U.S.Army Ballistic Research Laboratory.

Illinois Scientific Developments,Inc.

Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation (Philadelphia, Pa.).

General Electric Company.

Burroughs Corporation.

Electronic Control Company.

Iowa State University.

United States. National Bureau of Standards.

United States.

United States. Army. Ordnance Department.

Moore School of Electrical Engineering.

Illinois Scientific Developments, Inc.

Computer industry--United States.

Computer industry.

Electronic digital computers.

Computers--Law and legislation.

Atanasoff-Berry computer.

Physical Description:

211

Place of Publication:

1864-1973 (inclusive),

Biography/History:

In 1967 Honeywell Inc. filed a suit in Federal District Court against Sperry Rand Corporation over the patent claims of the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (known as the ENIAC). The ENIAC was one of the first general-purpose electronic computers in the world. It had been developed at the University of Pennsylvania Moore School of Electrical Engineering during from 1943 to 1945 to calculate firing tables for artillery of the United States Army. John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, Jr. designed the new computer along with a team of students and faculty at the Moore School. When the project was completed Eckert and Mauchly left the Moore School and formed their own computer company which was eventually purchased by Sperry Rand Corporation. They applied for a patent to the ENIAC in 1947.

Serious problems arose in the 1960's regarding the patent rights of Eckert and Mauchly. In 1964 Sperry Rand, through its subsidiary Illinois Scientific Developments, Inc., notified all other companies in the electronic data processing field that they were infringing upon the rights the ENIAC patent and must pay royalties. Honeywell filed a suit against Sperry Rand in 1967 on the grounds of antitrust violations and unjustified claims to the electronic computer. The case was heard in the 4th Division of the Minnesota District Court (No. 4-67-Civ. 138).

In the course of the trial which began in 1971, two major points rose which tested the rights of Eckert and Mauchly to the ENIAC patent and proved fatal to Sperry Rand's claims. The first point was over where the basic ideas used in the ENIAC's design originated. Because there were some similarities in the design and operation of John V. Atanasoff's machine with the ENIAC, Honeywell asserted that Eckert and Mauchly used Atanasoff's ideas for their own machine. The second major point concerned the filing of the patent in 1947. Because John von Neuman, who had been a consultant on the team at the Moore School, had written a paper about the design of the ENIAC and circulated it a year before the patent application was filed, it was argued that the ENIAC had become part of the public domain and could not be patented.

On 10 October 1973 Judge Earl R. Larson presented his final ruling in the case. He determined that the ENIAC patent was invalid. He concluded that while Eckert and Mauchly may have created the ENIAC, they did not create the basic ideas used in the assembly of their computer. Sperry Rand chose not to contest this decision and the findings of the court became final.

Summary:

The collection includes the plaintiff's and defendants' trial exhibits presented in the patent case of Honeywell Incorporated vs. Sperry Rand Corporation and Illinois Scientific Developments, Incorporated. The plaintiff's trial exhibit series contains documents that supported the major claims of Honeywell Incorporated in their suit. It contains correspondence, research notes, scientific and publicity articles, schematic drawings, photographs and charts. There is large amount of documentation regarding the research and development of the ENIAC and subsequent computers developed by J. Presper Eckert, Jr., and John W. Mauchly up to around 1951. Most of the material covering the period after 1950 relates to the Sperry Rand's efforts to finalize the patent for the ENIAC and to assert its rights to the major technological claims therein (to support Honeywell's claims of antitrust actions).

In addition, the plaintiff's exhibits include material that demonstrated the state of computer research undertaken by others in the 1930s and 1940s. The efforts of Vannevar Bush and Samuel H. Caldwell at MIT, Vladimir Zworykin and Jan Alesander Rajchman at RCA, and Joseph R. Desch and Robert E. Mumma at National Cash Register Company are documented here. Their most significant records relate to the research of John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford E. Berry at Iowa State College and the degree of contact and exchange between Mauchly and Atanasoff. Honeywell also submitted copies of the testimony and depositions of a number of the key figures in the development of the ENIAC and early computers.

The Defendants' trial exhibits series contain a complete copy of the United States Patent Office file for the ENIAC patent as well as a heavy concentration of secondary source material, in the form of copies of patents and articles from scientific and technical journals. All contents of this series generally falls within the date span of 1930 to 1965. The series does include correspondence, drawings, research notes, and reports; however, a large portion of the series contains published material such as journal and magazine articles, patents, technical reports and computer manuals. There is much more material in this series that relates to the internal organization, development and research of the Eckert Mauchly Computer Company. There is a large collection of original design drawings for the ENIAC.

Finding Aid/Index:

Finding aid in repository. The finding aid is also available on Reel PAUV98001a and 98001b.

OCLC:

145429778

Online:

Finding aid