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Key to Links for Patent Information
USPTO = U.S. Patent Office .
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on patents related to machinery and tools. A much easier user interface than the
USPTO's for finding information on machinery patents.
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158,591
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Jan. 12, 1875
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Improvement in water-wheels
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Samuel N. Knight |
Sutter Creek, CA |
This water wheel was an early successful attempt at harnessing the kinetic energy (momentum) of a stream of water rather than the gravitational potential energy. It is now most remembered as the inspiration for the Pelton wheel of patent 233,692, which improved on the efficiency of the Knight design by doing away with the off-center position of the jet of water. Knight's design was an improvement on earlier so-called "hurdy-gurdy" wheels used during the gold rush, which had a vertical wheel with straight paddles; the hurdy-gurdy used the water's momentum but sacrificed efficiency for easy construction. Knight's "scoop" paddles were made of cast iron. |