From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter to Messrs. Walford & Hardman Brown regarding a pending patent application and the potential impact of a prior user's design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\1\ scan0120 | |
| Date | 26th April 1939 | |
| 1256 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/R.{Sir Henry Royce} 26th April, 1939. Messrs. Walford & Hardman Brown, Roslyn Chambers, 47, Warwick Road, COVENTRY. Dear Sirs, With reference to your letter of the 26th April, we note the raised crown piston used by the Alta Car & Engineering Co. When you say that "such prior user will undoubtedly have a deal of bearing on our pending application", we should like to know exactly what you feel about it. Do you think it would prevent us getting a patent? The Alta, of course, has an overhead camshaft engine; our application so far has applied to valves vertical, or nearly vertical in the head. Another point is that the proportion of lip area to total piston area on the Alta is so small that it is doubtful whether it will have much effect. Incidentally, the Alta Company have already said that they will not interfere with our patent application, but we presume that you feel if anybody should hear what has been done after our patent was granted, they could circumvent it on the grounds of being a prior user. Yours faithfully, For ROLLS-ROYCE LTD. | ||