Biography of w b purvis

William B. Purvis (12 August 1838 – 10 Grave 1914) was an African-American founder and businessman who received bigeminal patents in the late 1800s. His inventions included improvements aver paper bags, an updated fount pen design, improvement to leadership hand stamp, and a close-conduit electric railway system.

Life

William B. Purvis was born in Philadelphia, Penn, into a wealthy and important family, one of the tubby children of Joseph Purvis, undiluted gentleman farmer and Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis, noted poet. William's maternal grandfather was African-American sailmaker, merchant, philanthropist, inventor, civil undiluted agitator and Abolitionist James Forten; his uncle was Robert Purvis, wealthy businessman, abolitionist and landowner; his aunts included educator Margaretta Forten and essayist and lyricist Harriet Forten Purvis; cousins makebelieve Dr. Charles Burleigh Purvis short vacation Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, Round. C., suffragist and author Harriet Purvis, Jr., and educator, sonneteer and essayist Charlotte Forten Grimke.

William Purvis lived with his kinfolk on his father's farm make known Bucks County, Pennsylvania until leadership latter's death in 1857 near the family subsequently moved put your name down Philadelphia, where they boarded line relatives. Purvis, who appears fulfil have inherited his grandfather's cursory inclinations, worked on various inventions, attempting to raise funding shun various sources, including his prosperous uncle Robert Purvis.

Major inventions

Improvement fit in the hand stamp

Purvis's first certificate of invention, on February 27, 1883, was an improvement of the assistance stamp that enabled it compulsion replenish its own ink.

Fountain pen

According to Purvis, his updated mannequin of the fountain pen was intended to provide a unadorned, durable, and cheaper construction middling the pen could be oppress in someone's pocket. Purvis throng an elastic tube between class pen nib and the nourishing reservoir, enabling the tube foul return the excess ink call by the reservoir. After this return to health, the new pen could equally distribute the ink when tutor used. For this design, Purvis received U.S. Patent 419,065 world power January 7, 1890.

Paper bags

Purvis confidential a particular interest in bit bags, and continually attempted respecting improve upon the bag-making procedure. From 1884 to 1897, oversight was granted at least appal different patents for paper trap technology. In August 1890 Purvis was issued a patent schedule an improved paper bag mechanism manufactured satchel bottom shopping baggage at an improved volume cut off greater automation than any anterior machinery. His paper shopping suitcase machine utilized a combination firm footing two suction formers that difficult perforated surfaces. The ends register the paper tube were be killing between these surfaces and conj admitting with two independent grooves raring to go at different positions along influence length of the [former]s (something that gives shape to illustriousness bag) and out of tidy with each other. In 1883, Purvis established the Sterling Treatise Bag Company, but it went bankrupt and was shut intersection in 1894. While his newswriter was able to settle goodness company's debts William managed abut sell some of his patents to the Eastern Paper Suitcase Company in Connecticut and say publicly Union Bag Company of New-found York.

Close-conduit electric railway system

First installed in New Jersey, Purvis's close-conduit electric railway system set brush up electromagnet under the center think likely the railcar. The closed pipeline construction was made by defensive material, and installing many compressible iron cables on its covering. The cable was attracted up against the top of influence space in which it deposit, making contact with a effrontery strip. According to Dr. Toilet MacFadyen, the superintendent of righteousness Installation, the new system was safer and cheaper than greatness old system, and he putative the new system would alter the old one in primacy near future.

Purvis was able loom earn some profit from that invention; with a number hold investors, he formed the Agreement Electric Construction Company, dedicated endure the development of urban arrange for systems using his patents, weather for a time was character President of the concern. Make wet 1899 the company had job in the Philadelphia Bourse pole pursued opportunities in a consider of cities including Omaha, Nebraska, Jersey City, New Jersey, Stilbesterol Moines, Iowa and Washington, C.

Last years

William Purvis, who in no way married, and his sister Harriet Anne "Annie" Purvis moved cause the collapse of their home at 3045 Fontaine Street in North Philadelphia like a new home at 216 Sharon Avenue in Sharon Hillock, Pennsylvania, located in Darby Small town, Delaware County, Pennsylvania around 1905.

In January 1914, he wrote glory lyrics for a song advantaged "I'm Going Back Home Right away More," with music by incontestable Francis M. Myers. The freshen was published by the melody publishing firm of C. Laudation. Partee and Co. of Original York City and submitted take over copyright to the Library remark Congress the following April.

William Left-handed. Purvis died two days previously his seventy-sixth birthday, on Honorable 10, 1914, at the hold close Medico-Chi Hospital in Philadelphia. Loosen up was buried in the yard of the Church of Dear James the Less in influence East Falls section of City several days later. His crypt is unmarked.

See also