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Post by the Scribe on Dec 5, 2020 1:19:24 GMT
Lloyd Groff Copeman(Linda's amazing maternal Grandfather)  Birthdate: December 28, 1881
Death: July 05, 1956 (74)
Immediate Family:
Son of John Wesley Copeman and Caroline Estelle Copeman
Husband of Hazel D. Copeman
Father of Lloyd Berger Berger Copeman; Ruth Mary Ronstadt and Elizabeth Jane Gerlach
Immediate Family
Hazel D. Copeman
wife
Lloyd Berger Berger Copeman
son
Ruth Mary Ronstadt
daughter
Elizabeth Jane Gerlach
daughter
John Wesley Copeman
father
Caroline Estelle Copeman
mother
About Lloyd Groff Copeman
American inventor Lloyd Groff Copeman had nearly 700 patents to his name. He invented an early form of the toaster, many refrigerator devices, the grease gun, the first electric stove, and an early form of the microwave oven. His flexible rubber ice cube tray earned him millions of dollars in royalties. You can walk into any store and find one of his inventions.
He was born on December 28, 1881. Copeman was raised by his Canadian parents on a farm in Hadley Township, Michigan which was later incorporated into Farmer's Creek, Michigan - located approximately 20 miles east of Flint, Michigan. He studied engineering at the former Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University.
His first successful patented inventions, in 1909, were the following: an electrothermostatic heat regulator for more effective control of stove and toaster heating elements, and a thermostat for high-tension power cables.
Before this, while working for the Washington Electric Company in 1906, Copeman developed a design for an electric version of the gas stoves which had been available in Britain and the USA for several decades. Development of the idea took several years, but in 1912 the Copeman Electric Stove Company was formed in the city of Flint, Michigan to produce the Copeman Electric Stove (also marketed as the "fireless cooker"). Westinghouse Electric Corporation bought the company in 1917, moved production to Mansfield, Ohio, and continued to develop and improve the stove.
From 1913, another of Copeman's inventions, a toaster with automatic bread turner, was also produced by the Copeman Electric Stove Company. Electric toasters were a recent invention at that time - the first commercially successful version was patented in July 1909 - and the bread had to be turned manually once the first side had been toasted. During a shopping trip, Copeman's wife Hazel gave them the idea for a toaster which turned the bread without manual intervention, and in 1914 a patent for what Copeman called the Automatic Toaster was filed in Hazel's name. Five other toaster-related patents were granted to both Lloyd and Hazel during the same year. The invention of the pop-up toaster in 1926 made Copeman's innovations redundant, however.
A company called Copeman Laboratories Company had been established in Flint, Michigan during the year 1918 to allow Copeman to dedicate his time to inventing, although he also spent a lot of time at his farm in Farmer's Creek, where he would lock himself in the basement - sometimes for up to a week, with his wife bringing him meals on a tray - and develop new ideas and products. Examples of his work at this time, which met with varying success, included injecting chickens with solutions to make their meat taste like beef; pioneering experiments in the development of latex; the Copeman Lubri-Cap, grease-filled paper cups for lubricating wheel bearings (the patent for this product was bought for $178,000 by the Alemite Manufacturing Corporation, the same corporation that also owned the patent rights to the Zerk fitting); Flexoline clothes lines, which are still manufactured today; a device to use dry ice to cool bottles of beer; self-extinguishing cigarettes; and a rust-reducing latex coating for motor vehicles.
Copeman's most successful and remunerative invention, however, was the rubber ice cube tray. One day in 1928, while walking through some woods collecting sap for maple syrup, he noticed that slush and ice flaked off his rubber boots easily, rather than adhering to them. Having recalled this incident over lunch with his patent attorney, he conducted experiments using rubber cups, and later set about designing and then patenting different types of tray: a metal tray with rubber separators, a metal tray with individual rubber cups, and a tray made completely of rubber. Sales from this invention earned Copeman approximately $500,000, equivalent to $10 million today.
Personal Life
He married Hazel in 1904 and they had three children: Lloyd Berger Copeman (1907–1968), Ruth Mary Copeman Ronstadt (1914–1982), and Elizabeth Jane Copeman Gerlach (1918–1998).
His granddaughter, Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt], is a legendary recording artist - who has been awarded a record 10 Grammy Awards to date - as well as one of the biggest-selling female singers of all time. Linda's mother was Ruth Mary Copeman Ronstadt, Lloyd's daughter.
Source: Wikipedia
Lloyd Groff Copeman's Timeline
1881
December 28, 1881
Birth of Lloyd Groff Copeman
1907
1907
Birth of Lloyd Berger Berger Copeman
1917
June 7, 1917
Birth of Ruth Mary Ronstadt
Flint, Genesee County, Michigan, United States
1918
1918
Birth of Elizabeth Jane Gerlach
1956
July 5, 1956
Age 74
Death of Lloyd Groff Copeman
www.geni.com/people/Lloyd-Copeman/6000000013623576105NEXT GENERATION:
conservatism.freeforums.net/thread/4200/ruth-mary-copeman-ronstadt
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Post by the Scribe on Dec 5, 2020 21:46:38 GMT
 www.flintexpats.com/2010/07/flint-portraits-lloyd-copeman.htmlFriday, July 16, 2010
Flint Portraits: Lloyd Copeman
Lloyd Copeman contemplating the boot that inspired one of his greatest inventions.
Like many great inventors, Lloyd Copeman didn't limit the scope of his imagination when he was living at 1416 Calumet off East Court in Flint. He is credited with inventing a self-extinguishing cigarette, an early form of the microwave oven, and the first electric stove. Along the way he revolutionized how we make toast and patented dozens of other ideas.
Copeman's best loved invention may be the flexible rubber ice cube tray, which earned him $500,000 in the late twenties.
"Copeman had been gathering sap 'just for the fun of it,' and slush collected and gradually froze on his boots," Anita K. Clever wrote in a 1954 Popular Mechanics profile. "When he returned from the jaunt he sat down and dreamily regarded his footwear, an act of contemplation, which lead to the ice-cube-tray idea. It was one of the many to be conceived by Copeman which would ease the daily burdens of the house-wife and others."
Copeman brought a touch of class to a familiar Flint pastime — drinking — with this beer chiller. A center cylinder filled with dry ice released carbonic gas through the beer.
Copeman, who once admitted that “some of my neighbors are certain I’m balmy," was fond of using family members to refine his inventions.
"After buying his wife a new car for Christmas, Copeman proceeded to cover the exterior with a coating of rubber latex, cutting the latex out of the windows," writes Marsha J. Davenport. "For the life of that car, it went everywhere with the mud colored coating of latex. Perhaps it was due to the unseemly appearance the latex lent to the automobile that the process never received a patent, but for whatever reason, this was one of Copeman’s inventive ideas whose time had not yet come, due perhaps to inadequate technology."
www.lloydcopeman.com/biography/bio1.html
Copeman knew Edison, Ford, C.S. Mott and J.D. Dort, but his granddaughter is also a household name — Linda Ronstadt.
In his later years, Copeman turned his creative energies to birdhouses.
at 8:47 AM
23 comments:
AnonymousJuly 16, 2010 at 10:11 AM
According to an old copy of a book that was titled something like "Michigan Social Register" found at a garage sale, Lloyd Copeman lived parts of his life on a farm near Hadley on Baldwin Rd. (the Baldwin Rd. that goes from Pontiac to Lapeer). The entry stated that the Copeman family vacationed in Tucson, Arizona. From what can be extrapolated, this is apparently how the Copemans met the Ronstadts. Tucson was a small town then.
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JWillyJuly 16, 2010 at 12:02 PM
Thank you for this story.
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unclebuckJuly 16, 2010 at 6:37 PM
Mr. Copeman is my kind of guy. I wonder if he is the one that Copeman Blvd. was named for. I used to hunt pheasants on some of those farms out on Baldwin Rd. when it was all ag. country 60 years ago. Good story Gordie.
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AnonymousJuly 16, 2010 at 6:54 PM
It was definitely the "Michigan Social Register", but the book was boxed up to make room for other books on the bookshelf, and I can't lay my hands on it, Unclebuck. It gave the address. As I recall, it was north of Pratt Rd. on Baldwin Rd. Pratt Rd. is the road that Hill Rd. turns into as you travel from M-15 past the Genesee-Lapeer County Line and into Hadley. Someone told me recently that they thought the farm was still there with a bright red barn.
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JWillyJuly 17, 2010 at 10:45 PM
I note the "1416 Calumet" reference at LloydCopeman.com, but for those who are interested, the pictured house at that website is actually at 1458 Calumet. That's the south side of the street, at the corner of Beard.
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JWillyJuly 18, 2010 at 1:00 AM
According to the Google Books copy of Who's Who in Engineering, 1922 edition, Copeman was then living at 1715 Martin Luther King Avenue (then Detroit Street). That's near the corner of Stockdale, a block north of Welch. At that time, he already had licensed the electric stove to Westinghouse, and was employed by them as a consulting engineer in addition to his ongoing Copeman Labs activity.
Copeman's name also shows up in a number of patent enforcement legal actions. Apparently he was aggressive about infringement.
The only info I've found for the location of Copeman Laboratories during the '10s and '20s is for 424 N. Saginaw Street. Anyone know of any other leads?
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JWillyJuly 18, 2010 at 1:52 AM
A clarification of my comment above about the Copeman home. It's at 1458 Calumet **in Google Earth**. Probably 1416 is the actual street number, but Google Earth's Street View system is regularly off by small amounts.
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Gerry GodinJuly 18, 2010 at 4:03 AM
He was a very interesting person. His stove co. in Flint was an original Durant-Dort factory. Durant-Dort Factories East of Saginaw Street.
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Stay PositiveJuly 18, 2010 at 9:16 AM
Interesting about the ancestors of at least three singers being Physicists/Engineers/Inventors. Olivia Newton-John's grandfather was Physicist Max Born. Joan Baez's father was Physicist Albert Baez. I've heard of a Musical Ability/Mathematical Ability link since I was at Longellow, JWilly.
One of the website's said that Lloyd Copeman's wife had allergies and asthma, explaining both the air conditioning patents and the Tucson, Arizona vacations common at that time for those so afflicted.
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Stay PositiveJuly 18, 2010 at 2:01 PM
I had seen that Flint City Directory before online from 1922 before, JWilly. It's interesting to look up surnames of people you knew over the years. Sometimes there's just a small bit of infomation that confirms or adds to other knowledge you may have had about a person or family. For example, if a person worked for a certain smaller company, and their same surnamed possible descendants worked for the same company, that may be a good indication of a connection. And the information rolls in from the strangest sources sometimes.
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djkoolchrisJuly 19, 2010 at 7:07 AM
Wow, that is pretty cool. I live in that house currently, and it is 1416 Calumet. I better get inventing.
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djkoolchrisJuly 19, 2010 at 7:08 AM
BTW, the blog is great Gordie. I check it from time to time, but my sister Mary Ebbott emailed this to me today. Keep up the good work. Chris
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Gordon YoungJuly 19, 2010 at 7:11 AM
Chris, you should hunt around in the attic in case there are any undiscovered inventions up there. I stayed near your house when I was in Flint this summer. It's in great shape.
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Gordon YoungJuly 19, 2010 at 7:13 AM
I forgot to add that Lloyd Copeman's clothing in the top photo matches the weekend work clothes my grandpa always used to wear. He was pretty much in a suit or those work clothes every time I ever saw him in Flint.
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AnonymousJuly 19, 2010 at 11:13 AM
djkoolchris, you'll never be able to play a Linda Ronstadt track again without telling people that you lived in her Grandparents' house in Flint, especially when all we hear about is that her ancestors were from Mexico!
From what I have read in the past, in a Flint Journal article from the 1980s, she used to visit her Grandparents in Flint when she was young.
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AnonymousSeptember 6, 2010 at 7:31 PM
I just learned of the Linda Ronstadt connection while doing research. I have 14 6x8 inch photo negatives of the farm on Baldwin Rd. They were taken about 1938 by a local photographer (David Chown?). Shows farm, fields, house, barns, dairy herd, hay stacks, etc. Not sure yet if 1416 Calumet St house in included.
Good stuff!!
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Gordon YoungSeptember 6, 2010 at 7:43 PM
Daryl, if you ever get around to digitizing those large format negatives, feel free to send them my way. I'd love to update this post with some photos. Thanks.
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AnonymousSeptember 6, 2010 at 7:50 PM
I wish I had a way to do that. I have hundreds of old negatives but I can not find a large format scanner that I can afford.
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AnonymousSeptember 6, 2010 at 9:09 PM
I have hundreds of old negatives. I would love to digitze them but can not find a scanner that I can afford.
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AnonymousDecember 9, 2010 at 12:10 PM
I went by 1416 the other day. 1416 is at the corner of Beard St and Calumet St. It is on the SW corner.
By the way, I have acquired a scanner and have scanned the Copeman negatives. I am selling prints. I have many Lapeer area images from the 30s and 40s. I have been listing them on Ebay. If you are interested I can send you a contact sheet showing all that are available at this time. 8x10s are $12.99 and 11x14s are $19.99. S&H is $4.95. Contact me at sofasurferlinux@charter.net
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AnonymousFebruary 1, 2012 at 6:41 AM
A Biography of Linda Ronstast appears online and other places that refers to the Copeman farm as being on Sashabaw Rd. I believe what Linda Ronstadt may have said at a concert at Pine Knob was that her grandfather's farm was just down the road, not Sasahabaw Rd. You could get there from Pine Knob by heading up Sashabaw Rd., but you'd have to cut over to Baldwin Rd. at some point. I thus believe that the Biography is inaccurate. As a famous Clarkston area landmark which appears in "Roger and Me" reads, "Are you on the right road?".
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AnonymousAugust 23, 2013 at 9:30 PM
I was saddened to hear this evening that Linda Ronstadt has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and may never be able to sing again. I hope and pray that she and others with this horrible disease have a miraculous recovery or cure.
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AnonymousFebruary 1, 2015 at 10:08 AM
Found while looking for Snow Boots-1946 Michigan Social Register. Address of Lloyd Copeman's farm was 3296 Baldwin Rd., Metamora, MI. There is indeed a red barn still there as someone described. There is a house and attached outbuilding across the street. It is unclear whether or not those two properties are connected. C.S. Mott described in a letter that Mr. Copeman had chicken coops there and was experimenting with egg production. In a new biography of Linda Ronstadt, it indicates in a truncated version of her Michigan connections, that C.S. Mott was more than an acquaintance, and that he spent time with the Copemans in their Winter home in Tucson. So it comes full circle, with Lloyd's vinyl boots and avoiding snow in Tucson.
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Post by the Scribe on May 13, 2022 10:36:03 GMT
 Worldwide Independent
Inventors Association
Washington D.C., USA
Lloyd Groff Copeman – Devising The First Electric Stove
worldwideinvention.com/lloyd-groff-copeman-devising-the-first-electric-stove/
Lloyd Groff Copeman (28 December 1881 – 5 July 1956) was a prolific and successful American inventor who was responsible for devising the first electric stove, an early form of the microwave oven and the flexible rubber ice cube tray, among other products. Mr. Copeman was raised by his Canadian parents on a farm in Farmer’s Creek, Michigan which is located east of Flint. He studied engineering at the former Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University.
Career
Although he is not well-known today, Copeman developed many inventions and ideas that benefited many people. He has nearly seven hundred patents in his name. He once told his grandson that he could walk into any store and find one of his inventions.
His first successful patented inventions, in 1909, were as following: an electrothermostatic heat regulator for more effective control of stove and toaster heating elements, and a thermostat for high-tension power cables.
Before this, while working for the Washington Electric Company in 1906, Copeman developed a design for an electric version of the gas stoves which had been available in Britain and the USA for several decades. Development of the idea took several years, but in 1912 the Copeman Electric Stove Company was formed in Flint to produce the Copeman Electric Stove (also marketed as the “fireless cooker”). Westinghouse Electric Corporation bought the company in 1917, moved production to Mansfield, Ohio, and continued to develop and improve the stove.
From 1913, another of Copeman’s inventions, a toaster with automatic bread turner, was also produced by the Copeman Electric Stove Company. Electric toasters were a recent invention at that time – the first commercially successful version was patented in July 1909 – and the bread had to be turned manually once the first side had been toasted. During a shopping trip, Copeman’s wife Hazel gave them the idea for a toaster which turned the bread without manual intervention, and in 1914 a patent for what Copeman called the Automatic Toaster was filed in Hazel’s name. Five other toaster-related patents were granted to both Lloyd and Hazel during the same year. The invention of the pop-up toaster in 1926 made Copeman’s innovations redundant, however.
A company called Copeman Laboratories Company had been established by 1918 in Flint to allow Copeman to dedicate his time to inventing, although he also spent a lot of time at his farm in Farmer’s Creek, where he would lock himself in the basement – sometimes for up to a week, with his wife bringing him meals on a tray – and develop new ideas and products. Examples of his work at this time, which met with varying success, included injecting chickens with solutions to make their meat taste like beef; pioneering experiments in the development of latex; the Copeman Lubri-Cap, grease-filled paper cups for lubricating wheel bearings (the patent for this product was bought for $178,000 by the Alemite Company, which was active in that industry); Flexoline clothes lines, which are still manufactured today; a device to use dry ice to cool bottles of beer; self-extinguishing cigarettes; and a rust-reducing latex coating for motor vehicles.
Copeman’s most successful and remunerative invention, however, was the rubber ice cube tray. One day in 1928, while walking through some woods collecting sap for maple syrup, he noticed that slush and ice flaked off his rubber boots easily, rather than adhering to them. Having recalled this incident over lunch with his patent attorney, he conducted experiments using rubber cups, and later set about designing and then patenting different types of tray: a metal tray with rubber separators, a metal tray with individual rubber cups, and a tray made completely of rubber. Sales from this invention earned Copeman approximately $500,000, equivalent to $10 million today.
Personal life
He married Hazel in 1904 and they had three children: Lloyd Berger Copeman (1907-1968), Ruth Mary Copeman Ronstadt (1914-1982), and Elizabeth Jane Copeman Gerlach (1918-1998).
His daughter Ruth Mary Copeman Ronstadt was the mother of multi-Grammy Award winning and multi-platinum selling singer Linda Ronstadt.
Patents
11 March 1913 U.S. Patent 1,055,446 Thermostat and thermometer
5 August 1913 U.S. Patent 1,069,531 Electric switch
28 July 1914 U.S. Patent 1,104,718 Time-operating mechanism for electric switches
25 August 1914 U.S. Patent 1,108,552 Toast turner
25 August 1914 U.S. Patent 1,108,553 Toast turner
25 August 1914 U.S. Patent 1,108,554 Toaster
6 October 1914 U.S. Patent 1,113,154 Safety device for electrically heated cooking apparatus
1915-1919
1915
Electrical heating unit. No. 1,138,733; May 11
Electromagnetic switch. No. 1,141,174; June 1
Electric stove. No. 1,141,175; June 1
Electrically heated oven. No. 1,141,176; June 1
1916
Automatically controlled electrical cooking apparatus. No. 1,180,571; April 25
Collapsible grease-capsule. No. 1,190,382; July 11
1917
Grease-cup. No. 1,222,185; April 10
1918
Grease-cup. No. 1,269,159; June 11
Grease-cup. No. 1,287,889; June 11
Drill. No. 1,264370; April 30
Grease-cup. No. 1,287,889; December 17
1919
Grease-cup. No. 1,294,773; February 18
Grease-cup. No. 1,300,699; April 15
Adjustable thermometer. No. 1,312,834
Grease-cup. No. 1,292,594
Grease-cup. No. 1,314,073; August 26
Shank and handle. No. 1,314,078; August 26
1920-1929
1920
Heating apparatus. No. 1,336,552; April 13
Adjustable thermostat. No. 1,349,364
Toaster. No. 1,356,042; October 19
Tool holder. No. 1,361,021; December 7
1921
Refrigeration apparatus. No. 1,396,996
Grease-cup. No. 1,368,546; February 15
Grease-cup. No. 1,395,336; November 1
1922
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,409,283; March 14
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,415,992; May 16
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,430,153; September 26
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,430,154; September 26
1923
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 163,419; July 31
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,472,266; October 30
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,472,267; October 30
Refrigerator. No. 1,444,589; February 6
1924
Refrigerator latch. Re. 15,908; September 2
Refrigerator latch. No. 1,489,918; April 8
Refrigerator door construction. No. 1,503,486; August 5
Refrigerator lining. No. 1,509,932; September 30
Casting and plastic materials. No. 1,515,150; November 11
Casting stone. No. 1,518,254; December 9
Water control for refrigerating system. No. 1,519,757; December 16
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,517,534; December 2
1925
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,526,964; February 17
Wall construction. No. 1,526,965; February 17
Molding the shells of refrigerators. No. 1,538,467; May 19
Casting refrigerator doors. No. 1,538,467; May 19
Refrigerator. No. 1,538,469; May 19
Collapsible molding dies. No. 1,538,471; May 19
Refrigerator construction. No. 1,542,862; June 23
Refrigerator. No. 1,548,825; August 11
Bushing construction. No. 1,564,947; December 8
Refrigerator doors. No. 1,564,948; December 8
1926
Refrigerator manufacture. No. 1,570,617; January 26
Refrigerator construction. No. 1,574,868; March 2
Refrigerator. No. 1,603,905; October 19
Refrigerator apparatus. No. 1,585,016; May 18
1927
Refrigerator construction. No. 1,644,981; October 11
Drinking water supply for refrigerators. No. 1,618,514; February 22
Water cooler. No. 1,633,372; June 21
Match-plate pattern. No. 1,644,968; October 4
Refrigerator. No. 1,644,983; October 11
Refrigerator. No. 1,644,984; October 11
Refrigerator manufacture. No. 1,644,985; October 11
Refrigerator construction. No. 1,644,986; October 11
Refrigerator. No. 1,644,987; October 11
Cabinet construction and building the same. No. 1,644,988; October 11
1928
Sharp freezing container for mechanical refrigerators. No. 1,675,599; July 3
Refrigerator cabinet and controlling the temperature therein. No. 1,618,398; August 21
Table top construction. No. 1,656,422; January 17
Method and apparatus for accelerating setting of stone castings. No. 1,656,423; January 17
Making match plate patterns. No. 1667,720; May 1
Stone mold. No. 1,667,721; May 1
Match plate pattern. No. 1,667722; May 1
Table top construction. No. 1,667,723; may 1
Container for power refrigeration. No. 1,671,761; May 29
Cooling unit for refrigeration apparatus. No. 1,671,762; May 29
Refrigerating cabinet and controlling and operating the same. No. 1,681,399; August 21
Refrigerator or cabinet. No. 1,692,159; November 20
1929
Balloon construction. No. 1,714,097; May 21
Sharp freezing container for mechanical refrigerators. Re. 17,278; April 23, Re. 17,279; April 23
Table top construction. No. 1,700,155; January 29
Making stone castings. No. 1,700,156; January 29
Table. No. 1,701,529; February 12
Refrigerating device. No. 1,703,299; February 26
Artificial stone refrigerator and forming the same. No. 1,703,511; February 26
Refrigerator cabinet. No. 1,710,405; April 23
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,710,406; April 23
Method and apparatus for forming and maintaining sanitation in ice cream cabinets or the like.
No. 1,711,721; May 7
Storage compartments for ice cream cabinets or the like. No. 1,711,722; May 7
Flexible sharp freezing container. No. 1,740,919; December 24
1930-1939
1939 Refrigerating unit. No. 1,744,038; January 21
Method of refrigerator manufacture. No. 1,757,450; May 6
Water cooler. No. 1,771,433; July 29
Sharp freezing container. No. 1,777,483; October 7
Refrigerator cabinet. No. 1,777,786; October 7
Refrigerator. No. 1,777,787; October 7
Refrigerating unit of fired ceramic material. No. 1,781,778; November 18
Method and apparatus for positioning and sealing ice cram cans in ice cream cabinets.
No. 1,786,827; December 30
1931
Ice cream cabinet. No. 1,789.587; January 20
Sharp freezing container for ice cream cabinets. No. 1,807,587; June 2
Dispensing unit embodying mechanical refrigerator. No. 1,811,456; June 23
Sharp freezing unit. No. 1,816,211; July 28
Refrigerating unit. No. 1,816,638; July 28
Sharp freezing container. No.1,817,544; August 4
Sharp freezing container. No.1,817,545; August 4
Refrigerating apparatus and heat transfer therein. No. 1,818,673; August 11
Unit formed partially of fired ceramic material. No. 1,822,013; September 8
Apparatus for controlling the temperature of unit containers. No 1,824,535; September 22
1932
Sharp freezing unit. No. 1,839,651; January 5
Refrigerating system. No. 1,840,619; January 12
Refrigerating system. No. 1,840,702; January 12
Cooling chamber for mechanical refrigerating unit. No. 1,872,685; August 23
Method and apparatus for freezing liquids. No. 1,878,685; August 23
Flexible sharp freezing container. No. 1,879,602; September 27
Refrigerating unit. No. 1,879,922; September 27
Sharp freezing structure. No. 1,882,209; October 11
Method and apparatus for refrigerating. No. 1,887,580; November 15
1933
Refrigerating apparatus. No. 1,902,016; March 21
Cooling unit. No. 1,912,826; June 6
Cooling unit construction. No. 1,912,827; June 6
Mold construction for reproduction of patterns in rubber. No. 1,913,747; June 13
Clothespin. No. 1,916,556; July 4
Closure member and forming and applying. No. 1,916,857; July 4
1934
Refrigerating system. Re. 19,055; January 16
Storage and dispensing unit for frozen foods. No. 1,952,422; March 27
Treating fruit or other growing vegetable matter. No. 1,955,950; April 24
Waterproof and puncture-proof paper. No. 1,976,329; October 9
1935
Refrigerator structure. No. 2,002,339; May 21
Method and apparatus for cooling beer. No. 2,010,060; August 6
Protective coatings and applying and removing. No. 2,020,256; November 5
1936
No patents
1937
Protective coating and applying and removing. No. 2,082,791; June 8
Bucket and bucket protector. No. 2,071,112; February 16
Dispensing device for sheet rubber deposited from an aqueous dispersion of rubber and forming the same. No. 2,075,178; March 30
Device for making and storing ice. No. 2,088,840; August 3
Method and apparatus for conditioning and dispensing beer. No. 2,075,088; October 19
1938
Concrete or cement structure. No. 2,112,452; March 29
Apparatus for handling ice cubes. No. 2,113,014; April 5
Refrigerating structure. No. 2,114,996; April 26
Protecting and forming pre-finished metal. No. 2,120,461; June 14
Protective coating and process of applying and removing. No. 2,132,230; June 14
Package structure. No. 2,134,908; November 1
1939
Bird shelter. No. 2,151,010; March 21
Mounting bracket. No. 2,184,633; December 26
Dispensing device for sheet rubber deposited from an aqueous dispersion of rubber and forming and using same. Re. 21,065; May 2
Protective coating and applying and removing. No. 2,169,225; August 15
Coating knit articles and products thereof. No. 2,172,251; September 5
Portable beverage conditioning and dispending apparatus. No. 2,182,116; December 5
Coating knit articles and products thereof. Re. 21,269; November 21
1940-1949
1940 Bird feeding station. No. 2,216,511; October 1
Birdhouse. No. 2,219,297; October 29
Cigarette and treating the same. No. 2,185,293; January 2
1941
Suet Cake container. No. 2,235,959; March 25
Flour sifter combination. No. 2,252,701; August 19
Container for confections. No. 2,248,963; July 15
1942
Collapsible birdhouse. No. 2,292,614; August 11
Birdhouse construction. No. 2,295,891; September 15
Treating textile fabrics and the products thereof. No. 2,281,830; May 5
1943
Clothesline. No. 2,318,275; May 4
Dispensing and using rubber. No. 2,307020; January 5
Closure member and applying same. No. 2,356,825; August 29
1945
No patents listed
1946
No patents listed
1947
No patents listed
1948
No patents listed
1949
Cream separator. No. 2,477,863; August 2
Apparatus for dispensing ice cubes. No. 2,484,017; October 11
1950-1957
1950
Ice tray. No. 2,514,476; July 11
Hand tool for agriculture implements. No. 2,528,947; November 7
1951
Method and apparatus for the manufacture of cigarettes. No. 2,543,277; February 27
1952
Spill guard for ice tray. No. 2,593,106; April 15
1953
Tractor hitch. No. 2,627,423; February 2
Bottle closure. No. 2,634,012; April 7
1954
2,688,236; Cl. 62-108.5
(Kisselle-ice tray grid) 2,671,321; March 9
1955
2,712,666; Cl. 15-142
2,704,732; Cl. 117-155
1956
Copeman, Lloyd Groff deceased; Elizabeth Jane (Betty), Gerlach, executrix Portable beverage conditioning and dispensing apparatus. No. 2,749,719; June 12
Cl. 62-91.5
1957
Moisture impervious container. No. 2,781,159; February 12
Cl. 229-16
References
1. ^ Biography.
2. ^ Biography.
3. ^ Toaster History – Invention of the Toaster.
4. ^ Ronstadt Interview – Discussing her Inventor Grandfather.
5. ^ Biography.
6. ^ GoingInStyle Travel Accessories: Flexoline.
7. ^ Biography.
8. ^ Assignor: Hazel B. Copeman
Footnotes
* Lloyd Copeman – Prolific US Inventor (1881-1956)
* Absolute Michigan – Lloyd Groff Copeman: The Patent Man
* The Toaster Museum
* The Great Idea Finder, Toaster
* Ronstadt: The Gamble Pays Off Big: an exclusive interview, Family Weekly, January 8, 1984, My maternal grandfather was also an inventor
* Linda Down The Wind,Time Magazine, February 28, 1977, Linda’s maternal grandfather was Lloyd Copeman
* Popular Mechanics, 1955 |
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Post by the Scribe on Oct 5, 2023 21:19:01 GMT
Lloyd Copeman
Forgotten Inventor
www.mycitymag.com/lloyd-copeman-forgotten-inventor/
BY CHERYL DENNISON ON DECEMBER 1, 2017 MY HISTORY
Did you know that the rubber ice cube tray, electric stove and automatic electric toaster were invented right here in Flint? Often referred to as the “forgotten inventor” Lloyd Groff Copeman was born and raised just east of Flint in Farmers Creek in Lapeer County. He attended a one-room school and Michigan Agricultural College, which is now Michigan State University. He later became a well-known entrepreneur.
His interest in inventing things became evident when he was very young. According to Michigan History Magazine, when he was just ten years old, Copeman invented a clock-like instrument that turned his father’s grindstone automatically. This eliminated the need to turn it by hand, giving him freedom to swim or fish.
Lloyd_Groff_Copeman1
Copeman worked at various jobs with electric companies and followed his childhood sweetheart, Hazel Berger, to Washington state, where they married in 1904 and had three children; Lloyd Berger Copeman (1907-1968), Ruth Mary Copeman Ronstadt (1914-1982), and Elizabeth Jane Copeman Gerlach (1918-1998). Copeman’s granddaughter is also a household name: singer, Linda Ronstadt.
After a few years, the couple returned to Flint and Copeman began inventing in earnest. In 1912, the Copeman Electric Stove Company was formed in Flint, in what became known as the Copeman Building. One of his most well known inventions was the first heat-regulated electric stove, called a “fireless cooker.” The first electric stoves produced by the company had the appearance of an old-fashioned, heavily insulated, oak-clad icebox. Round, removable hot plates were plugged into outlets located on the top and inside the small ovens.
When he told J. Dallas Dort about the idea of an electric stove, Dort grabbed a telephone on the spot to recruit stockholders. He and 22 stockholders raised $500,000 to form the Copeman Electric Stove Company. The company also produced a toaster that toasted bread on both sides. Before that, electric toasters only toasted bread on one side and then it was flipped by hand to toast the other side. Copeman’s toaster turned the bread without the user having to touch it.
In a 1954 interview in Popular Mechanics, it was said that in 1918, Copeman was alone in a booth at a Philadelphia convention where various manufacturers were demonstrating their products before potential distributors. An elderly gentleman stopped and expressed interest in Copeman’s stove. “And how are you doing with your product, young man?” the gentleman asked. “Well, we’ve got a good product, but darned poor sales organization – that’s me,” Copeman said. “We have a good sales organization and no likely cooking products,” the inquiring man replied. He was president of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. In a few days, a deal was made in which Westinghouse absorbed the Copeman Electric Stove Company.
LloydWagon
His biggest money-maker, however, was the rubber ice cube tray. One day, while collecting sap for maple syrup in the woods, he noticed that frozen slush flaked off his rubber boots easily. He designed and patented a rubber tray, and sales from that invention earned Copeman $500,000.
But not all of his inventions were successful. Copeman wanted to make game hunting more comfortable, so he made a chair that attached to a hunter’s backside. When the hunter wanted to sit, he would simply bend and the seat automatically folded out. The catchphrase was, “Rig your rear with Copeman’s gear.”
Like many great inventors, Copeman didn’t limit the scope of his imagination. During his time living in Flint at 1416 Calumet Street off East Court Street, he is credited with inventing a self-extinguishing cigarette and an early form of the microwave oven, as well as patented dozens of other ideas. Copeman once told his grandson that he could walk into any store and find one of his inventions.
Although he is not well known today, Copeman developed many inventions and ideas that benefited many people. He continued inventing nearly until his death in 1956, receiving between 600 and 650 patents from Canada and the United States.
LloydBasement
Copeman’s numerous contributions have been for the improvement of society and our lives. His grandson, Kent Copeman was quoted: “My grandfather was one of those inventors who have long been forgotten, but truly deserves to be recognized for their accomplishments.”
Source: Michigan History Magazine and lloydcopeman.com
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