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Flash of Genius film reveals dirty history of intermittent wiper
Click above to view Flash of Genius trailer
Considering that automakers today are racing to develop complex electric drive and alternative fuel technologies, it's amazing to realize that the biggest technological hurdle to overcome back in 1967 was getting wiper blades to operate intermittently. As it turns out, the history of how the intermittent wiper came to be is actually a dark tale in automotive history. Invented by college professor Robert Kearns in the late '60s, the technology was shopped around to every major automaker and Ford was the first to adopt it. Except the house that Henry built screwed Kearns out of not only the money he was due, but also the credit for developing what automakers themselves couldn't. That story has now been turned into a major motion picture called Flash of Genius that stars Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham (the mom from Gilmore Girls), Dermot Mulroney and Alan Alda. We wouldn't have thought a movie about windshield wipers would be very interesting, but the preview after the jump has us hooked. It's slated to open in theaters on October 17th courtesy of Universal.
Gallery: Flash of Genius
[Source: Flashofgenius.net]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
The Luigiian 7:36PM (9/23/2008)
Considering that Ford is about to apply for many billions of dollars in bailout money, this is not good timing for an anti-Ford movie. And I do consider the premise of this anti-Ford, considering the wiper inventor in question also sued GM and Chrysler over royalties.
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Julian 7:37PM (9/23/2008)
you had me at Lauren Graham...
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G-Meister 10:49AM (9/24/2008)
I think John gets his man-card punched for the Gilmore Girls reference.
StinkyPete 7:40PM (9/23/2008)
Karma...
Ditto on the Lauren Graham comment.
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Frank 7:44PM (9/23/2008)
Im a big FORD Guy. This movie is good regardless if it were GM or Chrylser.
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casey shain 7:54PM (9/23/2008)
i don't understand the timing.... i had a '64 Thunderbird for 30 yearsmy parents bought it brand new. It had variable rate windshield wipers. your pulled the right-hand side of a t-bar (the left was the washer), and you could have any of about 15 speeds, from once every 10 seconds or so, to about twice a second for downpours. i don't think i believe the entire premise of this movie!
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Brad 8:02PM (9/23/2008)
I just read the patent that Robert Kearns filed. The patent appears to not just be for intermittent wipers, but intermittent wipers that detect how wet the windshield is, and respond accordingly. And in response to the comments above, he only sued Ford and Chrysler; not GM.
The Luigiian 8:37PM (9/23/2008)
Apologies Brad.
The Luigiian 9:16PM (9/23/2008)
@Brad:
Apparently, Kearns wanted to sue all three major automakers, as well as a few Japanese and German automakers, but only won the suits against Ford and Chrysler. His suit against GM was dismissed because he didn't file the papers fast enough, and his suits against all the foreigners also failed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/26/obituaries/26kearns.html
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/02/25/005398.html
"Mr. Kearns sued the Ford Motor Company in 1978 and Chrysler in 1982, accusing them of patent infringement.
"In 1990, a jury decided that Ford had infringed on Mr. Kearns's patent, though it concluded that the infringement had not been deliberate. Ford contended that the patent was invalid because the windshield system contained no new concepts.
"But Mr. Kearns said a new combination of parts made his invention unique.
"That jury failed to agree on how much he should be awarded, and another jury later ordered Ford to pay Mr. Kearns $6.3 million, which a judge cut to $5.2 million.
"To settle the case, Ford later agreed to pay $10.2 million and to drop all appeals.
"Chrysler was ordered to pay Mr. Kearns $18.7 million and interest. The Supreme Court of the United States rejected Chrysler's bid to overturn the award in 1995.
"'I don't think the goal was the magnitude of the money,' Mr. Kearns said when the Ford case ended. He said his role 'was to defend the patent system.'
"Later, his lawsuit against General Motors was dismissed, as were his lawsuits against foreign carmakers. Much of the money he was awarded went to legal expenses."
AZMike 9:48PM (9/23/2008)
Casey,
those weren't intermittent wipers on the 1964 Thunderbird; those were hydraulically operated. they had multiple speeds, but never had a timed delay. they were also used on the Lincoln Continental.
according to my literature, the first year intermittent wipers were available on Ford products was in 1970; they were called interval wipers.
AZMike
Arthur Wiard 8:56PM (10/01/2008)
your vehicle did NOT contain the same invention, but an inferior bi-metal or electric unit that had terrbile quality isses including failure when the wiper balde was stalled from snow and ice and issues in high heat. Dr. Kearns invention was a brilliant combination of electronics that resolved these problems....that Ford, Chrysler and GM had been feverishing attempting to resolve....but Ford is the first one that liteally STOLE from him....
Randy 7:59PM (9/23/2008)
I just really can't believe the timing on this! You'd think Ford was running for President.
You know what they should do? Commercials, like NOW commemorating the inventor, give him credit where credit is due (if he had a patent of course) and mute the point! It was 40 years ago for God's sake!
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Brett- BMW Advo 8:23PM (9/23/2008)
that comment is a bit contradictory. it was 40 years ago so why give him credit now? this movie will only inform those, who care to see it, who the real inventor was.
-kudos to the prof from Detroit, i use my intermittent wipers all the time.
Samurai Jack 8:25PM (9/23/2008)
I believe the timing. When this movie was approved for production there wasn't an inkling of government loan guarantees for the auto industry. It has nothing to do with that. Watching the trailer I get the impression its really just a feel good story about an individual's triumph over a faceless corporation. It just happens to be Ford but it could just as easily have been General Electric.
In any event the loan guarantees are going to be scuttled by the size of the banking/financial sector rescue. A movie that relatively few people will see won't have nearly as large an effect on public opinion (or the public purse...) as that will.
Kotse 8:17PM (9/23/2008)
Why is it that this movie reminds me sorta like the old Tucker movie, a genius car engineer/inventor who outsmarts the Big 3+...and gets screwed by them in the process.
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chrisdavis 8:17PM (9/23/2008)
Anyone know why the intermittent wiper was unique to American cars for so long? It took Japanese cars forever to start using them.
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MJL 8:34PM (9/23/2008)
This is insane for me. I can remember so vividly when I was a little kid sitting in my dad's 1983 BMW 528e. He was trying to explain copyright and royalties to me. "Well," he said, seizing on the thing in front of him, "every time this little mechanism gets used in a car, the person who invented it gets a little bit of money."
Irony...
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Rocketboy 9:41AM (9/24/2008)
"seizing on the thing in front of him"
Perv.
nick 8:45PM (9/23/2008)
@Frank dont you mean your a BIG Ford guy? i actually have a brilliant idea for windsheild wipers but im not giving it out on this website!
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taipeileviathan 8:59PM (9/23/2008)
this looks like a great movie... underdogs ftw.
i just wikipedia'd the dude, robert kearns tho... spoiler alert, but he ended up receiving thirty million dollars when he finally won the court cases in 1995. that seems like a really small amount of money to me, given the prevalence and import of intermittent windshield wipers...
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