Konrad Zuse's 1936 patent - German text?
Dear list, Zuse's 1936 patent "Method for Automatic Execution of Calculations with the Aid of Computers" is reprinted in Brian Randell's "Origins of Digital Computers" collections. Does anyone know if/where I can get hold of the German original? Thanks in advance. Mark
Hi Mark, I found the following preliminary information by tracking the patent application number through the German Museum Archives and the World Intellectual Property Organization. I don't speak German, but perhaps these are good starting points: If you wouldn't mind an unofficial transcription of the application, it appears that you may find one here, thanks to the Zuse archive: http://zuse.zib.de/album/Uc4YiqKixaG2NAnK/item/EYgALUJiKnCyc9MH If you want to look at the original patent application, you may need to contact the German Museum Archives. Here is a link to an archive entry that may help you move forward: http://kalliope.staat sbibliothek-berlin.de/en/ead?ead.id=DE-210A_NL_207_0990. Did that specific patent application ever yield an actual published patent? According to WIPO, there's a patent filed in 1936 and issued to Zuse in 1954, but its filing date is May 9 1936, and not November 4, 1936 (as the Zuse archive document suggests). (https://patentscope. wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=DE99582118). I hope that this helps you to get started. I love finding patents, so please do keep me posted on how the search goes. Best, Con On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 at 2:58 AM, Mark Priestley <m.priestley@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear list,
Zuse's 1936 patent "Method for Automatic Execution of Calculations with the Aid of Computers" is reprinted in Brian Randell's "Origins of Digital Computers" collections. Does anyone know if/where I can get hold of the German original?
Thanks in advance.
Mark
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-- *Gerardo Con Diaz* Assistant Professor (Starting late June 2016) Science and Technology Studies University of California, Davis www.condiaz.com
Hi Mark, you might contact the Archive of the Deutsches Museum in Munich: http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/archives/ The head of the Deutsches Museum Archive Wilhelm Füßl and his co-head Matthias Roeschner will be pleased to help you to get access tu the Zuse papers. By the way, the first page of the patent application can be found on the internet page of the book project "Konrad Zuse – Ein Computerpionier im „Dritten Reich“ und im Nachkriegsdeutschland" (Konrad Zuse - a computer pioneer in Nazi Germany and in Postwar Germany) at http://www.deutsches-museum.de/forschung/forschungsbereiche/bereich-wtug/sch... My colleague Hans Dieter Hellige and I are writing a book on Zuse together with the head of the Deutsches Museum Archives, Wilhelm Füßl. Best, Ulf -- PD Dr. Ulf Hashagen Leitung / Head Forschungsinstitut für Technik- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte / The Research Institute for the History of Science and Technology Deutsches Museum Museumsinsel 1 80538 München / Munich Germany Tel. +49/(0)89/2179-453 Fax +49/(0)89/2179-239 u.hashagen@deutsches-museum.de http://www.deutsches-museum.de/forschung/wissenschaftl-mitarbeiter/pd-dr-ulf... Am 24.01.2017 um 11:58 schrieb Mark Priestley:
Dear list,
Zuse's 1936 patent "Method for Automatic Execution of Calculations with the Aid of Computers" is reprinted in Brian Randell's "Origins of Digital Computers" collections. Does anyone know if/where I can get hold of the German original?
Thanks in advance.
Mark
_______________________________________________ This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
Thanks everybody for the fascinating and helpful replies, both on and off list. Just to summarize wrt to this specific document, in case anyone's interested: * A typescript of a patent application, dated 9 April 1936 on the headed notepaper of patent attorney Dr-Ing. Bruno Wolf, is in the Deutsches Museum archives, and there's a photo of the first page on Ulf's book page at http://www.deutsches-museum.de/forschung/forschungsbereiche/bereich- wtug/schwerpunkt-i/cluster-2/konrad-zuse/ There's a handwritten note that says "angemeldet [registered?] 11.4.1936" and gives an application number (?) Z 23 139 IX/42 m. * A transcription of the German text (no diagrams) is at http://zuse.zib.de/album/Uc4YiqKixaG2NAnK/item/EYgALUJiKnCyc9MH * Brian Randell's "Origins" collection contains a partial English translation (omitting the claims). The bibliographic reference at the end of the book (the 3rd edition) gives a different patent application number, Z23624. I don't know if the application ever resulted in an actual patent being awarded. The DEPATISnet website doesn't list a Zuse patent with an application date in April 1936 (on a quick "beginners search", anyway :-) The 9 May 1936 application that Con referred to is different - the issued patent was for a "Mechanisches Schaltglied" ("Mechanical Switching Element"?) Cheers, Mark On 24 January 2017 at 10:58, Mark Priestley <m.priestley@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear list,
Zuse's 1936 patent "Method for Automatic Execution of Calculations with the Aid of Computers" is reprinted in Brian Randell's "Origins of Digital Computers" collections. Does anyone know if/where I can get hold of the German original?
Thanks in advance.
Mark
PS Here's a reference to the patent application number Z23624: http://kalliope.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/en/ead?ead.id=DE-210A_NL_207_0991 It appears to be a distinct application, dating from December 1936. Mark On 26 January 2017 at 11:48, Mark Priestley <m.priestley@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks everybody for the fascinating and helpful replies, both on and off list. Just to summarize wrt to this specific document, in case anyone's interested:
* A typescript of a patent application, dated 9 April 1936 on the headed notepaper of patent attorney Dr-Ing. Bruno Wolf, is in the Deutsches Museum archives, and there's a photo of the first page on Ulf's book page at http://www.deutsches-museum.de/forschung/forschungsbereiche/ bereich-wtug/schwerpunkt-i/cluster-2/konrad-zuse/ There's a handwritten note that says "angemeldet [registered?] 11.4.1936" and gives an application number (?) Z 23 139 IX/42 m.
* A transcription of the German text (no diagrams) is at http://zuse.zib.de/album/Uc4YiqKixaG2NAnK/item/EYgALUJiKnCyc9MH
* Brian Randell's "Origins" collection contains a partial English translation (omitting the claims). The bibliographic reference at the end of the book (the 3rd edition) gives a different patent application number, Z23624.
I don't know if the application ever resulted in an actual patent being awarded. The DEPATISnet website doesn't list a Zuse patent with an application date in April 1936 (on a quick "beginners search", anyway :-) The 9 May 1936 application that Con referred to is different - the issued patent was for a "Mechanisches Schaltglied" ("Mechanical Switching Element"?)
Cheers, Mark
On 24 January 2017 at 10:58, Mark Priestley <m.priestley@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear list,
Zuse's 1936 patent "Method for Automatic Execution of Calculations with the Aid of Computers" is reprinted in Brian Randell's "Origins of Digital Computers" collections. Does anyone know if/where I can get hold of the German original?
Thanks in advance.
Mark
participants (3)
-
Gerardo Con Diaz -
Mark Priestley -
Ulf Hashagen