Odd thoughts about the Wright Flier

The core of their claim was based on wing-warping, which was previously patented in 1898 by Mouilliard. Lilienthal also experimented with wing warping in the late 1890's. US Patent law is based on "first to invent", not "first to run to the patent office".

The US Patent office (to this day) relies on outside challenges to check patent decisions where they have limited in-house expertise, but in the case of the Wright patent, many secretive tactics, delays, and a powerful judge helped them avoid these challenges.

Although wing-warping is only one form of "lateral control", the Wrights were successful in preventing others from using ANY form of lateral control (fixed flaps, ailerons, etc.). Broad claims like this are an abuse of the patent system and are usually denied, and often reversed or narowed when challenged.

There are also the ethical abuses beyond the legal ones. The one that seems to bother many people the most if to hold a patent, avoid showing public demonstrations, and not actually developing a product for years based on it, while holding out for exaggerating licensing fees. One purpose of patents is to protect the inventor for a period of time, but the other purpose is to promote growth by introducing useful advancements into society (and the economy). The Wrights withheld details for several years and finally did their first public demonstration in the US in 1908 for the US Army (in which the passenger was killed). This is after many others had done public flights around the world with better designs, while the Wrights sent lawyers after them even when there was no wing-warping in the others' designs.

Tedious, I know. But you asked! ;)

-John

Mouillard's patent was not for the purpose of lateral control, it was for a horizontal steering apparatus. A substitute for an ordinary ship-like rudder.