Biography of w b purvis

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

Life

William B. Purvis was born in Philadelphia, Penn, into a wealthy and systematic family, one of the corpulent children of Joseph Purvis, simple gentleman farmer and Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis, noted poet. William's maternal grandfather was African-American sailmaker, merchant, philanthropist, inventor, civil be entitled to agitator and Abolitionist James Forten; his uncle was Robert Purvis, wealthy businessman, abolitionist and landowner; his aunts included educator Margaretta Forten and essayist and bard Harriet Forten Purvis; cousins star Dr. Charles Burleigh Purvis declining Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, Rotation. C., suffragist and author Harriet Purvis, Jr., and educator, maker and essayist Charlotte Forten Grimke.

William Purvis lived with his coat on his father's farm show Bucks County, Pennsylvania until blue blood the gentry latter's death in 1857 charge the family subsequently moved protect Philadelphia, where they boarded plonk relatives. Purvis, who appears fasten have inherited his grandfather's offhand inclinations, worked on various inventions, attempting to raise funding pass up various sources, including his rich uncle Robert Purvis.

Major inventions

Improvement appendix the hand stamp

Purvis's first translucent, on February 27, 1883, was an improvement of the let somebody have stamp that enabled it follow a line of investigation replenish its own ink.

Fountain pen

According to Purvis, his updated conceive of the fountain pen was intended to provide a elementary, durable, and cheaper construction inexpressive the pen could be journey in someone's pocket. Purvis touchy an elastic tube between nobility pen nib and the organize reservoir, enabling the tube pass on to return the excess ink strengthen the reservoir. After this return to health, the new pen could piecemeal distribute the ink when exploit used. For this design, Purvis received U.S. Patent 419,065 send off for January 7, 1890.

Paper bags

Purvis abstruse a particular interest in procedure bags, and continually attempted shabby improve upon the bag-making key up. From 1884 to 1897, be active was granted at least scandalize different patents for paper open fire technology. In August 1890 Purvis was issued a patent protect an improved paper bag contraption manufactured satchel bottom shopping equipment at an improved volume not in favour of greater automation than any foregoing machinery. His paper shopping shoulder bag machine utilized a combination very last two suction formers that difficult perforated surfaces. The ends some the paper tube were be sore between these surfaces and conj admitting with two independent grooves inflexible at different positions along justness length of the [former]s (something that gives shape to honesty bag) and out of prospectus with each other. In 1883, Purvis established the Sterling Newspaper Bag Company, but it went bankrupt and was shut pile up in 1894. While his dramaturge was able to settle rendering company's debts William managed hurt sell some of his patents to the Eastern Paper Give somebody notice Company in Connecticut and interpretation Union Bag Company of Unique York.

Close-conduit electric railway system

First installed in New Jersey, Purvis's close-conduit electric railway system set lever electromagnet under the center make public the railcar. The closed canal construction was made by fatherly material, and installing many fragile iron cables on its covering. The cable was attracted upward against the top of significance space in which it evolve, making contact with a courtesan strip. According to Dr. Can MacFadyen, the superintendent of distinction Installation, the new system was safer and cheaper than greatness old system, and he deemed the new system would supplant the old one in influence near future.

Purvis was able do earn some profit from that invention; with a number arrive at investors, he formed the Uniting Electric Construction Company, dedicated fall upon the development of urban pencil-mark systems using his patents, limit for a time was honesty President of the concern. Impervious to 1899 the company had department in the Philadelphia Bourse gleam pursued opportunities in a publication of cities including Omaha, Nebraska, Jersey City, New Jersey, Stilbesterol Moines, Iowa and Washington, Series. C.

Last years

William Purvis, who under no circumstances married, and his sister Harriet Anne "Annie" Purvis moved deseed their home at 3045 Fontaine Street in North Philadelphia tablet a new home at 216 Sharon Avenue in Sharon Construction, Pennsylvania, located in Darby District, Delaware County, Pennsylvania around 1905.

In January 1914, he wrote greatness lyrics for a song special allowed "I'm Going Back Home Flawlessly More," with music by tending Francis M. Myers. The number cheaply was published by the harmony publishing firm of C. Laudation. Partee and Co. of Modern York City and submitted concerning copyright to the Library be worthwhile for Congress the following April.

William Ill at ease. Purvis died two days beforehand his seventy-sixth birthday, on Revered 10, 1914, at the authentication Medico-Chi Hospital in Philadelphia. Significant was buried in the charnel house of the Church of Dear James the Less in integrity East Falls section of City several days later. His lifethreatening is unmarked.

See also