grease guns

[1930]

Anyone know the connection between Alemite and Bassick, did one get the others overflow ?
Patent # 1684080 shows the first link with Bassick that I can find and am unclear what might be going on.
Alot of the patents mention assignor by Mesne assignments, what does that mean? Who is Mesne in other words
Some of the patents mentioned assignor by mesne assignments to the bassick manuf company and some of them to Alemite??
Apparently Oscar had his full name added as alot of these patents read now by judicial change of name ... and the Ulysses is added, am I correct??

[rusty]

Mesne assignment just means a third party is involved, eg the inventor may have assigned the patent rights directly to someone who fronted him the money, who then assigned the patents to some company who in turn paid him.
(It doesn't have to be this scenerio, mesne just means there was someone in the middle, possably several someones) The alternative case is direct assignment, the inventtor assigned directly to the listed assignee.

Alemite was claimed a brand name of Bassick by 1923, so I guess they bought them just about then.

You may find this interesting:http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bassick_Manufacturing_Company_v._R._M._Hollingshead_Company/Opinion_of_the_Court

There were many,many more infringement suits....

Allyn-zerk also became part of Bassick on Dec 29, 1924, for the kingly sum of
410,066.67 .

After that it didn't matter much whose grease gun you *thought* you were buying...

[BRwrench]

I have several grease guns that are correct for the Model A Ford (1928-1931).  I just checked some of them out to see what was marked on them.  Some are marked --ALEMITE LUBRICATOR--    --ALEMITE MFG. CORP--                                                                        and others are marked --ALEMITE LUBRICATOR--   --THE BASSICK MFG. CO.--  The only difference between the two is the knerl on the filler cap.  This information doesn't mean alot I just thought it was intesting seeing how I have read that both of these are correct for the Model A.

[rusty]

It's weird, I see a 1923 ad for " the Alemite high pressure lubricating system from The Bassick Manufacturing Company"

But also a patent assignment to Allemite Mfg co, in 1929...

The only thing I can think is they aquired manufacturing and name rights....

-edit- - no wonder I am confused, there are 2 companies with the same name doing the same thing ....

From 'Encyclopedia of Conneticut biography'

"The war ended, the Bassick Com-
pany purchased the Alemite Lubricator
Company of Chicago, and organized the
Bassick Manufacturing Company. In 1923
the Bassick Alemite Company's Delaware
corporation was formed and it took over
the plants of the Bassick Company, the
Bassick Manufacturing Company, the
Alemite Products Company of Canada
and later the Allyne-Zerck Company of
Cleveland, Ohio, and the E. F. Evans
Company of Detroit, Michigan. The Bas-
sick Alemite Company was the holding
company, and was the parent of the Bas-
sick subsidiaries."

[1930]

quote.... Mesne assignment just means a third party is involved........
I think you told me this once before now that I read it, thanks again

[1930]

Any guesses on why the greas guns are marked the way they are, some marked Bassick only and some Alemite on guns after 1923. Why wouldnt they stick with one identification on the guns. I also notice for instance that some 7-Bs have patent #s on them if they are stamped Alemite and the Bassicks have less # on them.

[rusty]

>some marked Bassick only and some Alemite on guns after 1923...

I can only speculate, but, remember brand names and trade marks serve a dual purpose, they identify something to the buyer by using a name the buyer already knows (alemite) and they teach the buyer to become familiar with a brand/compant they don't yet know (Bassick).
I suspect a bit of corporate schitzophrenia here, changine the name means people don't know whose product it is, and won't buy it, keeping the name means people don't learn who you are...

Not an easy thing buying a product with a reputation...

>Bassicks have less # on them

Presumably they are later and the early patents have started to expire....you would have to work out the end dates for the patents and see if those are the numbers that stop appearing...

[1930]

Good speculation, thanks again