W. F. Gammeter Co. Patent No. 527955 Sheet Metal Tongs.

I think I must have watched too many of those old black & white Sci. Fi Movies as a youngster when I first heard of reverse engineering...Anyhow long story short version I had to reverse engineer everything and I feel for every step forwards I must have taken twenty steps backwards.

So where do I begin...

For the very first time I have a patent number and I can not locate anything. I contacted GJ Member RTM for some help in this matter (Special thanks to RTM, he is a very busy man and I hate to bother people).

He located some 26 patents for this company but not the above patent, but he thought maybe Canada and off I went, some luck but alas no such patent.
Maybe a lost letter/no. Combo that is eluding me ???

OK I thought this must be a large Company located in Cadiz, Ohio my home state so off I went for Company information and nothing that I could find on the web. (I did find that the movie actor Clark Gable was born there). RTM found a paperweight that in part reads the company is having their 75 anniversary 1905-1980.

Ok not one to give up I started a search for the owner of the company and this is where things started getting dicey if you know what I mean.

I found a Man by the name of John Rudolph Gammeter 1876-1957 His story reads like a who's who of famous inventors, but it turns out somehow I think he might be a brother, but I am just not sure ???( He was 60 miles away in Akron, Ohio).

A little luck must have been on my side because I found a son of W.F. Gammeter, by the name of W. Keith Gammeter and in the obit it listed W.F. and Lotta Meade Gammeter his Mother & Father.

In the search for both parents I found A full name of William Frederick Gammeter and Lotta Brooks Gammewter (Born Meade).

William was born on March 29, 1871 in Ohio and Lotta was born on April 25th, 1873 in Salem, Columbiana Co. Ohio.

I wish I could tell you more information but just finding the above was a tug of war that I lost several times over. Anyhow a few pictures and a few links to look over. (If you get the chance the Ebay link shows up better then my pictures).

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-fairmont-tongs-hand-seamer-1954442162

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-fairmont-tongs-hand-seamer-2068590497

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-1980-gammeter-company-cadiz-496074395

https://patents.google.com/?inventor=William+F+Gammeter&sort=new

https://patents.google.com/?inventor=William+F+Gammeter&sort=new&page=1

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6007789/the-daily-reporter/

https://www.myheritage.com/names/john_gammeter

http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Edward-C.-Gammeter-33845275

woody

The "PAT." marking, in this case, is short for the United States Patent and Trademark Office, its full name, and "527955" is not a Patent No., it's the Trademark Registration No. for "FAIRMONT TONGS". Gametter is the manufacturer, but "FAIRMONT TONGS" was registered as a TM by Mr. Leo S. Benedict, of Fairmont, W.Va., on July 18, 1950.

EDIT: At the time he registered the name, he was making and selling them out of his own shop at his own residence, claiming first use in 1945. Gammeter was either making and selling them by license fees, or they bought Benedict out.

Very interesting I learned something new today.

Link to his TM application on USPTO TSDR is here.

Private Lugnutz said:

woody

The "PAT." marking, in this case, is short for the United States Patent and Trademark Office, its full name, and "527955" is not a Patent No., it's the Trademark Registration No. for "FAIRMONT TONGS". Gametter is the manufacturer, but "FAIRMONT TONGS" was registered as a TM by Mr. Leo S. Benedict, of Fairmont, W.Va., on July 18, 1950.

Click to expand...

Dang, didn’t think to go down that path. There are lots of listing for those things with that listed as a patent.

And no patent found for Leo in DATAMP.

Thanks for the education.

No problem. I learned it the hard way too, the first time I found a tool with a stumper of a "PAT." number that was actually signifying a "TM" number.