Talk:Orville Carlisle

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This article, for the most part, is based on G. Harry Stine's article in Sport Rocketry, with some of the information at the end referenced from a tribute to Stine I found online. This article still has some holes which I have yet been unable to fill, including:

How did Estes produce model rockets if they were patented by Carlisle? Did he receive royalties? Or sell the rights?

G.Harry Stine states in his Nov. 1997 Model Rocketeer article, "The Beginning of the Model Rocket Industry" that MMI which was a stine/carlise, et al endeavor, was to pay Carlisle $0.25 royalty on each kit and $0.01 royalty on each motor.

As far as how did Estes produce model rockets (and model rocket motors) if they were patented by Carlisle. Simple: Estes infringed on his patent, and Carlisle sued Estes and Carlisle lost his patent. From a 4/88 Chicago Tribune article titled " You could call it a Hall of Flame", "After three years of a legal battle with a model-rocket firm that was to produce his propellant, he lost his exclusive patent rights on a technicality known as "failure to give adequate notice of infringement."

From Terry Dean's "Early Model Rocket History Timeline":

8/30/54 Orv H. Carlisle applies for "Toy Rocket" Patent #2,841,084

7/1/58 Orv H. Carlisle receives patent # 2,841,084 on "Toy Rocket"

7/58 Vernon Estes(NAR #380) walks into MMI offices and announces he can make model rocket motors "better and cheaper."

7/58 Vernon Estes starts work on creating "MABEL-1", the worlds first automated model rocket motor machine.

1/16/59 Vern Estes' "MABEL-1" spits out 1st Model Rocket Motor for MMI.

July 24, 1959 Vernon Estes applied for "Toy Rocket Motor" patent # 3,125,955.

March 24, 1964 Vernon Estes receives patent for "Toy Rocket Motor"