Stephen Stepanian

Stephen Stepanian

Stephen Stepanian (February 28, 1882 – October 1964) (Armenian: Ստիվեն Ստեփանեան) was an Armenian American inventor and owner of numerous patents including the Elevator and Conveyor, Compound Tool, and the Wrench. He is also accredited as the inventor of a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck.[1][2][3] Stepanian is often called the "father of the ready-mix concrete industry."[4]

Life

Of Armenian descent, Stepanian moved to Grandview Heights, Ohio, in 1906.[5] He resided on Glenn Avenue near Bluff. Stepanian became president of Marble Cliff Quarries and the Central Ohio Concrete Company. Eventually, Stepanian founded the Arrow Concrete Company, a company that is still in service today.[6] He was elected as an honorary member of the board of directors for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association.[7]

Stepanian was honored by the 1954 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association annual convention which named him an honorary lifetime member.[6] In 2004, Stepanian was selected as one of the Top 100 Transportation Private Sector Professionals by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.[6]

Inventor of concrete mixing truck

Stephen invented a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck and applied for a patent in 1916.[2] However, the patent was rejected in April 1917 by the patent office because it was believed that a truck could not support the weight of a concrete mixer on top of it.[5] The patent office also noted that there was no previous patenting information that proves integration was possible with both the mixer and the design of the truck.[6] Other sources suggest that the patent was rejected because Stepanian was not an American citizen.[2] However, on December 21, 1928, Stepanian reapplied for the patent and received approval on November 21, 1933.[8]

Notable patents

References

  1. ↑ "READY MIXED CONCRETE: the first fifty years" (PDF). Concrete Construction. 1962. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 D Q Campbell, Paul. "Who invented the portable mixer anyway?" (PDF). Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "Ready-Mixed Concrete". Cement.org. Retrieved 27 February 2013. In 1916, Stephen Stepanian of Columbus, Ohio, developed a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that is considered the predecessor of the modern ready-mixed concrete truck.
  4. ↑ Whipple, Harvey, ed. (1954). "Stephen Stepanian". Concrete (Concrete-Cement Age Publishing Company) 62: 89. When one starts to chronicle the story of ready-mixed concrete in the light of the development of the ready-mix trucks themselves, one must inevitably start with Stephen Stepanian, often called the father of the ready-mix industry.
  5. 1 2 Partamian, Stepan (2009). Yes, we have: contributions of American-Armenians to the United States of America (illustrated ed.). Armenian Arts Fund. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Marsh, Don (1 May 2004). "Mixer Inventor Early Poster Child For Intellectual Property Laws". Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  7. ↑ Journal of the American Concrete Institute (American Concrete Institute) 25: 15. 1954. Missing or empty |title= (help);
  8. 1 2 "Concrete Mixing and Transporting Vehicle" (PDF). FreePatentsOnline. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Wrench" (PDF). Google Patents. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sample Display Holder" (PDF). FreePatentsOnline. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "Compound Tool" (PDF). Google Patents. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "Elevator and Conveyor" (PDF). Google Patents. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Building Apparatus" (PDF). FreePatentsOnline. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "Garment" (PDF). FreePatentsOnline. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
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