Who invented the buzzer?

• From: cooterchekov <no_reply_at_yahoogroups.com>
• Date: Tue, 03 Dec 2002 19:48:26 -0000
• Message-ID: <asj1qa+55es_at_...>

--- In quizbowl_at_y..., tfmichael1 <no_reply_at_y...> wrote:
>That's one of the many fine 
> achievements of Gordon Carper's program (...inventing the portable 
lockout system....)

As near as I can tell (I am not a patent lawyer, but I do work for 
one):
The first invention that we'd recognize as a lockout system (light 
goes on for the first player in & cuts off responses for subsequent 
players) was invented by John P. Reynolds of Dayton, OH. 
(Application filed May 24th, 1950, US patent #2,654,163). Followers 
include Raymond W. Van Hemel of Allen Park, MI (App. Nov. 15th 1961, 
US Pat. #3,118,236) and Ralph M. Pincus of Paramus, NJ (App. Mar 16, 
1970, US Pat #3,666,873). Van Hemel's disclosure specifies Bible 
Bowl.

The first system clearly designed with an eye to portability, and 
explicitly including sound, is by David R. Goodson of Goleta, CA 
(App. Jan. 26, 1972, US Pat. #3,763,577). According to the 
illustrations and disclosure, this system is strongly reminiscent of 
one of the systems in use today by the quiz bowl community.

Buzzer systems fall under these categories in various classification 
systems:
US 434/352
EC G09B5/06
IPC G09B5/00

I'll post .pdf files of the above-mentioned patents when I have time 
at work.

Edmund