the life of Philo T Farnsworth - Early Television Foundation

R.C.A. LICENSES 243
patent claims developed around the construction of the dissector
tube. Another group of patents resulted from his refinements
of the scanning wave. Many patents
were secured
from work on amplifiers, and his research in the projection type
of receiver tubes resulted in the filing of many additional applications.
More than a hundred television patents have already
been issued to Phil Farnsworth, and scores of others have been
granted to his associates who have worked with him through the
years. Many more cases are pending in the Patent Office.
The rapidly growing patent portfolio represented completed
goods on the shelf to be leased to the best possible advantage.
During the long anxious years while this accumulation was
taking place, there was occasional uncertainty in Phil's mind as
to how firm a place he could secure in the new art to which he
had contributed so much. Some of his
patents
and allowed
claims in unissued cases seemed to assure him of the prominence
he deserved, but for many years while some of the more important
ones were being fought for in interference proceedings,
there was always a chance that he might lose some of the claims.
As his position became stronger, we began to consider ways
to develop an interest in our patents. As already noted, the first
contract was signed with the Philco Company. The European
licenses and the cross-licensing arrangement with the American
Telephone & Telegraph Company gave added strength and
prestige to Farnsworth's ever-increasing patent portfolio.
Because of its strong position in the radio industry, R.C.A.
had control of many of the major patents in that art. Manufacturers
of radio receivers and transmitters operating under
license from R.C.A. were paying royalties of several million
dollars annually to that company. R.C.A. had also become our
chief competitor in television, so it was a foregone conclusion
that if Phil's patent structure were to be placed on a sound com-