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Spurlin patents

Inventors surnamed Spurlin appear on US patents from 1902 onward, including Hercules Powder Company chemist Harold M. Spurlin, vibratory-feeder engineer William V. Spurlin, tractor-implement designer William G. Spurlin, and later semiconductor, electronics and bath-fixture inventors.

Sourcing: strong 42 reference · 3 government · 1 book · 2 genealogy · 1 commercial

A search of Google Patents for inventors named Spurlin, run in September 2026, returned 266 patent documents worldwide, 159 of them from the United States. The count includes published applications and foreign filings, and a few results belong to people whose given name, not surname, is Spurlin.[1] One example is Spurlin J. Burress of Carterville, Illinois, who patented a fence in 1918.[2] The most notable Spurlin inventors are summarized below.

This page covers patents for inventions. Land patents, the documents by which the United States passed title to public land, are a different record. The Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office records list 94 issued to people surnamed Spurlin; they are covered in Federal land patents to Spurlins.[3]

Early individual inventors (1902–1953)

  • Green Franklin Spurlin of Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama, received US 690,788 for a Ballast conveyer and leveler. He filed on August 27, 1901, and the patent was granted on January 7, 1902.[4]
  • Ivory Spurlin of Marietta, Shelby County, Indiana, received US 775,070 for an Extension ironing table or board, filed February 29, 1904, and granted November 15, 1904.[5]
  • Charles L. Spurlin of Birmingham, Alabama, patented a Car-door (US 798,120, granted August 29, 1905) and assigned half of it to William H. Tharpe of Birmingham.[6] Charles Leopold Spurlin of Ensley, Jefferson County, Alabama, patented a Car-chute (US 854,249, granted May 21, 1907), which Google Patents also lists under Tharpe as assignee.[7]
  • Robert Lee Spurlin of Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, received US 1,185,551 for a Draft-regulator, filed November 24, 1915, and granted May 30, 1916.[8] A Robert Lee Spurlin of Port Arthur, Texas, later patented an Ejector that uses fluid under pressure to move loose materials (US 2,106,361, filed June 18, 1936, granted January 25, 1938). The patents do not show whether the two are the same man.[9]
  • Ira V. Spurlin of Hamilton, Ohio, received US 1,681,506 for a Dustpan for floor-surfacing machines, filed October 25, 1926, and granted August 21, 1928. It was designed for the "American Universal" floor-surfacing machine made by the American Floor Surfacing Machine Company of Toledo.[10]
  • Marcus A. Spurlin of San Francisco patented an Antifreeze heater (US 2,654,826, filed August 14, 1951, granted October 6, 1953).[11]

Cellulose and polymer chemistry: Harold M. Spurlin (Hercules Powder Company)

Google Patents lists about 44 US patent documents naming Harold M. Spurlin as inventor. All of them are assigned to the Hercules Powder Company or its successor, Hercules Inc., and their priority dates run from 1929 to 1969.[12] His earliest, US 1,946,338 (Tracing paper and method of producing), was filed on September 11, 1929, and granted on February 6, 1934. It gives his residence as Kenvil, New Jersey.[13]

A history of Hercules by Davis Dyer and David B. Sicilia says that by the mid-1930s the company's research station had several well-known cellulose chemists, among them Emil Ott and Harold Spurlin. The authors write that Ott, Spurlin and others followed European cellulose chemistry closely, and that the new research staff helped Hercules bring out a series of cellulose products in the mid- and late 1930s.[14]

His US 2,207,076, Method for the purification of cellulose ethers, was filed on November 30, 1938, granted on July 9, 1940, and assigned to Hercules Powder Co.[15] It describes a way to purify crude ethyl cellulose. The crude material is dissolved in a water-immiscible solvent such as benzene or toluene and mixed with water, so that two liquid phases form without precipitating the ethyl cellulose. The watery phase, which carries the impurities, is then separated off, typically by centrifuge. The patent claims the process takes about one hour, compared with the roughly sixteen hours of repeated washing then usual.[15]

His later patents moved into polyolefins. With David S. Breslow he patented a way of Cross-linking ethylene polymers (US 3,203,936, filed March 15, 1961, granted August 31, 1965).[16] In 1969 he and Carl A. Lukach filed for reverse-osmosis membranes made from crystalline polymers of vinyl methyl ether (US 3,645,890, granted February 29, 1972).[17]

Spurlin also edited, with Emil Ott and Mildred W. Grafflin, the first three volumes of the second, revised edition of Cellulose and Cellulose Derivatives. Interscience Publishers began issuing it in New York in 1954 as volume 5 of its High Polymers series.[18][19]

He was a co-applicant in two appeals decided by the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. In Application of Lohr and Spurlin, 317 F.2d 388 (C.C.P.A. 1963), the court upheld the rejection of claims to organic thiophosphate pesticide compounds as obvious over an earlier patent (Haubein), despite the applicants' evidence that their compounds were more toxic to pests.[20] In Application of Lukach, Olson and Spurlin, 442 F.2d 967 (C.C.P.A. 1971), the court upheld the rejection of copolymer claims. The applicants could not rely on the filing date of an earlier application, because it did not adequately describe the claimed invention. That left a Hercules Powder Co. British patent, published in 1960, as a bar.[21] See Harold M. Spurlin.

Vibratory feeders and conveyors: William V. Spurlin

William V. Spurlin of Indiana, Pennsylvania, is the second most prolific Spurlin inventor. Google Patents lists about 35 US documents under his name.[22] In the 1950s he assigned his inventions to the Syntron Company of Homer City, Pennsylvania. His Helical vibratory conveyer (US 2,658,286) was filed on August 31, 1949, and granted on November 10, 1953.[23] His Article inverting feeding bowls (US 2,661,833) was filed on March 19, 1951, and granted on December 8, 1953. It covers a parts-feeder bowl that receives articles in a jumble and delivers them one after another in a reoriented position.[24] His Syntron work also included power tools, such as a Rotary tool on electric hammer with Carl S. Weyandt (US 2,536,971, granted January 2, 1951).[25]

Later patents went to other companies. A Diesel power hammer (US 2,934,049, granted April 26, 1960) was assigned to Link-Belt Speeder Corporation of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[26] A Weighing apparatus for belt conveyor (US 3,603,416, granted September 7, 1971) went to FMC Corp.[27] A Center flow feeder and vibratory conveyor (US 4,530,431, granted July 23, 1985) went to Syn-Energy, Inc.[28] In 1996 he received a patent in his own name for an electromagnetic oscillator for a two-mass vibration system (US 5,518,108).[29]

A Find a Grave memorial for William Vernice Spurlin (1915–2007), who was born in Madison County, Kentucky, and died in Indiana, Pennsylvania, appears to be for the same man. It names his father as Ira Vernice Spurlin (1896–1963).[30] The match rests on the name and town; no obituary confirming it was found. Ira Vernice Spurlin's own memorial records his burial in Hamilton, Ohio,[31] the town given for Ira V. Spurlin on the 1928 dustpan patent above.[10] No source seen says outright that the two Iras are the same man. See William V. Spurlin.

Tractor implements: William G. Spurlin (Harry Ferguson Inc. and Ford)

William G. Spurlin of Dearborn, Michigan, assigned his early tractor-implement patents to Harry Ferguson, Inc. They include a Mower attachment for tractors (US 2,502,805, filed October 19, 1945, granted April 4, 1950)[32] and a Twin reel side delivery rake (US 2,597,828, filed February 5, 1947, granted May 20, 1952).[33] With Harold L. Brock he patented an Adjustable wheel assembly for Ford Motor Company (US 2,613,113, filed July 26, 1949, granted October 7, 1952).[34] His US 3,015,248, Linch pin with spring retainer means, was filed on May 7, 1958, granted on January 2, 1962, and assigned to Ford. The patent describes a quick-release pin intended especially for farm implements and for coupling implements to tractors.[35]

Semiconductor electroplating: Tighe A. Spurlin

Tighe Spurlin is named on patents and applications assigned first to Novellus Systems and later to Lam Research. US 9,816,193 was filed on December 13, 2011, granted on November 14, 2017, and assigned to Novellus. It covers electroplating metal onto a wafer from a plating solution whose oxygen content has been reduced to about one part per million or less.[36] Later Lam Research patents deal with reducing metal oxides on seed layers with remote plasma, such as US 9,865,501, granted January 9, 2018.[37] According to a SEMICON China speaker biography, he earned a PhD in analytical chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007. He then spent three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology before joining Lam Research in 2010. The biography describes him as a process manager responsible for cobalt electroplating.[38]

Bath fixtures: Richard T. Spurlin (Spurlin Industries)

US 5,515,557, Method and system for mounting a pump in an adjustable manner to a whirlpool, names Richard T. Spurlin as inventor and Spurlin Industries, Inc. as assignee. It was filed on September 25, 1995, and granted on May 14, 1996. It describes a mounting platform, attached to the underside of a whirlpool tub, that can be rotated so the pump does not get in the way during installation. Google Patents lists it as expired.[39] In 2021 Richard Todd Spurlin and a co-inventor applied for a patent on compressible supports for levelling shower and bathtub bases. Google Patents records that application as abandoned.[40] See Spurlin Industries.

Other corporate inventors

  • Joseph L. Spurlin: a self-closing, concealed 180-degree cabinet hinge assigned to Hughes Aircraft Co. (US 3,613,152, granted 1971).[41]
  • Stephen F. Spurlin: with Keith A. Bailey, a retarder brake control assigned to General Motors (US 4,480,728, granted 1984).[42]
  • Stanford R. Spurlin: with Edward S. Yeung, a method of sulfide chemiluminescence detection assigned to the Iowa State University Research Foundation (US 4,555,491, granted 1985).[43] He was later co-inventor of a pellet implant system assigned to Ivy Laboratories (US 5,874,098, granted 1999).[44]
  • James C. Spurlin: Texas Instruments integrated-circuit patents, from one on reducing switching noise (US 4,725,747, granted 1988) to a load switch with load detection (US 9,350,180, granted 2016).[45][46]
  • Jon M. Spurlin: with Dennis P. Bishop, an energy-source isolation and protection circuit assigned to Medtronic MiniMed (US 8,102,154, granted 2012).[47]
  • Christopher J. Spurlin: one of the designers named on International Truck design patents for truck cabs, bumpers and hoods, such as USD634,244, a truck cab granted March 15, 2011.[48]
  • Jimmy Ray Spurlin Jr.: with Todd Ray Rhyne, a fiber-optic cable with features for telling fiber groups apart, assigned to Corning (US 9,195,018, granted 2015).[49]

See also

  • Harold M. Spurlin · People strong
    Harold Morton Spurlin (1905–1992) was a cellulose and polymer chemist at the Hercules Powder Company from at least 1929. He was named on some 44 Hercules patents filed between 1929 and 1969, co-edited the standard reference Cellulose and Cellulose Derivatives (2nd ed., from 1954), and received the Anselme Payen Award in 1964.
  • William V. Spurlin · People strong
    William V. Spurlin (1915–2007) was an inventor from Indiana, Pennsylvania, named on about 35 US patent documents for vibratory parts feeders, conveyors, power hammers and weighing equipment, assigned to Syntron, Link-Belt and FMC.
  • Spurlin Industries · Companies mixed
    Spurlin Industries, Inc. was a Georgia maker of acrylic whirlpool bathtubs, fiberglass tubs and showers, incorporated in 1984 and based in Palmetto. It had plants in Georgia and Florida and, according to directory data, Tennessee. The Georgia corporation was dissolved in 2017.
  • Spurlin trademarks · Products & Brands strong
    US trademark filings by Spurlin-named owners are few and mostly short-lived. Tuscaloosa clothier Charles A. Spurlin holds a registered elephant logo, and bath-fixture maker Spurlin Industries held a faucet design mark from 1995 to 2020.
  • Spurlin businesses and brands · Companies mixed
    An overview of companies, products, patents and trademarks bearing the Spurlin name, from a 19th-century Alabama jewelry store and a mid-century Oklahoma farm-equipment dealer to today's builders and funeral homes, concentrated in the US South, especially Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and North Carolina.
  • Federal land patents to Spurlins · History strong
    The Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office records list 94 federal land patents to people surnamed Spurlin, issued between 1823 and 1963. Most are for land in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana before the Civil War.
  • Spurlin collectibles and memorabilia · Products & Brands weak
    A guide to collectible objects and products that bear the Spurlin name: Spurlin Dairy milk bottles, Spurlin Sales farm-equipment advertising, Spurlin Ceramics tiki mugs, 1950s Spurlin records, signed art and craft pieces, and modern novelty goods.
  • Spurlin in American case law · History strong
    A guide to published American appellate decisions with a party named Spurlin, from an 1818 North Carolina dispute over a whiskey still to 21st-century cases on public records, county government and bankruptcy crime. Each summary is drawn from the opinion's own text.
  • Spurlin whirlpool baths · Products & Brands mixed
    Spurlin whirlpool baths were acrylic jetted bathtubs made by Spurlin Industries of Palmetto, Georgia, and sold through plumbing wholesalers under model names such as Count, Countess, Duke, Balmoral, Swan and Crown.
  • Spurlins in academia and science · People strong
    A roundup of scholars, scientists and faculty surnamed Spurlin, including the Enlightenment historian Paul Merrill Spurlin, the Hercules cellulose chemist Harold M. Spurlin and the literary scholar William J. Spurlin.

References

  1. ↑ Inventor search "Spurlin" — Google Patents — 266 results worldwide and 159 US results when retrieved 2026-09-24 Reference
  2. ↑ US1264875A — Fence — Google Patents — inventor Spurlin J. Burress of Carterville, Williamson County, Illinois; filed 1916-08-28, granted 1918-04-30 Reference
  3. ↑ GLO Records search: patents, name "Spurlin", results 1–100 — Bureau of Land Management — 101 results, read Sept. 2026; each card gives patentee, date, state, county, document type and accession number Government
  4. ↑ US690788A — Ballast conveyer and leveler — Google Patents — Green Franklin Spurlin of Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama; filed 1901-08-27, granted 1902-01-07 Reference
  5. ↑ US775070A — Extension ironing table or board — Google Patents — Ivory Spurlin of Marietta, Shelby County, Indiana; filed 1904-02-29, granted 1904-11-15 Reference
  6. ↑ US798120A — Car-door — Google Patents — Charles L. Spurlin of Birmingham, Ala., assignor of one-half to William H. Tharpe; filed 1905-01-06, granted 1905-08-29 Reference
  7. ↑ US854249A — Car-chute — Google Patents — Charles Leopold Spurlin of Ensley, Jefferson County, Ala.; filed 1906-10-09, granted 1907-05-21; assignee listed as William H. Tharpe Reference
  8. ↑ US1185551A — Draft-regulator — Google Patents — Robert Lee Spurlin of Tampa, Hillsborough County, Fla.; filed 1915-11-24, granted 1916-05-30 Reference
  9. ↑ US2106361A — Ejector — Google Patents — Robert Lee Spurlin of Port Arthur, Tex. (from the patent image); filed 1936-06-18, granted 1938-01-25 Reference
  10. ↑ ↑ US1681506A — Dustpan for floor-surfacing machines — Google Patents — "Ira V. Spurlin, of Hamilton, Ohio" (from the patent image); filed 1926-10-25, granted 1928-08-21 Reference
  11. ↑ US2654826A — Antifreeze heater — Google Patents — Marcus A. Spurlin, San Francisco; filed 1951-08-14, granted 1953-10-06 Reference
  12. ↑ Inventor search "Harold M Spurlin", United States — Google Patents — 44 US results when retrieved 2026-09-24, all assigned to Hercules Powder Co or Hercules Inc Reference
  13. ↑ US1946338A — Tracing paper and method of producing — Google Patents — Harold M. Spurlin, Kenvil, N.J., assignor to Hercules Powder Co.; filed 1929-09-11, granted 1934-02-06 Reference
  14. ↑ From Commodity to Specialty Chemicals: Cellulose Products and Naval Stores at the Hercules Powder Company, 1919–1939 — Davis Dyer and David B. Sicilia, Business and Economic History vol. 18 (Business History Conference) — names Emil Ott and Harold Spurlin among the station's cellulose chemists Book
  15. ↑ ↑ US2207076A — Method for the purification of cellulose ethers — Google Patents — Harold M. Spurlin, assignee Hercules Powder Co; filed 1938-11-30, granted 1940-07-09; full text Reference
  16. ↑ US3203936A — Cross-linking ethylene polymers — Google Patents — David S. Breslow and Harold M. Spurlin, assignee Hercules Powder Co; filed 1961-03-15, granted 1965-08-31 Reference
  17. ↑ US3645890A — Reverse osmosis membranes from crystalline polymers of vinyl methyl ether — Google Patents — Carl A. Lukach and Harold M. Spurlin, Hercules; priority 1969-05-06, granted 1972-02-29 Reference
  18. ↑ Cellulose and cellulose derivatives (OCLC 264373) — WorldCat — "Vols. 1-3 prepared under the editorship of E. Ott, H.M. Spurlin and M.W. Grafflin"; 2d rev. ed.; Interscience; High polymers v. 5; read via Internet Archive snapshot, 2023-10-24 Reference
  19. ↑ Cellulose and cellulose derivatives — Open Library Reference
  20. ↑ Application of Lohr and Spurlin, 317 F.2d 388 (C.C.P.A. 1963) — Caselaw Access Project (Harvard Law School Library), full text JSON Government
  21. ↑ Application of Lukach, Olson and Spurlin, 442 F.2d 967 (C.C.P.A. 1971) — Caselaw Access Project (Harvard Law School Library), full text JSON Government
  22. ↑ Inventor search "William V Spurlin", United States — Google Patents — 35 US results when retrieved 2026-09-24 Reference
  23. ↑ US2658286A — Helical vibratory conveyer — Google Patents — "William V. Spurlin, Indiana, Pa., assignor to Syntron Company, Homer City, Pa."; filed 1949-08-31, granted 1953-11-10 Reference
  24. ↑ US2661833A — Article inverting feeding bowls — Google Patents — William V. Spurlin, assignee Syntron Co; filed 1951-03-19, granted 1953-12-08 Reference
  25. ↑ US2536971A — Rotary tool on electric hammer — Google Patents — Carl S. Weyandt and William V. Spurlin, assignee Syntron Co; filed 1949-03-02, granted 1951-01-02 Reference
  26. ↑ US2934049A — Diesel power hammer — Google Patents — assigned by mesne assignments to Link-Belt Speeder Corporation, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; granted 1960-04-26 Reference
  27. ↑ US3603416A — Weighing apparatus for belt conveyor — Google Patents — assignee FMC Corp; filed 1970-05-18, granted 1971-09-07 Reference
  28. ↑ US4530431A — Center flow feeder and vibratory conveyor — Google Patents — assignee Syn-Energy Inc.; filed 1982-12-06, granted 1985-07-23 Reference
  29. ↑ US5518108A — Radial air gap electromagnetic oscillator for two mass vibration system — Google Patents — William V. Spurlin, individual; filed 1995-01-03, granted 1996-05-21 Reference
  30. ↑ William Vernice Spurlin (1915–2007) — Find a Grave Memorial — user-contributed memorial; birth, death and burial places; parents Genealogy
  31. ↑ Ira Vernice Spurlin (1896–1963) — Find a Grave Memorial — user-contributed memorial; burial in Greenwood Cemetery, Hamilton, Ohio Genealogy
  32. ↑ US2502805A — Mower attachment for tractors — Google Patents — William G. Spurlin, assignee Harry Ferguson Inc.; filed 1945-10-19, granted 1950-04-04 Reference
  33. ↑ US2597828A — Twin reel side delivery rake — Google Patents — "William G. Spurlin, Dearborn, Mich., assignor to Harry Ferguson, Inc."; filed 1947-02-05, granted 1952-05-20 Reference
  34. ↑ US2613113A — Adjustable wheel assembly — Google Patents — William G. Spurlin and Harold L. Brock, assignors to Ford Motor Company; filed 1949-07-26, granted 1952-10-07 Reference
  35. ↑ US3015248A — Linch pin with spring retainer means — Google Patents — William G. Spurlin, Dearborn, Mich., assignor to Ford; filed 1958-05-07, granted 1962-01-02 Reference
  36. ↑ Tighe Spurlin Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications — Justia Patents — US 9,816,193, Novellus Systems; filed 2011-12-13, granted 2017-11-14; low-oxygen plating solution Reference
  37. ↑ US9865501B2 — Method and apparatus for remote plasma treatment for reducing metal oxides on a metal seed layer — Google Patents — Tighe A. Spurlin et al., assignee Lam Research Corp; granted 2018-01-09 Reference
  38. ↑ Dr. Tighe Spurlin (speaker biography) — SEMICON China — trade-show speaker biography: education, NIST postdoc, joined Lam Research 2010, cobalt electroplating Commercial
  39. ↑ US5515557A — Method and system for mounting a pump in an adjustable manner to a whirlpool — Google Patents — Richard T. Spurlin, assignee Spurlin Industries Inc; filed 1995-09-25, granted 1996-05-14; status expired Reference
  40. ↑ US20220079391A1 — Compressible Supports for Installation of Shower and Bath Fixtures and Systems and Methods — Google Patents — application filed 2021-09-10, published 2022-03-17; status abandoned Reference
  41. ↑ US3613152A — Self-closing 180 degree opening, concealed hinge — Google Patents — Joseph L. Spurlin, assignee Hughes Aircraft Co; granted 1971-10-19 Reference
  42. ↑ US4480728A — Retarder brake control — Google Patents — Keith A. Bailey and Stephen F. Spurlin, assignee General Motors Corp; granted 1984-11-06 Reference
  43. ↑ US4555491A — Sulfide chemiluminescence detection — Google Patents — Stanford R. Spurlin and Edward S. Yeung, assignee Iowa State University Research Foundation; granted 1985-11-26 Reference
  44. ↑ US5874098A — Pellet implant system — Google Patents — Thomas L. Stevens and Stanford R. Spurlin, assignee Ivy Laboratories Inc; granted 1999-02-23 Reference
  45. ↑ US4725747A — Integrated circuit distributed geometry to reduce switching noise — Google Patents — James C. Spurlin among inventors, assignee Texas Instruments; granted 1988-02-16 Reference
  46. ↑ US9350180B2 — Load switch having load detection — Google Patents — James C. Spurlin among inventors, assignee Texas Instruments; granted 2016-05-24 Reference
  47. ↑ US8102154B2 — Energy source isolation and protection circuit for an electronic device — Google Patents — Dennis P. Bishop and Jon M. Spurlin, assignee Medtronic MiniMed; granted 2012-01-24 Reference
  48. ↑ USD634244S1 — Truck cab — Google Patents — Christopher Jon Spurlin among designers, assignee International Truck Intellectual Property Co.; granted 2011-03-15 Reference
  49. ↑ US9195018B2 — Cable with features for distinguishing between fiber groups — Google Patents — Todd Ray Rhyne and Jimmy Ray Spurlin Jr., Corning; granted 2015-11-24 Reference

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Last reviewed 2026-09-24.