PATENT GRANTED SMETHPORT MAN'S PIN-SETTING INVENTION TWO YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH

Word was received here this week that a patent on a "Power-Operated Semi-Automatic Pin-setting Machine," manufactured by the Holmes and Gilfillan Company of Smethport, and invented by the late Milton H. Wright of Smethport, has finally been granted in Washington, D.C. The patent was granted August 28, 1951.

The late Mr. Wright had worked on the perfection of his semi-automatic device, an improvement on the original bowling alley pin-setting machine invented by the late J. Clayton Backus of Smethport, for more than five years, and many attributed his untimely death in 1949 to overwork and worry over the machine. Mr. Wright died of a cerebral hemorrage on March 19, 1949.

The late Mr. Wright began work on his device back in 1944. He worked on it about two years and then set it aside for two more years, finally perfecting it in 1949, when he applied for a patent. Mr. Wright's invention converted the pin-setting machine known as the "Backus Spot-o-matic" into an electrically operated semi-automatic machine. It had previously been manually operated.

Mr. Wright sold the rights to his invention, on a royalty basis, to the

Holmes and Gilfillan company, who have been producing the machine in large numbers for the past three years. The machines have been produced on a patent pending permit granted to the company with royalties accruing to the inventor's widow, Mrs. Milton M. Wright of Marvin St.

The late Mr. Wright was employed by Holmes and Gilfillan for over 26 years, starting to work for them in 1923 when he was only 21 years of age. He was born in Smethport, the son of Mr. and the late Mrs. William Wright, and he lived in Smethport all his life. At the time of his death he was superintendent in charge of production of the automatic pin-setting machine he had helped to perfect at Holmes and Gilfillan.

The elecric pin-setters are today in use all over the United States and in several foreign and South American countries. One of the first machines produced to operate electrically was installed in the local bowling alleys in Smethport, and Mr. Wright frequently visited the alleys to study and perfect his invention prior to his death.