Gorra a new book yesterday,

[dazbt]

well a set of four to be correct;
The Mining Industry, edited by Trevor Boyns
It had been a dream of mine to own a copy for a long time, but the price of it meant that even Barnsley Library had to re-mortgage to buy a set, so I didn't think that I would ever have a chance;
www.amazon.com/Mining-Industry-Tauris-Industrial-Histories/dp/1860640729
however, last week one walked into my path for the price of two bottles of whisky and one of Mag's nights out at the Bingo (I haven't told her yet)
In an attempt to make this purchase pay for itself I referenced an article relating to the Anderton Shearer and was fairly pleased to read that the concept of using a rotating drum shearer had in fact been designed, manufactured and supplied as early as 1946 to a potash mine in France by Anderson Boyes, some years before Mr Anderton's modifications to the original concept and his application to its use in a coal mine longwalling configuration. The next project is for me to try and find out what alterations Anderton made that allowed him the rights to patent ownership. I suspect, reading between the lines that the application of mounting the shearer on an AFC was one of the main improvements. (Just thought it might be of interest, as quite a number of thread postings have related to the Anderton Shearer Loader)

[John]

Mr Anderton was a colliery Manager Daz, so anything he invented was Board property. That settled the patent rights.

[dazbt]

admin said:

Mr Anderton was a colliery Manager Daz, so anything he invented was Board property. That settled the patent rights.

Not quite what I was meaning, my question is really;
'If Anderson Boyes had already designed and made a "Drum Shearer" they would have undoubtably patented the principle, what differences were added on by Anderton's team that allowed them (or him) the claim to be inventors of the Anderton Shearer Loader? I know that one thing was the addition of a plow, although I'm fairly sure there must have been other major changes to the Anderson Boyes prototype.'

[John]

dazbt said:

admin said:

Mr Anderton was a colliery Manager Daz, so anything he invented was Board property. That settled the patent rights.

Not quite what I was meaning, my question is really;
'If Anderson Boyes had already designed and made a "Drum Shearer" they would have undoubtably patented the principle, what differences were added on by Anderton's team that allowed them (or him) the claim to be inventors of the Anderton Shearer Loader? I know that one thing was the addition of a plow, although I'm fairly sure there must have been other major changes to the Anderson Boyes prototype.'

No idea Daz, if you still have contacts with the company, maybe someone there might research it for you.
I recall something about the NCB licensing both AB and BJD to manufacture the Anderton shearer loader though.
I also know if you invented something while in the employ of the NCB, nobody would touch your idea with a bargepole. I worked with the feller who invented the test plug for GEB's, he was a bitter old man when I met him! If he'd "gone through channels" he'd have been handed a slap on the back and a token check payment, nowhere near what he'd have made had his idea been licensed from him.