Theophilus Van Kannel
Theophilus Van Kannel (* 1841 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † December 24, 1919 in Cincinnati , Ohio ) was a Dutch-American inventor. He received US Patent 387,571 for the revolving door on August 7, 1888 .
In June 1865 he had obtained patent 48,137 for his machine for pitting cherries.
On December 22nd, 1881 H. Bockhacker from Berlin had already received the German patent DE18349 for his door without draft , but he did not market it any further.
Van Kannel had to defend his patent for his revolving door against allegations that it was nothing more than a turnstile . He listed several benefits, such as: noiselessness, the elimination of the weather, the protection of employees near doors from deadly colds, and acoustic isolation. He intended to use them in private homes as well. However, it had decisive advantages in skyscrapers , in which the warm air rises and normal doors would be difficult to open due to the pressure difference.
In 1889 he was awarded the John Scott Legacy Medal by the Franklin Institute . He founded the Van Kannel Revolving Door Company , which competed with the Atchison Revolving Door Company from around 1900 . He moved the company to Atchison, Kansas . In 1907 both companies were bought by the International Steel Company .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Van Kannel, Theophilus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch-American inventor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1841 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 24, 1919 |
| Place of death | Cincinnati |