PATENTS OF CHARLES GOODYEAR: HIS INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE RUBBER INDUSTRY
Abstract Charles Goodyear is best known for a single patent, U.S. patent 3633, “Improvements in India Rubber Fabrics Vulcanization of Rubber” (1849). The story of Goodyear and his 1839 discovery of vulcanization, a method to increase the strength and resiliency of rubber, has been told in several well-researched accounts. What has not been accomplished is a compilation of the complete patents of Goodyear. Although many books and articles discuss the patents of Charles Goodyear, up to this point there was no single comprehensive and accurate list of his patents including all the information needed to retrieve the original documents from the issuing patent organizations. Librarians of the Rubber Division, American Chemical Society and the University of Akron, using both print and online resources, were able to compile a complete list of Goodyear's patents issued in the 19th Century.