Arthur William Haydon | |
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 | |
| Born | April 25, 1906 Hinsdale, Illinois, United States |
| Died | January 11, 1982 (aged 75) Middlebury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Self-educated |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, businessman |
Arthur William Haydon (April 25, 1906 – January 11, 1982; known as A. W. or Bill Haydon) was an American inventor and industrialist known for his work in the field of microminiature electrical timing and governing devices for industrial and military use, some of which were used in early computing devices.
Haydon secured and was granted 82 U.S. patents from 1931 to 1984, many of which continue to have wide industrial use into the 21st century.
In 1933, Haydon set up his own development shop under the name of Haydon Laboratory in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 1937, Haydon Manufacturing Company was incorporated.[1]
In 1945, he created the A. W. Haydon company [2] in Waterbury, producing timing motors and related devices.[3][4] Haydon sold this company, and many of his patents, in 1951 to North American Philips for over $1,000,000.[5][6] The A.W. Haydon Company was not dissolved, but was used to handle all sales of the new Division of Phillips. Haydon continued as chief executive of the new Phillips Division. At approximately the same time, Haydon formed a new company named "Haydon Switch, Inc." to produce and distribute precision devices called the miniature snap-action switch which he had invented typified by patents granted as "Snap Action Switch" US Patent #2,700,079;[7] US Patent #2,773,954;[8] US Patent # 2,773,955.[9]
In October 1963, Haydon merged his companies into one entity. The Haydon Instrument Company and Haydon Industries, Incorporated were merged into Haydon Switch, Incorporated, the name of which was changed to Haydon Switch & Instrument, Inc.
Over the years, the company has been sold and merged. In July 2010, Ametek announced that it had acquired Haydon Enterprises, a leading manufacturer of high-precision motion control products, from the Harbour Group, a private operating company based in St. Louis, for approximately $270 million in cash,[10] and is still in operation as a division of Ametek,[11] an American global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanics devices with headquarters in the United States and over 220 manufacturing sites worldwide.
- ^ google.com/books. FreePatentsOnline.com. 1956.
- ^ google.com/books. FreePatentsOnline.com. 1962.
- ^ Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly. Barron's. January 1958. p. 92.
- ^ Investor's Reader. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Beane. February 1955. p. 62.
- ^ Investor's Reader. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Beane. February 1955. p. 62.
- ^ United States. Tax Court; Prentice-Hall, inc (1963). T.C. Memorandum Decisions. Maxwell Macmillan. p. 1659.
- ^ FreePatentsOnline.com (PDF). FreePatentsOnline.com.
- ^ FreePatentsOnline.com (PDF). FreePatentsOnline.com.
- ^ FreePatentsOnline.com (PDF). FreePatentsOnline.com.
- ^ prnewswire.com. prnewswire.com.
- ^ "Home". haydonkerk.com.