Stephen Stepanian
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Stephen Stepanian (February 28, 1882 – October 1964) (Armenian: Ստիվեն Ստեփանեան) was an Armenian American inventor and owner of numerous patents including the Elevator and Conveyor, Compound Tool, and the Wrench. He is also accredited as the inventor of a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck.[1][2][3] Stepanian is often called the "father of the ready-mix concrete industry."[4]
Life
Of Armenian descent, Stepanian moved to Grandview Heights, Ohio, in 1906.[5] He is credited with rescuing 13 people from a tree using a makeshift raft during the 1913 flood in Columbus, Ohio. They had been in the tree some 48 hours when Stepanian used a raft he made from floating timbers and a pole to navigate them, 2-3 at a time, to safety.[6] He resided on Glenn Avenue near Bluff. Stepanian became president of Marble Cliff Quarries and the Central Ohio Concrete Company. Eventually, Stepanian founded the Arrow Concrete Company, a company that is still in service today.[7] He was elected as an honorary member of the board of directors for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association.[8]
Stepanian was honored by the 1954 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association annual convention which named him an honorary lifetime member.[7] In 2004, Stepanian was selected as one of the Top 100 Transportation Private Sector Professionals by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.[7]
Inventor of concrete mixing truck
Stephen invented a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck and applied for a patent in 1916.[2] However, the patent was rejected in April 1917 by the patent office because it was believed that a truck could not support the weight of a concrete mixer on top of it.[5] The patent office also noted that there was no previous patenting information that proves integration was possible with both the mixer and the design of the truck.[7] Other sources suggest that the patent was rejected because Stepanian was not an American citizen.[2] However, on December 21, 1928, Stepanian reapplied for the patent and received approval on November 21, 1933.[9]
Notable patents
- Wrench United States Patent No. 1,321,776, filing date: May 29, 1918, issue date: Nov. 11, 1919.[10]
- Concrete Mixing and Transporting Vehicle United States Patent No. 1,935,922, filing date: Dec. 21, 1928, issue date: Nov. 21, 1933.[9]
- Sample Display Holder United States Patent No. 1,730,439, filing date Apr. 24, 1926, issue date: Oct. 8, 1929.[11]
- Compound Tool United States Patent No. 1,321,777, filing date: Feb. 24, 1919, issue date: Nov. 11, 1919.[12]
- Elevator and Conveyor United States Patent No. 859,588, filing date: Sep. 9, 1904, issue date: Jul. 9, 1907.[13]
- Building Apparatus United State Patent No. 2,440,920, filing date: Aug. 15, 1941, issue date: May 4, 1948.[14]
- Garment United States Patent No. 1,997,703, filing date: April 7, 1933, issue date: April 16, 1935.[15]
References
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