Timeline
1941
Albert Bouwers files a patent application in the Netherlands for his own design for a catadioptric telescope with meniscus lens, a design that is similar to that of Dmitri Maksutov; the application eventually became U.S. Patent #2,409,186 (February 13).[1] See details.
1945
Albert Bouwers, Johannes Becker, and Adriaan Hendrik van Gorum file a patent application in the Netherlands for a reflecting telescope with a spherical mirror, an application which eventually became U.S. Patent #2,504,383 (August 8).[2] See details.
1946
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Albert Bouwers U.S. Patent #2,409,186 entitled “Telescope System” (October 15).[3] See details.
1947
Lawrence Braymer submits an application entitled “Telescope,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #2,670,656 (November 25).[4] See details.
1948
Lawrence Braymer submits an application entitled “Telescope,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #2,649,791 (June 16).[5] See details.
Lawrence Braymer submits an application entitled “Reflecting Telescope with Auxiliary Optical System,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #2,628,529 (September 25).[6] See details.
Lawrence Braymer submits an application entitled “Multiple Image Telescope,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #2,753,760 (September 25).[7] See details.
1949
Lawrence Braymer submits an application entitled “Telescope Mounting,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #2,693,032 (March 15).[8] See details.
Lawrence Braymer’s patent attorney Joseph Denny suggests relocating the secondary spot to the R1 (outside) surface of the corrector lens as a way to circumvent Albert Bouwers’s patent (late 1949).[9] See details.
1950
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Albert Bouwers, Johannes Becker, and Adriaan Hendrik van Gorum U.S. Patent #2,504,383 entitled “Reflecting Type Telescope Having a Spherical Mirror” (April 18).[10] See details.
1953
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Lawrence Braymer U.S. Patent #2,628,529 entitled “Reflecting Telescope with Auxiliary Optical System” (February 17).[11] See details.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Lawrence Braymer U.S. Patent #2,649,791 entitled “Telescope” (August 25).[12] See details.
1954
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Lawrence Braymer U.S. Patent #2,670,656 entitled “Telescope” (March 2).[13] See details.
Lawrence Braymer submits an application for the Questar trademark, which eventually became registration #609,560 (August 23).[14] See details.
Lawrence Braymer submits an application entitled “Telescope,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #D-175,388 (September 20).[15] See details.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Lawrence Braymer U.S. Patent #2,693,032 entitled “Telescope Mounting” (November 2).[16] See details.
1955
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Lawrence Braymer trademark #609,560 for Questar (July 26).[17] See details.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Lawrence Braymer U.S. Patent #D-175,388 entitled “Telescope” (August 23).[18] See details.
1956
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Lawrence Braymer U.S. Patent #2,753,760 entitled “Multiple Image Telescope” (July 10).[19] See details.
1976
Questar Corporation (Edward K. Kaprelian and William E. Mimmack) submits an application for the Questar 700 entitled “Catadioptric Lens System,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #4,061,420 (May 6).[20] See details.
1977
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Questar Corporation (Edward K. Kaprelian and William E. Mimmack) U.S. Patent #4,061,420 entitled “Catadioptric Lens System” for the Questar 700 (December 6).[21] See details.
1978
Questar Corporation (Edward K. Kaprelian) submits an application entitled “Dual Focal Length Objective,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #4,235,508 (July 17).[22]
1980
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Questar Corporation (Edward K. Kaprelian) U.S. Patent #4,235,508 entitled “Dual Focal Length Objective” (October 25).[23]
1987
Questar Corporation (Edward K. Kaprelian) submits an application entitled “Dual Axis Optical System,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #4,728,770 (April 27).[24]
1988
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Questar Corporation (Edward K. Kaprelian) U.S. Patent #4,728,770 entitled “Dual Axis Optical System” (March 1).[25]
1999
Questar Corporation submits an application entitled “Stereoscopic, Long-distance Microscope,” which eventually became U.S. Patent #6,256,143 B1 (February 19).[26] See details.
2001
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues Questar Corporation U.S. Patent #6,256,143 B1 entitled “Stereoscopic, Long-distance Microscope” (July 3).[27] See details.
Notes
1 Albert Bouwers, 1946, Telescope System, U.S. Patent 2,409,186, filed December 24, 1942, and issued October 15, 1946, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2409186A/en, accessed December 11, 2021; Albert Bouwers, Achievements in Optics (New York: Elsevier, 1946), 53.
2 Albert Bouwers, Johannes Becker, and Adriaan Hendrik van Gorum, 1950, Reflecting Type Telescope Having a Spherical Mirror, U.S. Patent 2,504,383, filed December 18, 1945, and issued April 18, 1950, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2504383, accessed December 29, 2019; Albert Bouwers, Achievements in Optics (New York: Elsevier, 1946), 53.
3 Albert Bouwers, 1946, Telescope System, U.S. Patent 2,409,186, filed December 24, 1942, and issued October 15, 1946, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2409186A/en, accessed December 11, 2021.
4 Lawrence Braymer, 1954, Telescope, U.S. Patent 2,670,656, filed November 25, 1947, and issued March 2, 1954, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2670656, accessed December 29, 2019.
5 Lawrence Braymer, 1953, Telescope, U.S. Patent 2,649,791, filed June 16, 1948, and issued August 25, 1953, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2649791, accessed June 9, 2020.
6 Lawrence Braymer, 1953, Reflecting Telescope with Auxiliary Optical System, U.S. Patent 2,628,529, filed September 25, 1948, and issued February 17, 1953, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2753760, accessed June 9, 2020.
7 Lawrence Braymer, 1956, Multiple Image Telescope, U.S. Patent 2,753,760, filed September 25, 1948, and issued July 10, 1956, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2628529, accessed June 9, 2020.
8 Lawrence Braymer, 1954, Telescope Mounting, U.S. Patent 2,693,032, filed March 15, 1949, and issued November 2, 1954, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2693032, accessed June 9, 2020.
9 Stewart Squires, email message to author, October 28, 2019; “Questar Products Index & Overview Page,” Company Seven, n.d., http://www.company7.com/questar/index.html, accessed November 3, 2019.
10 Albert Bouwers, Johannes Becker, and Adriaan Hendrik van Gorum, 1950, Reflecting Type Telescope Having a Spherical Mirror, U.S. Patent 2,504,383, filed December 18, 1945, and issued April 18, 1950, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2504383, accessed December 29, 2019.
11 Lawrence Braymer, 1953, Reflecting Telescope with Auxiliary Optical System, U.S. Patent 2,628,529, filed September 25, 1948, and issued February 17, 1953, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2753760, accessed June 9, 2020.
12 Lawrence Braymer, 1953, Telescope, U.S. Patent 2,649,791, filed June 16, 1948, and issued August 25, 1953, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2649791, accessed June 9, 2020.
13 Lawrence Braymer, 1954, Telescope, U.S. Patent 2,670,656, filed November 25, 1947, and issued March 2, 1954, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2670656, accessed December 29, 2019.
14 Lawrence Braymer, 1955, Questar Trademark, U.S. Trademark Registration 609,560, filed August 23, 1954, and issued July 26, 1955, http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=71672101&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch, accessed April 22, 2021.
15 Lawrence Braymer, 1955, Telescope, U.S. Patent D-175,388, filed September 20, 1954, and issued August 23, 1955, https://patents.google.com/patent/USD175388S, accessed June 9, 2020.
16 Lawrence Braymer, 1954, Telescope Mounting, U.S. Patent 2,693,032, filed March 15, 1949, and issued November 2, 1954, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2693032, accessed June 9, 2020.
17 Lawrence Braymer, 1955, Questar Trademark, U.S. Trademark Registration 609,560, filed August 23, 1954, and issued July 26, 1955, http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=71672101&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch, accessed April 22, 2021.
18 Lawrence Braymer, 1955, Telescope, U.S. Patent D-175,388, filed September 20, 1954, and issued August 23, 1955, https://patents.google.com/patent/USD175388S, accessed June 9, 2020.
19 Lawrence Braymer, 1956, Multiple Image Telescope, U.S. Patent 2,753,760, filed September 25, 1948, and issued July 10, 1956, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2628529, accessed June 9, 2020.
20 Questar Corporation, 1977, Catadioptric Lens System, U.S. Patent 4,061,420, filed May 6, 1976, and issued December 6, 1977, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4061420, accessed June 9, 2020.
21 Questar Corporation, 1977, Catadioptric Lens System, U.S. Patent 4,061,420, filed May 6, 1976, and issued December 6, 1977, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4061420, accessed June 9, 2020.
22 Questar Corporation, 1978, Dual Focal Length Objective, U.S. Patent 4,235,508, filed July 17, 1978, and issued November 25, 1980, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4235508, accessed August 28, 2020.
23 Questar Corporation, 1978, Dual Focal Length Objective, U.S. Patent 4,235,508, filed July 17, 1978, and issued November 25, 1980, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4235508, accessed August 28, 2020.
24 Questar Corporation, 1988, Dual Axis Optical System, U.S. Patent 4,728,770, filed April 27, 1987, and issued March 1, 1988, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4728770, accessed August 28, 2020.
25 Questar Corporation, 1988, Dual Axis Optical System, U.S. Patent 4,728,770, filed April 27, 1987, and issued March 1, 1988, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4728770, accessed August 28, 2020.
26 Questar Corporation, 2001, Stereoscopic, Long-distance Microscope, U.S. Patent 6,256,143 B1, filed February 19, 1999, and issued July 3, 2001, https://patents.google.com/patent/US6256143B1, accessed December 26, 2020.
27 Questar Corporation, 2001, Stereoscopic, Long-distance Microscope, U.S. Patent 6,256,143 B1, filed February 19, 1999, and issued July 3, 2001, https://patents.google.com/patent/US6256143B1, accessed December 26, 2020.