Call Number:

040

Repository:

Science History Institute Archives

Extent:

.01 linear feet (1 folder)

Language:

English, Afrikaans, German, and French

Preferred Citation:

Item Description, Roy G. Neville Patent Collection, 1977-1991, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Date:

1977-1991 (inclusive)

Abstract:

A collection of legal correspondence and copies regarding patents awarded to Roy G. Neville from 1977 to 1991.

Roy G. Neville was a British chemist known for his collection of rare books on chemistry and chemical industries. Born on October 15th, 1926, in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, Neville was educated in various grammar schools, where he initially became interested in chemistry. He attended the University of London for his Bachelor of Science degree. In 1951, Neville was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which brought him to the United States for the first time. He would then earn his Master of Science degree and his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon.

In his professional career, Neville worked as a chemical engineer and Head of the Polymer Research Lab for Boeing, as well as for North American Aviation and the Bechtel Corporation. Neville began his collection of rare books during his college career and amassed several thousand books written between the 12th to 19th century, which focus on chemistry and chemical industries, as well as histories of science and technology. The collection was donated to the Chemical Heritage Foundation (now the Science History Institute), where it is still held in the Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library.

Roy G. Neville died on November 26th, 2007, in Pebble Beach, California.

The Roy G. Neville Patent Collection contains legal correspondence and copies of patents awarded to Roy G. Neville between the years of 1977-1991. The first patent is for a method for the removal of free and complex cyanides from water, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and numbered 4312760. The collection contains one official copy of the patent, with the seal attached. Additionally, five photocopies of this patent are included. Correspondence between Neville and the law offices of Townsend and Townsend as well as Homestake Mining Company regarding this patent is also included. In addition to the U.S. patent, the collection includes copies of the same patent, but issued by the Department of Industries, Commerce, and Tourism of South Africa, the European Patent Office, and the New Zealand government. The next patent is for the process for the removal of oxides of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide from waste gases. There is one copy of this patent and a renewal form, both from the law offices of Spoor and Fisher. The last patent represented in the collection is for anionic and cationic removal of copper from cyanide-containing wastewater. There are two official copies of is patent, one issued by Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada and the second by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.