Redefining Vulcanization: Charles Goodyear, Patents, and Industrial Control, 1834-1865

This article suggests inventor myths can have pragmatic value. The traditional story of Goodyear's eureka moment helped him claim discovery of vulcanization as a concept rather than a specific process. Through patent reissues, Goodyear and his associates redefined his discovery in more conceptual terms. Goodyear's original vulcanization patent (1844) was for a heated triple compound of rubber, sulphur, and white lead. Vulcanized rubber displaced unvulcanized by 1849 as more predictable methods of heating were introduced. Goodyear's 1849 reissue claimed his discovery was that heating rubber and sulphur, by any method, produced vulcanization. A second reissue in 1860 further broadened the patent's scope, claiming discovery of vulcanization as a concept, no matter the materials or processes used. The reissues broadened Goodyear's claims so they encompassed practical improvements made by others. The inventor myth of an early, serendipitous, and conceptual discovery helped Goodyear and his associates maintain control over an industry.