1. Robert William Kearns was an American mechanical engineer, educator and inventor who invented the most common intermittent windshield wiper systems used on most automobiles from 1969 to the present.
22 Facts About Robert Kearns
1. 2.
Robert Kearns had six children with his wife Phyllis, although they separated, supposedly as a result of the stress from the legal battle.
3.
Robert Kearns died of brain cancer at the age of 77.
4.
Robert Kearns served in the US Army in intelligence related groups and tool manufacturing.
5.
Robert Kearns was a member of the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the US CIA, during World War II.
6.
Robert Kearns earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Detroit Mercy, a master's degree in engineering mechanics from Wayne State University, and a doctorate from Case Institute of Technology.
7.
Robert Kearns claimed that the inspiration for his invention stems from an incident on his wedding night in 1953, when an errant champagne cork shot into his left eye, leaving him legally blind in that eye.
8.
Robert Kearns modeled his mechanism on the human eye, which blinks every few seconds, rather than continuously, presenting the idea to Ford.
9.
Ford representatives liked the idea, and hoped to rush it into at least one of their next model year's vehicles but later abandoned plans after Robert Kearns had begun setting up manufacturing facilities for the invention.
10.
When Ford introduced the feature in 1969, Robert Kearns challenged the automaker, refusing offers of a settlement insisting that the case be heard in court, acting as his own lawyer.
11.
Robert Kearns began official legal proceedings some 9 years later.
12.
Robert Kearns turned down a $30 million settlement offer in 1990 and took it to the jury, which awarded him $5.2 million; Ford agreed to pay $10.2 million rather than face another round of litigation.
13.
Robert Kearns mostly acted as his own attorney in the subsequent suit against Chrysler, which began in 1982, even questioning witnesses on the stand.
14.
Chrysler was represented by Harness, Dickey and Pierce, one of the first firms Robert Kearns went to when he contemplated suing Ford in the late 1970s.
15.
Indeed, according to his son Dennis Robert Kearns, Robert Kearns wanted Harness, Dickey and Pierce removed for conflict of interest, but was unable to convince his attorneys to make a motion to remove the firm.
16.
Robert Kearns then decided to manage the Chrysler litigation on his own with his family.
17.
Robert Kearns filed lawsuits against manufacturers of Ford, Porsche, Volkswagen, Ferrari, Volvo, Alfa Romeo, Lotus, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Rolls-Royce Motors, Saab, Toyota, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz as well as parts manufacturers such as United Technologies, and Bosch.
18.
Several cases were dismissed after Robert Kearns missed deadlines in other filing papers.
19.
Robert Kearns noted that his invention was a novel and non-obvious combination of parts.
20.
In 1976, the intermittent wiper feature appeared on a Mercedes auto, and Robert Kearns soon suffered a mental breakdown.
21.
Robert Kearns' obsessions broke down his 27-year marriage and caused distance between him and his children.
22.
On February 9,2005, in Sykesville, Maryland, Robert Kearns died of a combination of prostate and brain cancer complicated by Alzheimer's disease.