Verneur Edmund Pratt

Verneur Edmund Pratt was an American entrepreneur and inventor.Pratt started his career working in sales at Sears, Roebuck, and Company.In 1924 Pratt published a book entitled "Selling by Mail: Principles and Practice"Pratt, Verneur Edmund; "Selling by Mail: Principles and Practice" (1924) New York, NY; McGraw-Hill; 428 pages.] .He started a company called the Sales Guild Company.In the 1920s he ran a small advertising company called Pratt and Lindseyout of 461 Eighth Avenue in New YorkFisher, Clive; "Hart Crane: A Life" (2002) New Haven, CT; Yale University Press; 567 pages; ISBN 0300090617] . During this time period Prattlived in a house now known as the Keeler-Pratt house in the
Silvermine area of Norwalk, Connecticut.His laboratory and studio was the 1876 carriage barn on the property.By the 1930s Pratt was also renting an apartment in the buildingat 102 Bedford Street in New York's
Greenwich Village [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E4D6153AF937A25755C0A96E958260 Streetscapes/102 Bedford Street; Turning Point for a Greenwich Village Landmark - New York Times ] ] .

Pratt invented the "Optigraph" an early microfilm reader. Thisdevelopment led to the formation of the International Filmbook company to manufacture and sell microfilm reading equipment. An innovative approach to film reading was the use of cassettes that allowed for rotating the viewof the film. Unfortunately, the expense of this innovation led to thebankrupty of International Filmbook"Special Libraries: Official Journal of the Special Libraries Association" volume 34, no. 4, April 1943] .

Along with Edmund C. Pratt Verneur was awarded United States Patent 2999477 for a fire alarm (September 12, 1961) [http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2999477.html Fire alarm - Patent 2999477 ] ] .Edmund Pratt and the estate of Verneur Pratt were also been assigned United States Patent 3388245 (invention attributed to Donald R. Larsen) for a "Multicolor lighting apparatus" (July 11, 1968) [http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3388245.html Multicolor lighting apparatus - Patent 3388245 ] ] .

References

External links

* http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/eve/33136.shtml
* http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E4D6153AF937A25755C0A96E958260
* http://www.sla.org/speciallibraries/ISSN00386723V34N4.PDF
* http://www.chemheritage.org/explore/ASIS_documents/ASIS98_Cady.pdf
* http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2999477.html
* http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3388245.html
* http://newdeal.feri.org/ala/al3680.htm