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Intermittent Wipers: Dad's Basement Invention, Big Three Theft, Flash of Genius
Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
Every modern car has intermittent windshield wipers. Timothy Kearns' father, Dr. Robert Kearns, invented them in a Detroit basement—then spent decades fighting the automakers who copied his design.
This isn't your typical first-car story. This is about the invention that changed every car on the road, the legal battle that became the film *Flash of Genius*, and what it's like growing up as the son of a man fighting Ford and Chrysler in court.
Timothy's perspective on automotive history is unique: he watched his father's invention get stolen, fought over, and eventually vindicated in one of the largest individual patent settlements in automotive history. But at what cost?
In this episode, Timothy shares:
- How his father invented the intermittent windshield wiper in a Detroit basement
- What the early prototypes looked like (surprisingly crude for something so revolutionary)
- The moment Ford and Chrysler started using the technology without permission
- Why major automakers thought they could get away with copying a small inventor
- The decades-long legal battle that consumed his father's life
- How *Flash of Genius* (the movie) got some things right—and what they changed
- What the patent victory meant financially, emotionally, and historically
- The automotive innovation lesson that every backyard tinkerer should understand
There's one detail about the settlement that Timothy says the movie left out—and it changes how you think about winning a patent battle against the giants.
Related episodes:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/15009054-delorean-family-story-kat-delorean-growing-up-with-automotive-icon-father
https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/17645503-mustang-memories-sema-show-adventures-automotive-photographer-rob-s-first-cars-to-car-culture-journey
🔗 Connect: https://linktr.ee/carsloved
*** Your Favorite Automotive Podcast - Now Arriving Weekly!!! ***
Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.
Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.
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By Doug & Christian - Your Guides to Classic Cars & First Car StoriesClick here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
Every modern car has intermittent windshield wipers. Timothy Kearns' father, Dr. Robert Kearns, invented them in a Detroit basement—then spent decades fighting the automakers who copied his design.
This isn't your typical first-car story. This is about the invention that changed every car on the road, the legal battle that became the film *Flash of Genius*, and what it's like growing up as the son of a man fighting Ford and Chrysler in court.
Timothy's perspective on automotive history is unique: he watched his father's invention get stolen, fought over, and eventually vindicated in one of the largest individual patent settlements in automotive history. But at what cost?
In this episode, Timothy shares:
- How his father invented the intermittent windshield wiper in a Detroit basement
- What the early prototypes looked like (surprisingly crude for something so revolutionary)
- The moment Ford and Chrysler started using the technology without permission
- Why major automakers thought they could get away with copying a small inventor
- The decades-long legal battle that consumed his father's life
- How *Flash of Genius* (the movie) got some things right—and what they changed
- What the patent victory meant financially, emotionally, and historically
- The automotive innovation lesson that every backyard tinkerer should understand
There's one detail about the settlement that Timothy says the movie left out—and it changes how you think about winning a patent battle against the giants.
Related episodes:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/15009054-delorean-family-story-kat-delorean-growing-up-with-automotive-icon-father
https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/17645503-mustang-memories-sema-show-adventures-automotive-photographer-rob-s-first-cars-to-car-culture-journey
🔗 Connect: https://linktr.ee/carsloved
*** Your Favorite Automotive Podcast - Now Arriving Weekly!!! ***
Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.
Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.