0.1 cubic feet in 1 box
Creator: Larson, Earl R., 1911-
By: Bruce H. Bruemmer, March 1991
ACQUISITION: The records were given to the Charles Babbage Institute by Earl R. Larson in 1986.
ACCESS: The collection is unrestricted.
COPYRIGHT: The Charles Babbage Institute holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for items covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).
Please cite the collections as follows: Earl R. Larson Papers (CBI 31), Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
As judge of the Fourth Division of the United States District Court in Minnesota, Earl R. Larson presided over the Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand trial (1971-1973) and ruled Sperry Rand's patent invalid partly because the patent was derived from the work of John V. Atanasoff.
For a more detailed description of the Honeywell vs. Sperry case, see the "History" note in the finding aid for: Honeywell, Inc., Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand Litigation Records (CBI 1).
The collection consists of a file of 32 pieces of correspondence, dating 1981 to 1985, relating to the Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand trial and John V. Atanasoff's recognition as the inventor of the electronic digital computer. Newspaper clippings are attached to the correspondence. The file includes correspondence from historical researchers, awards committees, Atanasoff, and the patent counsel from Honeywell.