A 1920s Design for a Suspended Monorail Transportation System
A 1923 patent by May B. Cornwall describing a structural design for a suspended monorail train system intended for efficient passenger or cargo transport.
Original patent title: “Monorail system”
A 1923 patent by May B. Cornwall describing a structural design for a suspended monorail train system intended for efficient passenger or cargo transport. Granted to MAY B CORNWALL in 1923 with 7 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent outlines a mechanical configuration for a monorail system where a vehicle is suspended from a single overhead track. It details the interaction between the carriage assembly and the rail to ensure stability while moving along a singular path. The design focuses on the physical support structure required to keep the car balanced and moving smoothly despite the lack of a traditional two-rail foundation.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover modern magnetic levitation (maglev) propulsion systems.
- Does not cover automated switching mechanisms for complex multi-line rail networks.
- Does not cover the electrical power distribution systems used in modern transit.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The invention focuses on the geometric challenge of maintaining a center of gravity for a suspended load on a single track, a fundamental problem in early transit engineering.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Early 20th-century suspended rail experiments
Theme park monorail systems
Historical urban elevated transit concepts
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent represents an era of experimentation with alternative transit infrastructure during the early 20th century. It highlights the historical interest in elevated rail solutions to solve urban congestion, long before modern monorails became common in theme parks and specific city transit lines.
Filed
February 17, 1922
Granted
October 9, 1923
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Modern transit companies like Hitachi Rail and Bombardier (now Alstom) have refined the concepts of suspended and straddle-type monorails for urban environments. These companies utilize advanced materials and computerized control systems that far exceed the mechanical scope of this 1923 patent.
Market impact
This patent is a historical artifact of early transit innovation. While it did not trigger a massive industry shift, it reflects the ongoing engineering pursuit of space-efficient transportation that continues to influence urban planning and specialized transit projects today.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent outlines a mechanical configuration for a monorail system where a vehicle is suspended from a single overhead track. It details the interaction between the carriage assembly and the rail to ensure stability while moving along a singular path. The design focuses on the physical support structure required to keep the car balanced and moving smoothly despite the lack of a traditional two-rail foundation.
The clever bit
The invention focuses on the geometric challenge of maintaining a center of gravity for a suspended load on a single track, a fundamental problem in early transit engineering.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover modern magnetic levitation (maglev) propulsion systems.
- Does not cover automated switching mechanisms for complex multi-line rail networks.
- Does not cover the electrical power distribution systems used in modern transit.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Limited data
Citation count
18/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$4K – $14K
Midpoint $9K · expired or expiring · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Bushall, C. M. (1923). A 1920s Design for a Suspended Monorail Transportation System (U.S. Patent No. 1,469,997). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1469997/iletin-insulin
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does A 1920s Design for a Suspended Monorail Transportation System cover?
A 1923 patent by May B. Cornwall describing a structural design for a suspended monorail train system intended for efficient passenger or cargo transport.
Who owns patent US 1469997?
MAY B CORNWALL owns this patent, granted in 1923.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 1469997 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 7 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent represents an era of experimentation with alternative transit infrastructure during the early 20th century. It highlights the historical interest in elevated rail solutions to solve urban congestion, long before modern monorails became common in theme parks and specific city transit lines.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover modern magnetic levitation (maglev) propulsion systems.
Patent monitoring