#road engine

View of drawing for U.S. patent number 549,160 for a road engine issued to George B. Selden on November 5, 1895. Printed on front: "Road engine, no. 549,160, patented Nov. 5, 1895." Typed on back: "One of five patents issued in the U.S. during the entire history of the Patent Office--a total of more than 400,000--has had something to do with self-propelled road vehicles. A great number of these inventions proved to be of no practical value--such as the idea for a rickshaw-like vehicle, pulled by a steam-powered mechanical man, patented in 1868. Others, however, had great influence on the history of modern highway travel. One of the most famous, pictured above, was known as the "Selden patent." Granted to George B. Selden in 1895, it was regarded for many years as a master patent, covering all the essential features of the gasoline automobile. Most U.S. automobile manufacturers operated under license and paid royalties to the Selden interests, until 1911 when a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling nullified the effect of the patent."