One Hundred & TEN Years of Desmo-Patenting : A Factual Summary

All people (not only kids) seem to like statistical data and the answers to questions like: which one was the oldest, most important and famous (desmo-patent) ever.
In this concise article about DVG (Desmodromic Valve Gear), I will try to satisfy as much as I can of your curiosity and information needs. But I understand also that I could fill a whole tome to cover all the material I have collected over the years. More questions might come up and their answers have to be postponed to a later date and put in another form.

About the Desmo-Principle

“Desmodromic” motion control (in design of machinery) is hundreds of years old. Also in steam-engines (excenter-type movement) we very often see valves controlled this way. In many hundreds patenttexts the word “desmodromic” is used in patents for time pieces (watches), valve-control in piston pumps, gear-shifting units, film-transport movement, weaving looms, steering gear, vibrating-, folding- and wrapping machines etc. etc.
“Desmodromology” is about desmodromics in Internal Combustion Engines only.

Who possesses the most hard-copy desmo-patent documents in the world?

OK! I don’t want to bother you about when and how I started (30 years ago) painstakingly collecting the desmopatents, but I have them all. Almost, because “absolutes are unobtainable” and there is always a grayhaired area and there are always arbitrary and aberrating in- and excluding criteria. Not to mention people making mistakes in classifying the documents. Today everybody (with an internet connection) can have easy access to patents in open source databases like espacenet and download their own copies in PDF and make prints.
The first desmo-patent
F.H. Arnott is supposed to be the owner of the first desmo-patent (1910) (group 1A-system), but I didn’t find the evidence. The application was abandoned before publication and the original documents would have been destroyed.
Actually I digged up other / earlier patented systems like Nash (1884) a group 10 excenter system, but also Hider and Secor (both 1898) and both Group 1A-systems!
Please see also Arnott and Hider in “Patented Systems”
But of course the Daimler engine using a cam groove system was even older (patent DE50839; 1889-06-09).

Oldest desmo-patent in 4-stroke Internal Combustion Engines

Perhaps the system of Lewis H. Nash (application filed 1884) is the first to mention. See also: http://members1.chello.nl/~wgj.jansen/patented.html
The first use of the word “desmodromic” in patent-texts
is probably in the title of the Swiss patent nr. 6911 dated 1893-04-01 from Claude Bonjour: ‘Mécanisme hydrostatique desmodromique pour la commande des organes de distribution …. etc.” Or perhaps even earlier in a possible French equivalent patent of this invention.
The German word ‘Zwangsläufig’ (controlled run) is used many times in patent-texts before that date. Actually it is this word that was used by Franz Reuleaux in his textbook about kinematics (1875) and that was creatively translated by an Italian translator in ‘desmodromico’. OK enough about word roots…

The most famous patent of course must be the Ducati patent assigned to inventor Fabio Taglioni (alias Papa di Desmo).
The most important patent
is probably the Ducati patent assigned to inventor Massimo Bordi and Gianluigi Mengoli.
The size of patent-documents varies from one single text page and 1 figure(page) in the early days up to 31 pages for a desmopatent (US6053134) and to 53 pages for a desmo-patent application (WO0012873) in Y2k.
Mr. Gerald Williams’ patent CA 1149750 (IPC: F02B 75/04) with Desmo subclassification beats everything with 160 pages.
The classification

in the early days was straightforward, but differing from country to country, composed of one class and one subclass like:
in Germany: Klasse 46b Gruppe 2
in France: Gr.5 Cl.8
in GB: Cl. 7(2)
in US: 123/90.25
Today in the used classifications (IPC and EOB) only one patent application can show up to 7 different (sub)codes.
I found a total of 28 (sub)codes combined with the IPC desmocode F01L1/30 (not in one patent of course). Mechanical desmo combined with: hydraulic; pneumatic; electric; changing compression; V.V.T. ; in and out switching of valve; sleeve valve etc.
Example: Roger Arlaud FR2702003 ‘Dispositif de commande electrohydraulique ….’ IPC :F01L9/02 ; F01L1/30 ; 1/34 ; 1/00 ; F02F1/24 ; EOB F01L3/20; F01L9/02
Nb The following discussion is limited to mechanical actuated cam/valve systems of conventional/traditional definition and not the divergent combinations from above.
Desmo-Harvest

Unique or not unique, that’s the question:

525 unique systems in one hundred and ten years means an average of only about 5 systems per year.
Is it common that for a single IPC-code, patent applications run for such a long period of time?
The number of produced systems with DVG
is greater than 70.
The number of systems protected by patent or patent-pending
is greater than 20.
Most critical desmo-year
is 1985, because almost the (Big) End of Ducati, when nearly bankrupt and the Castiglioni brothers (Cagiva) saved the principle. After that year we saw a great upheaval with the 4-valve engine and with great results.
New phenomenon
A complete website created (Y2K) and posted to market an invention: http://desmonova.tmi.net/ . Meanwhile a dead link.
Later example: Inventus Engineering (Austria) http://www.inventus.at/index.html

Roaring Twenties

All types (except one) from our classification were known/invented before the end of the twenties of the past century! For understanding the groups please consult : https:/desmodromology.nl/classification.html

List of First Known Patents for Each Classification (sorted by group)
GROUPS IN

CLASSIFICATION	YEAR	APPLICANT	COUNTRY
0(Zero)	1929	Gray	US
1A(1)(mixte)	1910	Sharp	GB
1A(1)(direct)	1911	Stas de Richelle	BE
1A(3)	1913	Miller	GB
1A(4)	1921	Holle	US
1B	1930	Junk	DE
1B	1930	Junk	DE
2	1905	Krupp	DE
3	1908	Neer	US
4	1912	Kelly	US
5	1913	Michaux	FR
6A	1913	Janvier	FR
6B	1912	Krupp	DE
7A	1905	Nürnberger Mfz-Fabrik Union	DE
7B	1911	Krupp	DE
7C	1926	Anderson	US
8A	1916	Chevrolet	US
8B	1919	Cattaneo*	IT
9	1926	Dubois	FR
10	18..	"Plenty"
11	1923	Bernard	FR

* Fiat already in 1913 had a beautiful Group 8B system, but probably (because of WWI?) never patented.

List of First Known Patents for Each Classification (sorted by year)
first Kown Patents for
each Classification     GROUP(S)

YEAR	GROUP(s)
Till 1900	10
1905	2 and 7A
1908	3
1910	1A(1)[mixte]
1911	7B
1912	4 and 6B
1913	5 and 6A
1919	8B
1920	8A
1923	11
1926	7C and 9
1982	8C*

* This means that only one new system was presented after the twenties:
List of First Known Patents for Each Classification (sorted by country)
First Known Patents

Per Country	n-times
AU	1x
DR/DE	5x
FR	4x
GB	1x + [1x 1A(3)]
IT	1x
US     ]	4x + [1x 1A(4)

Two major continents compared
EU versus US = 11 : 4
Did someone ever invent more than just one group-representative?
It is a remarkable fact that the German firm named “Krupp AG” invented 3 different classification group-representatives.
Car versus Motorcycle Industry : a Comparison of Desmo Patenting Activities : Distributed between the Consumer Car and Motorcycle Industry
The car-industry also was at times interested enough in the DVG to submit patents for their inventions: The hereunder mentioned Marques asked for one or more (unique) patents. Nb [number(s) and period of time not too exact].
Nb In the case of Honda and Suzuki (they are combination of motorcar and motorcycle manufacturers), there is evidence that the inventions were intended and meant for a motorcycle engine.

Number of Patent(applications) Per Car Manufacturer

Per Car Manufacturer	Number	Year or Period
AUDI	12	1986-1993
DAIHATSU	1	1993
FORD	2	1984-1986
GENERAL MOTORS	7	1919-1994
JAGUAR CARS	2	1988-1990
MAZDA	1	1990
MITSUBISHI	3	1978-1984
NISSAN	7	1978-1990
PORSCHE	4	1958-1978
VOLKSWAGEN	5	1977-1987

Number of Patent(applications) Per Motorcycle Manufacturer

Per Motorcycle Manufacturer	Number	Year or Period
DUCATI	3	1956 + 1987
HONDA	11	1983-1985
NORTON	3	1920-1922 + 1957
SUZUKI	2	1984 + 1992
YAMAHA	1	1993

Facts & Conclusions
In the early days desmopatents were often granted to race-car manufacturers.

In the eighties and nineties several car-manufacturers were apparently seriously involved in the DVG-principle, but with no noticeable results. We can only guess the reasons for this: Calculation, marketing and maintenance aspects and perhaps also considerations of patent infringements (jurisprudence about patent offences or any reservation caused by patent-protection?).

Future of the DVG-principle (still alive and kicking?)

The first GP car with DVG [meant to win a GP also?] was the Mercedes-Benz W 196 in 1954 (Guinness book of cars facts and feats), but you could also go for the (not a winner) 4,5 L DOHC Delage GP-car in the 1914 Lyon GP?
(G. Borgeson)
There were also some motorcycle manufacturers like Norton and Velocette (BMG) interested in DVG, but Ducati was and remained the only manufacturer of desmo-production engines in the MarketPlace. Today, all their models feature a desmo-system.
After 13 years of production of the liquid cooled 4 valver resulting in 5 world championships in the SuperBike class, Ducati released in 2001 a completely restyled (Testa Stretta) desmo-head giving it a new world championship title.
Ducati takes since 2003 and still (2012) part in the MotoGP scene with the Desmosedici with immediate and fantastic results:
Poll positions; podium places and already a first place in the Spanish GP in Catalunya for Loris Capirossi.
Last not least the Desmosedici made the fastest speed ever on a GP circuit.
With 332,4 km p/h it went faster than Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari.
This means that after half a century the desmo-principle is back again on the highest level of Competition and Technology! Will it ever become available on the consumer car market?
Duds that makes you nuts
I found quite some bureaucratic mistakes in the classifying activity of examiners and other patent office clerical workers:
Entered to the EOB-Inve(ntory) as F01L1/30 the following numbers are definitely and sometimes explicitly non-desmo:
Non-desmo patents

per country	Patentnumber	Applicant	Year
DE	143181	Deutz	1902
DE	667509	Tebaldi, Alessandro	1938
DE	2621363	Daimler-Benz	1977
DE	3926809	Kriegler	1991
DE	4210765	Daimler-Benz	1993
FR	746700	Bach$#232;re	1933
GB	1139657	Giles	1969
GB	1325480	Lester	1971
GB	2340881	Olsfanger	2000
US	901363	McGarty	1908
US	1724707	Wesley	1929
US	2015135	Bradey	1938
US	4041838	Warren	1977
US	4530318	Semple	1985

A Desmodromic Mind, something to worry about?

These several hundreds of facts and pieces of information have become known to you, because someone was “autistic” enough and an armchair scholar also, to go after them and to present them in this article, published through this fantastic cyberspace medium.
This adventure in the physical world helped me to bring my religious mind at ease after too much idealistic, political, sociological and philosophical work. And I really enjoy(ed) this position on the Maslow Pyramid.
Of course I know there are philosophic questions left over, we will never be able to answer like:
How much energy and money went into this technical principle?
How much sorrow and how much joy did it bring to man?
How pro- and contra-survival was / is this principle?
How much time will be left to me to further discover this body of knowledge and follow its achievements in the real world? Who cares?

APPENDIX

Amount of published patents per group
Amount of unique individual patents per country
Amount of unique individual patents per timespan (decennium)

Copyright © March 2012
Article published in Strada nr. 3 2023: 2023Strada3v3
by Henk Cloosterman