Irwin L. Fife (1894–1971) was an American inventor credited with the invention of modern web-guiding systems from his garage in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[1] In 1939, Fife founded Fife Manufacturing. He received numerous patents for his advances in web guiding and manufacturing. In 1975, Fife Manufacturing became a publicly traded company.

Irwin L. Fife
Born(1894-01-13)January 13, 1894
DiedFebruary 12, 1971(1971-02-12) (aged 77)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
NationalityAmerican
Scientific career
InstitutionsFife Manufacturing

Inventing web guide systems

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In 1939, a local friend in the newspaper business came to Irwin for help with a high-speed newspaper press. Over the next year, Mr. Fife invented a web guide from his garage in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Fife Manufacturing

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Founded in 1939 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Fife Manufacturing developed tools for web handling and web inspection.[2] In 1975, Fife Manufacturing Corp. filed for an initial public offering on the stock market.[3]

U.S. Patents

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# U.S. patent 2,562,026 – Automatic Web Guiding Apparatus (1946) US
# U.S. patent 2,675,988 – Feeler Actuated Valve (1954) US
# U.S. patent 2,904,333 – Turn Guiding Apparatus for Webs (1957) US
# U.S. patent 3,010,438 – Pneumatic Control Valve for Hydraulic System (1961) US

Personal achievements

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Fife is the founding member of the Oklahoma State University Web Handling Research Center (WHRC) and has been its primary sponsor since it was formed in 1986.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Michael Koch (25 April 2011). "Fife 70th Anniversary". ISUU. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Company Overview of Fife Corp". Bloomberg. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  3. ^ Stacy Smith Martin (24 March 1989). "Fife Corp. Sold in Multinational Deal Management-Led Buyout Makes City Company Privately Held". NewsOK. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Fife celebrates 70 years". Maxcess International. Retrieved 11 January 2017.