The Legal Battle of Robert Kearns, Who Invented the Intermittent Windshield Wiper, vs. Ford Motor Company

In 1963, Robert Kearns, an engineer with a PhD, invented the intermittent windshield wiper. Inspired by the human eye—which blinks only when necessary rather than staying open or closed—Kearns designed a system that allowed wipers to pause between swipes, a feature that didn't exist in the vacuum-powered or constant-motion wipers of the time.

He installed the device in his Ford Galaxie and demonstrated it to Ford executives. Ford expressed interest, and Kearns shared his schematics and prototypes, believing they were negotiating a licensing deal or a partnership to manufacture the parts.

Instead of licensing the technology, Ford (and eventually the rest of the “Big Three”) rejected Kearns’ proposal. However, in 1969, Ford introduced its own intermittent wiper system in its Mercury line. Upon inspecting the Ford part, Kearns discovered it was an exact copy of his patented design, utilizing the same transistor-capacitor timing circuit.

Kearns filed suit against Ford in 1978. The litigation was grueling and took a massive toll on his life. Ford argued that Kearns’ patent was invalid because it was “obvious,” it used standard electronic components (off-the-shelf resistors and capacitors). Kearns successfully argued that while the parts were standard, the combination of those parts to create a new, functional system was a “flash of genius” that was not obvious to others at the time.

The stress of the 12-year battle led to a mental breakdown and the dissolution of Kearns’ marriage. He eventually fired several law firms and represented himself for much of the trial to ensure his principles weren't compromised for a quick settlement.

Robert Kearns’ patents

In 1990, a jury found that Ford had indeed infringed on Kearns’ patents. While Kearns had originally sought over $300 million (based on a per-unit royalty for every car sold), the court awarded him $5.2 million. To avoid further appeals and another round of litigation, Ford eventually paid Kearns a total of $10.2 million.

Following the Ford case, Kearns successfully sued Chrysler, winning an additional $18.7 million in 1992. Despite his financial victories, Kearns remained bitter that he was never allowed to manufacture the wipers himself as he had originally intended. He died in 2005 from Alzheimer’s and brain cancer.