Marie Killick facts for kids

Marie Louise Killick (born in 1914, died in 1964) was a clever English audio engineer. She invented and patented a special needle, called a stylus, for playing gramophone records in 1945. Her invention was known by the brand name Sapphox.

Early Life

Marie Killick's father, John, was an engineer. He taught her about precision engineering when she was young. Marie also studied how to record sound in a city called Antwerp.

Amazing Inventions

During World War II, Marie worked for the army. She made sound equipment, like special steel cutters for making master recordings on wax discs. She even borrowed money to start her own business to produce more equipment. The War Office gave her a contract. She made cutters for recordings used on battlefields and designed a portable recorder for soldiers to use.

Back then, records were played with steel needles. These needles could easily damage the records. Marie Killick had a brilliant idea! She invented a new kind of stylus using a sapphire or diamond gemstone. Her stylus made the sound quality much better. Plus, it didn't harm the record. This was because it rode along the sides of the record's groove, instead of scraping the bottom. She officially applied for her patent in 1945, and it was granted in 1948.

Her special stylus was sold under the name Sapphox. It was made in London. A big company called Decca offered her a lot of money for her invention, but she said no! Marie also invented a machine that could make 10,000 of her styluses every week. She even patented this machine in 1945.

In 1949, Marie received a letter praising the amazing sound quality of Sapphox. A company used Sapphox in their Odeon cinema in London. They played records with Sapphox during the breaks of the film Hamlet. The sound was so good that they planned to use Sapphox in all their cinemas!

Her business was doing very well. She had a private secretary, a big house, and a governess for her children. However, just three years later, her business faced difficulties.

Protecting Her Invention

In 1953, Marie Killick had to go to court. She sued a company called Pye Ltd. because they had copied her invention. They created a stylus that was too similar to her patented design. This is called patent infringement.

Marie Killick won the lawsuit in the High Court of Justice in 1957. Pye Radio tried to appeal the decision, but the court upheld the original ruling in 1958. This meant Pye had indeed copied her invention. Even though she won, Marie was unable to fully benefit from this victory.

She passed away in Guildford, Surrey, England, at the age of 49.

Personal Life

Marie had four children. Her daughter, Cynthia, later wrote a book about her mother's experiences.

See also

In Spanish: Marie Killick para niños