Patent Information
The Meriden Fire Arms Company registered several patents. Most of which were registered by A.J. Aubrey himself.
Patent Reference on Rib
The most distinct patent marking on double guns is located on the rib. The majortiy of the firearms will have one of the following:
- PAT. APPLIED FOR
- PAT'D JULY 9, 1907
The patent referenced on the rib is US patent number 859,477. From an identification point of view the patent marking gives you an approximate cutoff point with regards to the time your firearm may have been manufactured.
Aubrey Patents
There are several other patents held by A.J. Aubrey:
| Description | Patent # | Issue Date |
| Improved Safety for breakdown guns | 859477 | 9. Jul. 1907 |
| Sight For Firearms | 839535 | 25. Dec. 1906 |
| Sight For Firearms | 835091 | 6. Nov. 1906 |
| Automatic Shell-Ejector for Firearm | 887569 | 12. May. 1908 |
| Fore-Stock Fastener for Firearms | 887568 | 12. May. 1908 |
| Gun-Lock | 902639 | 3. Nov. 1908 |
| Safety Hammer | 911362 | 2. Feb. 1909 |
| Rifle-Barrel Construction | 918491 | 20. Apr. 1909 |
Patent 839535
One of Aubrey's more interesting patents listed above is US patent number 839,535. This 'disappearing sight' design can be found on some of higher grade firearms manufactured by Meriden Fire Arms.
sight in down/flush position
sight in up position
Other Patents
Inventor George A. Horne also has registered patents under Meriden Fire Arms Company. Horne registered numerous fire arms related patents prior to his time with Meriden Fire Arms, including Patent 921,220 which he registered with co-inventor Ansley H. Fox.
| Description | Patent # | Issue Date |
| Magazine Rifle | 1146568 | 13. Jul. 1915 |
| Magazine Gun | 1146569 | 13. Jul. 1915 |
Two brothers, Arthur J. Savage (of Meriden) and Basil Savage (of Duarte, CA) both have related patents assigned to Sears. The earliest patent (1,019,367) appears to be the basis for Meriden's repeating shotgun. Basil's patent (1,108,400) is referenced on the Meriden Model 15 slide action rifle. Both men are the son of Arthur W. Savage (founder of Savage Arms and inventor of the radial tire). Arthur J. and Arthur W. were operating out of Utica NY in late 1800's. In 1901 Arthur W. Savage moved to Duarte, CA, and formed the Savage Tire company. If you look at Basil's 1912 patent he is located in Duarte and Arthur W. Savage is one of the witnesses.
| Description | Patent # | Issue Date |
| Firearm | 1019367 | 5. Mar. 1912 |
| Firearm | 1027773 | 28. May. 1912 |
| Firearm | 1108400 | 25. Aug. 1914 |
Fred Biffar, President of Meriden Fire Arms Company had a patent assigned to him. The invention by Prospero Donadio was for a simple safety mechanism for pistols. This feature, along with a "Pat. May 1917" stamping can be found on revolvers made by Meriden Fire Arms Company. Fred Biffar introduces an interesting wrinkle in the Meriden story. Mr. Biffar operated the Fred Biffar & Co business in Chicago. They were a retailer of sporting goods. It appears that several manufactures produced firearms for Fred Biffar & Co including Meriden Fire Arms and it appears that many of the products carried other trade names when distributed through Biffar's business. One example is the Howard Arms Co. line of pistols that were identical to the Meriden Fire Arms Co. pistols. They Howard Arms Co. pistols even retailed the 'M.F.A Co." emblem on the grips.
| Description | Patent # | Issue Date |
| Safety Lock | 1227531 | 22. May. 1917 |
Another patent that pre-dates Meriden Fire Arms Company is the patent for the mechanism used to attach the fore-end stock. In later Sears catalogs the fore-end is explicitly referred to as a "Deeley & Edge fore-end." Patent 140,482 is the patent for the fore-end mechanism.
