Erik Andreas Rotheim (19 September 1898 – 18 September 1938) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

professional chemical engineer and inventor. He is best known for invention of the first aerosol spray can and valve that could hold and dispense fluids. Invention sketch

Biography

Erik Rotheim was born in

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

(now Oslo), Norway. He earned his engineering degree in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. In 1921, he graduated as a chemistry engineer at

ETH Zürich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

with electrochemistry as a specialty. Later he attended

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 w ...

for further education.

Inventions

He established his own company in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

during 1925. He submitted an application for an aerosol spray can in October 1926. The can could dispense different fluids using a chemical propellant. The Norwegian patent was granted in June 1929. He filed the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

application on 30 September 1927 and it was approved on 7 April 1931. In 1927, he demonstrated the Invention to paint manufacturer Alf Bjercke. The following year Rotheim negotiated an agreement for the use of his patent with paints, varnishes and liquid bean waxes, but commercial success was initially limited. In 1931, a separate foundation, Rotheim Spraying System, was formed for the exploitation of patent rights in the international market. Rotheim died in 1938 and the following year the company that produced the product went bankrupt. After Rotheim's death technological advancements made significant advances with its incorporation into various products including the

airbrush An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that atomizes and sprays various media, most often paint but also ink and dye, and foundation. Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is considered to employ a type of airbrush. History U ...

and

Aerosol paint Aerosol paint (commonly spray paint) is paint that comes in a sealed, pressurized container and is released in an aerosol spray when a valve button is depressed. Aerosol painting is one form of spray painting; it leaves a smooth, even coat, unlik ...

. The patent was sold to an American company for . Commercial exploitation of the patent was not significant until it was introduced in the United States in the 1940s. Improvements to the underlying principle of the spray head by Americans Lyle D. Goodhue and William N. Sullivan allowed the technology to be further adapted, first with the Aerosol bomb for insect control, and later in various other applications. In 1949,

Robert Abplanalp Robert Henry Abplanalp, ( KHS) (April 4, 1922 – August 30, 2003) was an American inventor and engineer who invented the modern form of the aerosol spray valve, the founder of Precision Valve Corporation, a Republican political activist, and ...

files the first aerosol valve patent which was issued by the

United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...

in 1953.

Legacy

Norway Post Posten Norge () is the name of the Norwegian postal service. The company, owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications had a monopoly until 2016 on distribution of letters weighing less than 50g throughout the country. There ...

celebrated Rotheim's invention by issuing a commemorative stamp in 1998.Image of the Norway Postage stamp
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References

External links

Highlights of The Aerosol
(Fédération Européenne des Aerosols) 1898 births 1938 deaths Engineers from Oslo ETH Zurich alumni 20th-century Norwegian engineers 20th-century Norwegian inventors {{Norway-engineer-stub