Background
Hymen L. Lipman was born March 20, 1817, in Kingston, Jamaica, to English parents.
Hymen L. Lipman was born March 20, 1817, in Kingston, Jamaica, to English parents.
He emigrated to the United States around 1829 with them, arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he resided for the remainder of his life. In 1840, Lipman succeeded Samuel M. Stewart, then the leading stationer in Philadelphia. Three years later, he started the first envelope company in the United States.
In 1862, Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000, who went to sue the pencil manufacturer Faber for infringement.
In 1875 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Reckendorfer declaring the patent invalid because his invention was actually a combination of two already known things with no new use.