O. D. Jennings
Encyclopedia
Jennings & Company was a leading manufacturer of slot machine
s in the United States
and also manufactured other coin-operated machines, including pinball
machines, from 1906 to the 1980s. It was founded by Ode D. Jennings as Industry Novelty Company, Incorporated of Chicago
. On the death of its founder in 1953, the company was succeeded by Jennings & Company.
on September 6, 1874.
Ode D. Jennings worked for the Mills Novelty Company
and ran The Spectatorium, a penny arcade, for that company at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
(the 1904 World's Fair
in St. Louis, Missouri
).
In 1906, Ode Jennings established Industry Novelty Company, Incorporated. Its
business was the refurbishment of slot machines manufactured by Mills.
Ode Jennings acquired United States
patent
1,403,933, granted on 17 January 1922, for an improved mechanical coin-selecting device. The improvement related to the ejection of coins that were too small.
In July 1923, O. D. Jennings & Co. had purchased out of liquidation the business of the Garbell Typewriter Corporation of Chicago
, which manufactured the GAR-BELL portable typewriter
, invented by Max Garbell. Despite further improvements, which were protected by patents, the machine was a failure in the market.
In 1925, Ode Jennings moved to a house at what would become known as 220 Civic Drive (originally Schaumburg Road) in the village of Schaumburg, Illinois
. The house would remain his home until his death.
On November 24, 1925, Ode Jennings was granted, as inventor, United States
patent
1,562,771 for an improved mechanical coin-control apparatus. The improved apparatus was said to be more efficient and to prevent subsequent coins jamming the apparatus while the first coin was being accepted.
Between 1935 and 1936, O. D. Jennings & Co. manufactured a payout pinball
machine called the Sportsman. The device was a gambling device, more akin to a slot machine than a modern pinball table. Some of the technology in the machine was protected by United States
patent
2,003,349, granted to inventor Clifford R. Dumble.
On November 21, 1953, aged 79, Ode Jennings died at home in Schaumburg, Illinois
after 47 years at the helm of the company he had founded. He left everything to his wife, Jeannette Isle Jennings; they had no children; on the condition that it was denoted to his church and local hospitals on her death. On 19 March 1954 Jennings & Company was incorporated under the laws of Illinois
and it purchased the assets of O. D. Jennings & Company from the estate of Ode Jennings.
On May 15, 1957 Jennings & Company was merged into Hershey Manufacturing Company of Illinois
, a company that had been incorporated on April 27, 1939. Over 80% of the business of Hershey Manufacturing then comprised the manufacture and sale of slot machines through its Jennings division, although it also engaged in governmental subcontract work and the manufacture of vending machines and photoflash equipment.
By the early 1960s, there were five major manufacturers of slot machines in the United States. The table below sets out their approximate comparative percentages of sales:
By the early 1960s, the business had been acquired by American Machine and Science Company (AMSC) owned by Wallace Carroll. AMSC also acquired Bell-O-Matic Corporation
, and the two companies were merged to form TJM Corporation. TJM Corporation was run by two brothers, Tony Mills and John Mills. The merged company failed to compete successfully with the electro/mechanical models produced by Bally and also suffered because Bell-O-Matic had not protected its intellectual property rights in Japan
. The company ceased trading in the 1980s.
In 1963, after the death of Jeannette Isle Jennings, the Jennings family house and surrounding lands were donated to the village of Schaumburg, Illinois
and were used as the village hall until 1971. A gift of US$500,000 was denoted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital
of Chicago
in November 1963 (then called the Passavant Memorial Hospital) and used to fund part of the construction of the Ode D. Jennings Pavilion, which opened in May 1966.
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and also manufactured other coin-operated machines, including pinball
Pinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
machines, from 1906 to the 1980s. It was founded by Ode D. Jennings as Industry Novelty Company, Incorporated of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. On the death of its founder in 1953, the company was succeeded by Jennings & Company.
History
Ode D. Jennings was born in KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
on September 6, 1874.
Ode D. Jennings worked for the Mills Novelty Company
Mills Novelty Company
The Mills Novelty Company, Incorporated of Chicago, Illinois was once a leading manufacturer of coin operated machines, including slot machines, vending machines, and jukeboxes, in the United States...
and ran The Spectatorium, a penny arcade, for that company at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
(the 1904 World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
).
In 1906, Ode Jennings established Industry Novelty Company, Incorporated. Its
business was the refurbishment of slot machines manufactured by Mills.
Ode Jennings acquired United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
1,403,933, granted on 17 January 1922, for an improved mechanical coin-selecting device. The improvement related to the ejection of coins that were too small.
In July 1923, O. D. Jennings & Co. had purchased out of liquidation the business of the Garbell Typewriter Corporation of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, which manufactured the GAR-BELL portable typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
, invented by Max Garbell. Despite further improvements, which were protected by patents, the machine was a failure in the market.
In 1925, Ode Jennings moved to a house at what would become known as 220 Civic Drive (originally Schaumburg Road) in the village of Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
. The house would remain his home until his death.
On November 24, 1925, Ode Jennings was granted, as inventor, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
1,562,771 for an improved mechanical coin-control apparatus. The improved apparatus was said to be more efficient and to prevent subsequent coins jamming the apparatus while the first coin was being accepted.
Between 1935 and 1936, O. D. Jennings & Co. manufactured a payout pinball
Pinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
machine called the Sportsman. The device was a gambling device, more akin to a slot machine than a modern pinball table. Some of the technology in the machine was protected by United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
2,003,349, granted to inventor Clifford R. Dumble.
On November 21, 1953, aged 79, Ode Jennings died at home in Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
after 47 years at the helm of the company he had founded. He left everything to his wife, Jeannette Isle Jennings; they had no children; on the condition that it was denoted to his church and local hospitals on her death. On 19 March 1954 Jennings & Company was incorporated under the laws of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and it purchased the assets of O. D. Jennings & Company from the estate of Ode Jennings.
On May 15, 1957 Jennings & Company was merged into Hershey Manufacturing Company of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, a company that had been incorporated on April 27, 1939. Over 80% of the business of Hershey Manufacturing then comprised the manufacture and sale of slot machines through its Jennings division, although it also engaged in governmental subcontract work and the manufacture of vending machines and photoflash equipment.
By the early 1960s, there were five major manufacturers of slot machines in the United States. The table below sets out their approximate comparative percentages of sales:
| Manufacturer | Location | Share of market |
|---|---|---|
| Jennings & Co., a division of Hershey Manufacturing Co. | Chicago | 40% |
| Mills Bell-O-Matic Corp. Mills Novelty Company The Mills Novelty Company, Incorporated of Chicago, Illinois was once a leading manufacturer of coin operated machines, including slot machines, vending machines, and jukeboxes, in the United States... |
Chicago and Reno | 35% |
| Ace Manufacturing Co. | Maryland | 15% |
| Buckley Manufacturing Co. | Maryland | 5% |
| Las Vegas Coin Machine Co. | Las Vegas | 5% |
| 100% |
By the early 1960s, the business had been acquired by American Machine and Science Company (AMSC) owned by Wallace Carroll. AMSC also acquired Bell-O-Matic Corporation
Mills Novelty Company
The Mills Novelty Company, Incorporated of Chicago, Illinois was once a leading manufacturer of coin operated machines, including slot machines, vending machines, and jukeboxes, in the United States...
, and the two companies were merged to form TJM Corporation. TJM Corporation was run by two brothers, Tony Mills and John Mills. The merged company failed to compete successfully with the electro/mechanical models produced by Bally and also suffered because Bell-O-Matic had not protected its intellectual property rights in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The company ceased trading in the 1980s.
In 1963, after the death of Jeannette Isle Jennings, the Jennings family house and surrounding lands were donated to the village of Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
and were used as the village hall until 1971. A gift of US$500,000 was denoted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the nation's preeminent academic medical centers and is the primary teaching hospital for Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. It is the second tallest hospital in the United States and the fourth tallest hospital in the world...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in November 1963 (then called the Passavant Memorial Hospital) and used to fund part of the construction of the Ode D. Jennings Pavilion, which opened in May 1966.
External links
- Garbell Typewriter photos & factory garbell.com