Granville T. Woods, dubbed 'Black Edison,' prevailed in patent disputes with Thomas Edison.

Granville T. Woods filed an 1887 patent for an induction telegraph to let moving trains communicate wirelessly, and he prevailed in patent contests with Thomas Edison's company.

Granville T. Woods filed a patent in 1887 for an induction telegraph that transmitted signals to and from moving trains without physical contact. His filing described messages sent by electromagnetic induction and included precise drawings. Thomas Edison and his company challenged the invention in court, leading to years of litigation. Woods continued to invent and to defend his intellectual property while working on rail and electrical technologies. Key points: - In 1887 Woods filed a patent for an "induction telegraph" to transmit signals between moving trains by electromagnetic induction. - Thomas Edison's company sued Woods over the invention; the U.S. Patent Office ruled more than once that Woods was the prior inventor. - Woods sold a combined telephone-and-telegraph invention to Alexander Graham Bell's company and used the proceeds to work full time as an inventor. - Over his career Woods registered nearly 60 inventions, including work on underground power routing, early third-rail ideas, overhead conducting systems for trolleys, and safety-control mechanisms such as the dead man's switch. - Repeated litigation drained Woods's finances; he died in 1910 without wealth, though aspects of his work were later acknowledged by agencies including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the U.S. Transportation Department. Summary: Woods's patents and technical work contributed to wireless train communication, rail power delivery and early safety systems that influenced later transit infrastructure. His legal victories established his priority as an inventor at a time when African-Americans faced legal and social barriers. Formal acknowledgments of his contributions have appeared, and broader public recognition or additional scholarship is undetermined at this time.