Edmund Abel

Edmund Angel Abel, Jr. (May 12, 1921 – April 21, 2014) was an American engineer and inventor who designed and patented the heating element for Mr. Coffee, one of the first automatic drip coffee makers to be introduced to the American consumer market. Mr. Coffee, which was first sold in 1972, soon became the dominant coffeemaker in the United States, reaching sales of approximately $150 million by the late 1970s.

Biography Early life Abel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 12, 1921, at the family home at 8111 Madison Avenue. to Edmund A. Abel, Sr., a laborer, and Rose Schoeffel Abel, a homemaker.

Abel received very little credit or attribution for his patented heating element for the coffeemaker. Though he held the patent for the heating element for Mr. Coffee, Abel assigned the patent to Mr. Coffee's manufacturer, North American Systems. The co-owner of North American Systems Inc., Vincent Marotta, often took full credit for the complete conception and design of Mr. Coffee in interviews, which reportedly annoyed Abel. Edmund Abel received very few royalties from his patented invention.

Abel died from old age at his home in Rocky River, Ohio, at the age of 92. He credited his long lifespan with a natural diet supplemented with grapefruit seed extract.