19 Feb 2024 
John Eugene Huber, known by family and friends as “Gene,” grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was an Air Corporal, private pilot, and involved member of the American Institute of Physics, the Acoustical Society of America, and the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers.
But Huber left his biggest legacy as an inventor. Here are a few of his well-known patents.
Huber’s film retainer invention was mostly used for motion picture machines, but could be adapted for other uses.
Huber invented a collapsible hi-chair and tray for easy travel.
While he didn’t have children of his own, “Uncle Gene” was surrounded by family in the hills of the Ohio river who may have inspired this invention. His nieces and nephews still have fond memories of visiting the Huber Industries Cincinnati warehouse.
Huber’s Liquid Lifter Pump was groundbreaking! The attachment could convert any power drill into a pump. It pumped liquid out of all hard-to-empty containers, used from oil changes to swimming pools.
The Huber Liquid Lifter Pump was marketed for marine and boating, automobile, manufacturing, farms and agriculture, and at-home uses. The concept was subsequently reproduced by many other power tool manufacturers and you can still find many versions of it on the market today.
And finally, the patent we’re all familiar with: Huber Mounts.
As an Air Corporal and talented inventor, Huber worked extensively with the United States Military on special projects. Which explains the birth of the famous Huber mounts. Originally designed for aircraft cameras and guns, Huber’s work became widespread across various industries: aerospace, crash testing, security, machine vision, and more.
Huber mounts are even on the moon, holding the well-known Hasselblad cameras!
What made this invention take off? The quality, strength, durability, and adaptability of Huber Mounts is unmatched. Huber Mounts were designed to withstand the high Gs of aircrafts and crash vehicles and maintain high-precision positioning.
Huber Mounts were developed with a never-before seen patented dovetail technology. Now, operators could quickly swap cameras or instruments and maintain the exact same target.
As demand grew, so did his file cabinet of drawings. 2-axis mounts, 3-axis mounts. Huber developed countless iterations of mounts, each optimized for a special application. From the small 159-P designed for aircraft sights, to the giant 560-A designed for complete stability for massive cameras. You can even customize your Huber Mount!
Huber was a lifelong inventor, always marrying creativity with engineering solutions. Later in life, he converted a ship into a giant houseboat that he ultimately sailed from Cincinnati to Florida, his new residence. John Eugene Huber passed away in October of 1978 in Florida. But his inventions live on.
Huber mounts are still used across the world (and outer space!) today. The most popular products still in production are:
Thank you to Mike Bennett and family for sharing memories of “Uncle Gene,” used to write this article. May Huber’s legacy live on!
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