A great example of the use of capacitors is the successful operation of the intermittent windshield wiper. Before a private inventor came up with the idea of using capacitors for that purpose, car manufacturers had tried unsuccessfully do do it mechanically. Once it was invented the car manufacturers tried to make use of his patents without paying the inventor. He went through a long litigation process before finally getting paid. Along the way they said, "Of course we would have thought of using capacitors eventually!"