Ithaca waited for several years for after the main patent to expire on the Remington M17 to expire before building the Model 37. The bulk of the design by John Moses Browning was first made in 1917 and has been in continuous production for over 100 years. Smaller improvements in Browning's design prevented Ithaca from starting production until all patents expired. Gil
Peterson also held patents on the Remington model 17. I always found it interesting that the 17 and the 37 are nearly identical in design with absolutely no parts interchange.
Best,
Ted
