I think that Jerry is being a bit harsh in saying that the original QR lever was campy's "only innovation". There were minor improvements in EVERYTHING that campy made, e.g. oiler covers, wingnuts on shifters, micro adjust seatposts (i think), and I believe some innovations to the gransport derailleurs (but i haven't memorized that chapter of "The Dancing Chain v2" yet - give me some time !! *grin*.)
Campy's problem in the 70's and 80's might have been that they did not have a culture of innovation. It was "Tullio or the Highway" perhaps. They did not strive to be an "Invention Factory" as Thomas Edison strived to have in the 1880's.
When Suntour started to ascend in the drivetrain business in the late 1970's, if John's reviews of the patents are correct, then what happened is (a) Shimano strived and succeeded as an invention factory (SIS), whereas (b) Campy failed as an invention factory (Victory / Triomphe / C-record.) After Shimano had figured out the rear indexed Dura Ace derailleur, according to Berto, campy was forced to simply copy all the good ideas from Dura Ace and put them in Record mechs.
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA