"The Wedge is the same as the old oval designs from the early nineteen hundreds"
There were indeed previous attempts at making oval or non symmetrical mouthpieces. Drawings of these can be seen in patent archives and old catalogues. Some of these have a superficial resemblance to the Wedge. However, the Wedge is different in several important ways.
Previous oval mouthpieces were intended to maximize the contact between the rim and the lips. They were shaped to follow sideways arc of the teeth form left to right. The long axis of the oval was placed from side to side. The rim on the short axis of the oval had the high point shifted to the outside.
The Wedge is designed to reduce the contact between the rim and the lips. It is shaped to follow the vertical arc of the teeth from top to bottom. The long axis of the oval is placed from top to bottom. The rim on the short axis of the oval has the high point shifted to the inside.
The Wedge is essentially opposite to the old designs in concept, construction, and use. The design is very counter intuitive. The vast majority of players who pick up a Wedge for the first time will play it in the incorrect sideways orientation because it looks as though it should be played that way. But for most players it does not work that way any better than the old designs did. And they did not catch on because they were not better than conventional designs. For the majority of players the Wedge is.