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Category: Invention Geek Answers

Invention Geek – Bogus Claim?

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Question from Gary:

Wasn’t there a published US application that the attorney did NOT remove a comment before it automatically published – something like I bet my inventors won’t even read any of this???

Hello Gary,

What a great question!!!

Yes, there was an application where a comment which should have been removed was published.

US Patent Application 20040161257 filed on July 21, 2003 for a display control apparatus for image forming apparatus had a very interesting claim included. Claim 9 of the application read as follows:
The method of providing user interface displays in an image forming apparatus which is really a bogus claim included amongst real claims, and which should be removed before filing; wherein the claim is included to determine if the inventor actually read the claims and the inventor should instruct the attorneys to remove the claim.

The actual patent, US patent 7305199, issued December 4, 2007 does not have this bogus claim included.

You can view the application here.
The patent can be see here.

Invention Geek – Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

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Question from Archie:

The Wienermobile. What’s the deal with the vehicle? Does it have a patent?

What a great question, Archie!

Indeed, the “deal” with the Wienermobile is quite an interesting one, and, yes, it does have a patent associated with it.

It all started in 1936 when Karl Mayer, nephew to beloved meat magnate Oscar Mayer, imagined what would become the best known promotional vehicle (literally!) in American history.

Mayer chose the General Body Company of Chicago to realize this vision. The 13 foot long frank first rolled off the assembly line July 18, 1936 at a cost of $5,000 — no small price in the middle of the Great Depression!

Wienermobile 1936

The Original Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, 1936

While it spent the first few years of its life bound to the streets of Chicago, Wienermobile-mania continued to spread as the company began visiting towns across the country. Gas rationing in WWII may have kept the friendly frank off the streets for a time, but by 1969, the famed Wienermobile made its first trans-continental journey.

To protect his creation, Carl G. Mayer received a design patent D171,550 for an automotive vehicle on September 27, 1952. Any one of the fleet of 8 wandering wurst can now be seen across the United States, and even in foreign countries like Canada, Spain, or Japan.

In addition to the design patent, the Wienermobile is protected by a number of trademarks.

– TG

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Invention Geek – Anti-lock Brakes on Airplanes?

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Question from Greg:

What aircraft and what year where abs brakes installed onto?

Spending a great deal of time looking into this subject, this is what was found; without a certain answer. Modern anti-lock brakes have undergone numerous amounts of alterations from their original form with many individuals taking credit for each milestone abs brakes have reached.

The root development of anti-lock brakes (abs) or anti-skid brakes, as they are more commonly called on aircraft, dates back to 1929. French aircraft pioneer, Gabriel Voisin, originally designed the anti-lock brakes for airplanes. Although it has been stated that the brakes were first intended for aircraft, additional data to backup this claim is very limited. Whether he tested the invention on one of his own famous biplane designs is questionable. We know that after WWI (1918), Voisin stopped developing planes and went into the automobile industry. According to these dates, that means he would have invented abs brakes after the point in which he switch to car production. Perhaps, the invention was a half-baked idea during his flight days (intended for aircrafts) but did not fully developed till his automotive days, in which his anti-lock brake system was installed on cars.

The first noted US produced plane equipped with an Hydro-Aire Mark I anti-skid system was military aircraft Boeing B-47 bomber in 1947. After WWII, landing speeds increased tremendously because of new jet aircraft. Conventional brakes were not as effective and the anti-skid brakes prevented plane wheels from locking on low traction surfaces.

Invention Geek – Grocery Store?

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Question from Royce M:

Is it true that there was a patent for the first self serve grocery store?
Thanks, Royce

Yes, that is absolutely correct. Piggly Wiggly was America’s first modern self-service grocery store.

Clarence Saunders received patent number 1,242,872 on October 9, 1917 for the concept of a self-service supermarket store. Saunders had revolutionized the grocery industry and improved the customer shopping experience.

Originally, shoppers depended on store clerks to gather their grocery order from the shelves. Sanders developed a self-serve setup to avoid wasted time and expenses. In response to the change, packaging and brand recognition became increasingly important because consumers now directly chose products. Sanders’ innovative idea was a success as other stores began to adopt the same layout for their locations.

95 years later, since the opening in 1916, Piggly Wiggly stores can still be found today in the Southern and Midwestern regions of the United States.

Read the Piggly Wiggly patent here.

Invention Geek – Font Protection?

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Question from Ize:

How are fonts protected?
Thanks, Ize

If certain conditions are met, an individual who creates a font has limited options in protecting their typeface. Copyright and trademark laws provide minimal or no protection against typeface piracy. The extent of protection a typeface should receive has been debated about between The U.S Copyright Office and type designers since the 1970s. Design patents are the best option if you want to protect your typeface.

Conditions to receive a design patent:

  • The font is not known or accessible to the public for more than one year prior to filing a design patent application.
  • The typeface was not described or used in a printed publication in any country during the year prior to filing the application.
  • The font design must be new. Meaning, it can not be an obvious variation of another design.
  • The typeface isn’t registered as a design patent or industrial design in a foreign country.

Invention Geek – The Invention of Kevlar

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Question from No Name:

When was the bulletproof vest invented? Or should I say Kevlar?

Kevlar was another accidental invention among many others throughout history that has saved thousands of lives. The fabric was originally intended to replace steel belting in the tires of vehicles. A member of DuPont’s Pioneering Research Laboratory, Stephanie Kwolek, first developed the synthetic material in 1965. Kwolek was awarded patent number 3,819,587 in 1974 for “Wholly aromatic carbocyclic polycarbonate fiber having orientation angle of less than about 45º.”

Kwolek had been hard at work developing new polymer solutions when she stumbled onto one that behaved in a way no other solution had before. The particular liquid separated into two distinct layers: one was clear and yellow, and the other was cloudy, shiny, and much thinner than other mixtures. It poured like water, which was also uncharacteristic.

Kwolek and technician Charles Smullen tested the liquid further, spinning it to fibers and ultimately discovering the material’s remarkable capabilities. The substance was lightweight, stronger than steel, chemical, flame, and high cut resistant.

Under DuPont, Kwolek’s material underwent testing as a bullet resistant fiber. DuPont first began marketing Kevlar in 1971 as bulletproof, protective body armor.

Today, Kevlar is used in many other products, including helmets, spacecraft shells, skis, and suspension bridge cables.

…all thanks to another “Happy Accident.”

_TG

Invention Geek – Fax Machine?

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Question from Kathy L.:

Dear Invention Geek,
I use a fax machine on a daily basis. Who invented this time savings machine? Was there a patent issued?
Kathy L.

Hey Kathy,

The invention of the fax machine is one of the greatest contributions to the history of communications.

Scottish clockmaker and inventor, Alexander Bain, is credited with inventing the first fax machine. He received British patent 9745 for the facsimile unit in 1843 for “automatic electrochemical recording telegraph.” Bain’s fax machine was an improvement on Sameul Morse’s telegraph machine. Morse’s device made it possible for the transmission of written messages over a wire. Bain called his invention a “recording telegraph” because of its ability to copy documents and images, rather than writing messages.

It has been almost 170 years since the first invention of the fax machine. Bain’s fax machine and concept has undergone numerous revisions before arriving at its current form.

Invention Geek – Claw Game?

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Question from Jae D.:
Hello Geek..
I was wondering if you could tell me more about the invention of the arcade claw game. I love those games even if I never win.
Thanks,
Jae D.

The original version of these machines was developed in 1896 from a child’s game. In this version, the player had to dig up candy and other prizes using a mechanical control to steer the tiny crane. Playing one game on the Erie Digger cost a penny.

The digger game hit full production in the 1920’s. The original Erie Digger then had to compete with other versions of the game including the Iron Claw, Miniature Steam Shovel, Electro Hoist and Miami Digger. The Miami Digger was built by William Bartlett and was known for its original design and superior play. It appears that Bartlett was the first to apply for a patent for this new type of arcade game. He received US Patent 1,882,563 on October 11, 1932 for a Coin Controlled Vending Machine.

The popularity of these games continued to grow both as toys and gambling machines in the 1930’s and 40’s. Then in 1951, the days of the digger games were ended with the passing of a new Federal anti-gambling laws. In 1974, with changes made to the gambling laws, new crane games from Europe began to appear in the United States. These games cost 25 cents a play and were much more high tech that the original diggers. Today even more advanced versions of the game can be found anywhere from the arcade to sporting arenas to the movie theater.

Invention Geek – Fire Grenade?

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Question from Frankie del Fuego:
Hello Geek!
I was wondering if you could figure out when the first fire grenades were patented in the US? I saw some on an antiques show the other night – little glass ‘bombs’ that contain a chemical to help put out fires.
Also, could you tell me where the idea came from? That is, were we the first ones to make these things or is it an older idea?
Thanks a million!
-Frankie del Fuego

Fire grenades were small glass bottles filled with salt water or carbon-tetrachloride and sealed with a cork and cement. These bottles were meant to be thrown into a small room or area at the base of the fire. The glass bottle would then hopefully break and then the contents would put out the fire. When the grenade was filled with carbon tetrachloride, the contents would vaporize immediately into immense volumes of fire extinguishing gas in which combustion can not possibly exist.

Fire grenades were developed around 1860 and they were in use until about 1910 when they were replaced with extinguishers closer to what we use now. The first United States patent for a fire grenade was issued to Samuel B. Johnson on August 8, 1871. He received Patent #117,891 for an improvement in fire-extinguishers. The Harden “Star” Hand Grenade Fire Extinguisher was the most popular brand of extinguisher.

Today the colorful bottles with ornate designs are popular with collectors. They are rare since the bottle was meant to be destroyed. Fire grenades is good condition can be worth upwards of $2,000.

View the patent here.

Invention Geek – Aspirin?

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Question from Margot L.:
In a previous post, you stated that aspirin used to be a trademark name. Where did the name aspirin come from?
-Sarah W.

Aspirin was the brand name given to acetylsalicylic acid by Bayer Corporation of Germany. The name aspirin was derived from the ingredients in the drug. The “a” came from the first letter of the product’s scientific name, acetylsalicylic acid. The “spir” came from the plant Spirea ulmaria, the meadowsweet plant, which was the original source of the compound. The “in” used for the ending was a common ending for medicine at the time.

Bayer was forced to give up trademark rights in U.S., England, France, and Russia in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles. Today, aspirin is the common named used for acetylsalicylic acid in many countries.