Question from Sarah J.:
Have any US Presidents been granted patents?
Abraham Lincoln is the only US President to ever receive a patent. Lincoln received patent #6469 on May 22, 1849 for a device to lift boats over shoals.
Read more about Abraham Lincoln’s patent here.
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Patent Medicine is a term used to refer to concoctions popular in the 18th and 19th century which were advertised to cure almost every disease. Patent Medicine is actually an incorrect name though. Most of these products were trademarked but never patented. The process of patenting a product requires full disclosure of a medicine’s ingredients. Most manufacturers did not want to reveal the toxic or questionable ingredients of their so-called cures.
Patent Medicines were mostly very similar in their preparation containing various vegetable extracts, generous amounts of alcohol and often narcotic such as morphine, opium, or cocaine. These drug compounds could be deadly and were often more hazardous then helpful. At the time, there were no regulations in regards to the ingredients of these medicines. Claims made by manufactures of Patent Medicines included the ability to cure everything from caner to tuberculosis to paralysis. Continue reading “What Is Patent Medicine?”
In 1943, Richard James, a naval engineer stationed at the shipyard in Philadelphia, was working on an anti-vibration device for ship instruments. Part of the device involved high-tension springs. Richard accidentally knocked one of the springs off of a shelf. He watched as the spring kept moving, walking and flip-flopping after it hit the ground. The idea for a new toy was born.
Richard shared his idea with his wife, Betty. She was unsure about the idea at first but her mind was changed when her young son and the neighborhood kids expressed interest in the spring. Richard spent the next two years perfecting the toy. He determined what was the best gauge of steel and coil to make the spring. The new toy was made of eighty feet of Swedish wire.
Betty James provided the name for the new toys. She called the new toy “Slinky” after discovering the Swedish word means sleek and graceful. She also thought the word described the noise of the metal spring as it walked by expanding and collapsing. Continue reading “The Invention of the Slinky – Sleek and Graceful”
Question from Mark A.:
What is an X-patent?
Prior to the Patent Act passed on July 4, 1836, patents were assigned by date and the name of the patentee. The Patent Act provided a system for numbering the patents. Patents issued before the Patent Act were renumbered in chronological order with an X after the number. The first patent every issued is now 1x.
Read more about X-patents and patent #1.
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Thomas Adams, a photographer, glassmaker and hopeful inventor had an infamous Mexican exile as a houseguest at his home in Staten Island, New York. Mexican General Santa Anna was staying with him. Santa Anna introduced Adams to chicle which is made from the sap of the sapodilla tree. The general was hoping to sell the chicle to Americans to use as an additive to natural rubber to reduce its cost. Natural rubber was very expensive and finding a way to reduce the cost would be very profitable.
Adams began experimenting with the chicle. He tried to make tires, rain boots, toys and masks out of the sap. Every one of his experiments was a failure. Adams became very discouraged and thought about dumping the chicle into the East River.
One day, Adams saw a young girl purchasing paraffin gum at the drug store. Thomas remembered how much Santa Anna had enjoyed chewing the chicle. He decided to try chewing the chicle. Continue reading “Snap and Pop All You Want – Modern Chewing Gum Patent”
Question from Jill W.:
I was wondering: do patents ever expire?
Good question, Jill.
A United States patent that was filed after June 8, 1995 expires 20 years from the filing date. A patent that was filed before June 8, 1995 expires 17 years from the issue date or 20 years from the filing date whichever is later.
United States Utility Patents require maintenance fees to be paid. Fees are due at 3.5, 7 and 11.5 years from the date of issue. If these fees are not paid, the patent will expire before the 20 years have passed.
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Benjamin Franklin was more than one of America’s most beloved Founding Fathers. He was also the first major American inventor. In 1748 at the age of 42, Franklin retired from his career as a printer to turn his attention full time to studying biology and physics, pursuing his curiosities about the world.
Here are just six inventions we can attribute to one of America’s most beloved founding fathers:
1. The Lightning Rod
Franklin is most famous for his experiments with electricity. Franklin was not the discoverer of electricity but rather he spent time learning about its properties. He was aware of the dangers of electricity and lighting. He used the concept of electric ground to investigate electricity and lighting. This concept led to the invention of the lighting rod. A metal rod was attached to the high point of a building. A metal cable attached to this rod ran down the side of the building and into the ground. When lighting struck the rod, the electricity ran down the cable and into the ground, preventing damage to the building.
2. Bifocals
Franklin was curious about life. This curiosity along with the physical needs of himself and his family led to some of his other inventions. By the age of 40, Franklin needed to wear two different pair of glasses. He had a pair for reading and a pair for nearsightedness. Always switching between the pairs was a hassle. To save himself the trouble, Franklin cut the lens of both glasses in half horizontally. He attached the top of his nearsighted glasses to the bottom of his reading glasses. These were the first pair of bifocal glasses. Continue reading “Famous Inventors: Benjamin Franklin”
Question from Mike:
How many pages was the longest patent application ever?
Excellent question, Mike!
The longest patent application, US20070224201A for Compositions And Methods For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Tumor, has 7,154 pages. This application also has the most figure sheets at 6,881 sheets.
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Question from Jenny:
I heard Coca-Cola originally got its name because they used to put cocaine in it. Is that really true?
Interesting question, Jenny!
Coca-Cola was in fact named for its two medicinal ingredients: extract of the coca leaves and kola nuts. The original formula included five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup. At one time, Coca-Cola contained approximately nine milligrams of cocaine per glass. Continue reading “Ask The Invention Geek – Cocaine in Coca Cola?”
Webster’s dictionary defines serendipity as the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. Accidental discoveries have happened in all fields and disciplines. Some great advancements in medicine have been the product of serendipity. Nitrous oxide as an anesthetic, rubber gloves to control infections and insulin are among these discoveries:
Nitrous Oxide as an Anesthetic
In 1798, Humphry Davy took a position at the Pneumatic Institution which was investigating the use of gases in the prevention and cure of diseases. At the Institution, Davy discovered that nitrous oxide could be inhaled by people. Davy did various tests of the gas on himself and his friends. A chamber was even built for the inhalation of the gas. Through these tests he discovered that inhalation brought about an altered state of intoxication. He also realized that the even if the inhaler was semi-conscious the sensation of pain was considerably dulled by the gas. His initial recommendation to use the gas for surgery was ignored. It was forty-fives years later that nitrous oxide was finally used as an anesthetic by dentists. Continue reading “Serendipity – The Discovery of Nitrous Oxide as an Anesthetic, Rubber Gloves, and Diabetes Control”