June Inventions

On the 4^th June 1963 patent No 3,091,888 was granted to six-year-old Robert Patch for a toy truck.[1] The idea was to create a toy truck which could be easily assembled and disassemble by children and could change into different types of truck. Kind of like a modern Transformers toy.

Truck Patent Image. [1]

The 9^th June 1953 saw the patent for the manufacture of soft surface cured cheese granted, No 2,641,545.[2] This was developed by John Kraft and it was not the first time Kraft had been involved with cheese. In 1903 L.J Kraft started a wholesale cheese business in Chicago, selling cheese from the back of a horse drawn wagon, by 1914 their first cheese factory in Illinois opened and within a year the factory had began producing cheese in tins.[3] These cheese tins were provided for the armed forces during World War 1. 1950 saw the production of Kraft Deluxe process cheese slices, which were the first commercially packaged processed cheese.[4] The year of 1952 saw Cheez Whiz, a pasteurised processed cheese spread, come onto the market.[5] However, the 1953 soft surface cured cheese patent, as mentioned above,  focused on making the separation of the soft cheese from the exterior easier, as ‘few customers eat both the mould pad and the soft interior’.[6] The difficulties in separating the two parts of the cheese is ‘naturally of considerable annoyance to the consumer, as well as an ultimate waste of edible cheese’.[7]

Cheese Patent Image. [2]

Now something which the majority of us will have in our homes...medicine bottles. It is the child lock top which we are looking at here. Patented on 5^th June 1984 the ‘Safety Cap for Medicine Bottle’ No 4,452,364 was granted to Ronald Kay.[8] Originally the device served as a detection device to see whether medicines had been tampered with, ‘efforts are being made to seal the contents such that a purchaser would easily be able to detect whether or not tampering had occurred’.[9] This kind of device has also kept children safe as well, as the lock cap creates a barrier to them.

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[1] Google Patents, ‘3, 091, 888’, 2011. [Online] Available from:  www.google.com/patents?id=JV5oAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=3,091,888&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q=3%2C091%2C888&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[2] Google Patents, ‘No 2, 641, 545’, 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=OqZvAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=2,641,545&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=2%2C641%2C545&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[3] Kraft Foods, ‘History’, 2008. [Online] Available from:  www.kraftfoodscompany.com/About/history/index.aspx. (Accessed 12/05/2012).

[4] Inventors, ‘The History of Kraft Foods’, 2012. [Online] Available from:  www.inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/kraft_foods_2.htm. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[5] Inventors, ‘The History of Kraft Foods’, 2012. [Online] Available from:  www.inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/kraft_foods_2.htm. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[6] Google Patents, ‘No 2, 641, 545’, 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=OqZvAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=2,641,545&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=2%2C641%2C545&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[7] Google Patents, ‘No 2, 641, 545’, 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=OqZvAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=2,641,545&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=2%2C641%2C545&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[8] Google Patents, ‘No4, 452, 364’, 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=xGw5AAAAEBAJ&pg=PA4&dq=Safety+Cap+for+Medicine+Bottle+ininventor:ronald+ininventor:kay&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/2012).

[9] Google Patents, ‘No4, 452, 364’, 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=xGw5AAAAEBAJ&pg=PA4&dq=Safety+Cap+for+Medicine+Bottle+ininventor:ronald+ininventor:kay&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/2012).

May Inventions

The 25^th May 1948 saw the patent (No 2, 423, 873) granted to Andrew Moyer for a method of mass production if penicillin.[1] Penicillin is one of the earliest discovered and widely used antibiotic agents and it was Alexander Flemming in 1928 discovered its importance.  By 1941 Moyer has succeeded in increasing the yields of penicillin ten times, it was not until 1948 when the patent was granted. This new production lay in the ‘cultivation of molds, whereby the yield of penicillin is substantially increased’.[2]

Patent for Penicillin Production. [2]

More recently, the 28^th May 1996 saw Theo and Wayne Hart received a patent for a ponytail hair clasp.[3] Patent No 5, 520, 201 is the design for a pony tail clasp which ‘substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior’, the result of this clasp that ‘allows a user to readily and fixedly clasp his or her hair in a pony tail type configuration’.[4]

Patent for pny tail hair clasp. [4]

Very importantly, the 5^th May 1809 saw the first patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to a woman. This was granted to Mary Kies for the process of weaving straw with silk or thread, mainly for the purpose of creating women’s hats and bonnets.

There are no images of this patent, as the original file was destroyed in a fire in 1836, in which ‘approximately 10,000 patent records were lost’.[5] By 1840 approximately 20 U.S patents had been issued to women and this number had continued to grow and grow.[6] By 2004 18% of all patents issued to U.S inventors were from women, double the amount granted in 1990.[7]

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[1] Google Patents, ‘No 2, 423, 873’, 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=cYtVAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract#v=onepage&q&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[2] Google Patents, ‘No 2, 423, 873’, 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=cYtVAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract#v=onepage&q&f=false. (Accessed 12/05/12).

[3] Google Patents, ‘No 5, 520,201’, 2011. [Online] Available from:  www.google.com/patents?id=WOsdAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=ininventor:Wayne+ininventor:Hart&hl=en#v=onepage&q=ininventor%3AWayne%20ininventor%3AHart&f=false . (Accessed 12/05/2012).

[4] Google Patents, ‘No 5, 520,201’, 2011. [Online] Available from:  www.google.com/patents?id=WOsdAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=ininventor:Wayne+ininventor:Hart&hl=en#v=onepage&q=ininventor%3AWayne%20ininventor%3AHart&f=false . (Accessed 12/05/2012).

[5] Inventor of the Week, ‘Mary Kies’, 2004. [Online] Available from: www.web.mit.edu/invent/iow/kies.html. (Accessed 12/05/2012).

[6] Inventor of the Week, ‘Mary Kies’, 2004. [Online] Available from: www.web.mit.edu/invent/iow/kies.html. (Accessed 12/05/2012).

[7] Business Week, ‘Women Inventors Double their Share of Patents’, 2012. [Online] Available from: www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-01/women-inventors-double-their-share-of-patents. (Accessed 12/05/12).

April Inventions

So, I thought I would share with you all some of the numerous items that have been invented throughout history in the month of April. There are many to choose from, so here is a small selection.

The roller skate patented on the 6^th April 1869 Isaac Hodgson (No 88,711).[1]

Image of the roller skate design. [1]

A disposable syringe gained its patent on the 9^th April 1974 (No 3,802,434), designed by Phil Brooks. [2] Whilst various forms of intravenous injection and infusion had been in occurrence from the 1670s, Charles Gabriel Pravaz and Alexander Wood who were the first to develop a syringe with a needle fine enough to pierce the skin in 1853. [3] As can be seen in the patent for Brooks design he mentions the various other needles available, however he notes the advantages of his disposable device.

Disposable syringe design. [2]

An ironing board patent was granted to Sarah Boone on 26^th April 1892 (No 473, 653). [4] Her improvement in ironing boards was produced to make a ‘cheap, simple, convenient and highly effective device’ which was particularly useful when ‘ironing sleeves and bodies of ladies garments’.[5]

Part of the ironing board patent. [4]

Whilst we don't have any of these items in our museum, we have many others. Check out the next mystery item to have a glimpse at what we have to offer. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you have found something which interests you.

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[1] Google Patents, 'No 88,711', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=U7JCAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=88711&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false. (Accessed 10/04/12).

[2] Google Patents, 'No 3,802,434', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=n4l9AAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=3,802,434&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q=3%2C802%2C434&f=false. (Accessed 10/04/2012).

[3] Inventors, 'Hypodermic Needle - Syringe Needle', 2012. [Online] Available from: www.inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsyringe.htm. (Accessed 10/04/2012).

[4] Google Patents, 'No 473,653', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=dZxAAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=473,653&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=473%2C653&f=false. (Accessed 10/04/2012).

[5] Google Patents, 'No 473,653', 2011. [Online] Available from: www.google.com/patents?id=dZxAAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=473,653&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=473%2C653&f=false. (Accessed 10/04/2012).