Patent Plaques, Patent Cubes, Patent Awards, IP Plaques, IP Cubes and IP Awards

Go Ahead and Spill Something…

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:46:59 +0000

Scotchgard is yet another revolutionary product that was invented completely by mistake. Patsy Sherman and Sam Smith were not working on developing a stain repellent in 1953. Instead they were working in their lab to develop a new kind of rubber that could be used for jet aircraft fuel lines. An accident in the lab changed [...]

Invention Geek – Text Messaging?

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:50:43 +0000

Question from Dave L.: What was the involvement of Matti Makkonen in the invention of text messaging? Is text messaging patented? As a system designer for the telecom and post authority in Finland, Matti Makkonen was involved in developing mobile communications systems. The idea for text messaging began with Makkonen and two other Finish engineers in [...]

Why Was Masking Tape Invented?

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:39:52 +0000

Can you imagine life without tape? How would we wrap presents, fix ripped papers and make duct tape dresses? Richard Drew invented the first masking tape in 1925. Richard Drew was an engineer working at 3M when he perfected the masking tape. At the time, 3M was a sandpaper manufacturer. Drew was delivering trial batches [...]

Invention Geek – Longest title? Shortest title?

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:51:46 +0000

Question from Bob S.: What patent has the longest title? Shortest title? Patent #6,186,793 has the longest title with 42 words and 250 characters. The title is: Process to convert cost and location of a number of actual contingent events within a region into a three dimensional surface over a map that provides for every location [...]

Pencil Patent Dispute?

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:46:16 +0000

Patent disputes do not just occur over drugs or electronics. In fact, even the pencil, a simple product used by millions everyday, was at one time part of a court battle. The first patent for attaching an eraser to a pencil was issued in 1858 to a man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hyman Lipman received patent number [...]

Invention Geek – Shortest Patent Application?

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:40 +0000

Question from John L.: I know you talked about the longest patent application ever filed. What about the shortest? With about 480,000 applications filed each year with the USPTO, it is difficult to nail down what is the shortest application. The shortest application I have ever seen is also one of the most interesting. Application 20040005535 [...]

What Is A Plant Patent?

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:09:10 +0000

In 1930, the Plant Patent Act spurred by the work of Luther Burbank provided for the possibility of patent protection for asexually reproduced plants. In1949, Plant Patent #1 was issued to Henry Bosenberg of New Brunswick, NJ, for a climbing rose. The United States Patent and Trademark Office grants a plant patent for any new [...]

Invention Geek – Patents Granted?

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:54:23 +0000

Question from James M.: How many patent applications are filed with United States Patent and Trademark Office each year? Of these applications, how many patents are granted? In 2009, 482,871 patent applications were filed with United States Patent and Trademark Office. A total of 485,312 patent applications were filed with the USPTO in the year 2008. In [...]

August is National Inventors Month.

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:15:29 +0000

August is National Inventors Month. The United Inventors Association of the USA, the Academy of Applied Science, and Inventor’s Digest Magazine started this celebration in 1998. The purpose of this month is to celebrate creativity and innovation. Some of the most imaginative patents granted have not been for products that most would consider practical but [...]

Ask The Invention Geek – Presidental Patents?

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:46:07 +0000

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. Do you have a question for The Invention Geek? Submit it [...]