As the summer winds down, you may be preparing a patent application for an exciting invention. Or you may be waiting to hear whether your patent application will be issued. This can be a time of excitement, but it can also be a time of anxiety. Your invention means so much to you, and you want it to be protected. You want to be able to claim it and share it with the world.
It may help to remember that other great inventors throughout history have been in your shoes. Here’s our list of some historic patents that have been granted in August.
Glass Shaping Machine
On August 2, 1904, inventor Michael Owens was issued a patent for his “glass shaping machine.” Owens was a foreman at the Toledo Glass Factory, which primarily manufactured glass bottles. He created an automated glass blowing machine that molded bottles into the correct shape. His machine, which produced about 240 bottles per minute, was the beginning of mass production of glass containers. This all began with his patent for the glass shaping machine.
Cathode Ray Tube
By the time his “cathode ray tube” patent was granted, William D. Coolidge had already set himself apart as a gifted inventor. He worked mostly with fluorescents and had a particular interest in X-ray machines. The cathode ray tube includes electron guns that emit beams used to project images onto a screen. While this was useful for X-ray machines, it has also served as a basis used to improve TVs and other electronics over time. His cathode ray tube also included a tungsten filament, which vastly improved the world of radiology. This patent was issued on August 6, 1935, five years after Coolidge applied.
Vehicle Tire
Francis Holton’s 1911 patent for a vehicle tire was actually the 1,000,000th US patent! The first patent had been issued 75 years before, which speaks to the flourish of innovation. Holton’s tubeless vehicle tire was no exception. These tires, used in automobiles and bicycles, were built with a sturdy rubber like the tires that we see today. They were designed to be more puncture resistant and durable, without the need of a tube.
Airplane Stall Warning Device
At the time that Leonard Greene invented the airplane stall warning device on August 16, 1949, airplanes were still relatively new. The Wright Brothers had only invented the first successful airplane 46 years before. But in those 46 years, two World Wars occurred, and airplanes played a role. Leonard Greene served as an engineering test pilot during World War II and saw an aircraft crash because of a stalled wing.
He developed a device powered by flashlight batteries that alerted pilots when there was not enough airflow over the wings of the plane to provide lift and keep flying. The purpose of the stall warning device was to alert pilots in time to correct the problem and avoid crashes. And it worked. The Saturday Evening Post called the Stall Warning Device, “the greatest lifesaver since the invention of a parachute.” Soon after this patent was issued, the Stall Warning Device became the standard for aircraft safety.
Do you have a great invention that you want to patent so you can share it with the world? Garcia-Zamor will help you with the patent application and with any further IP protection steps you might need to take. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a consultation!
