January is a time of fresh starts, renewed determination, and — sometimes — invention. If your goal for 2023 is to patent your first invention, you may find inspiration and motivation from some of the great inventions to have come before. It’s no surprise that so many inventions have been patented in January. Here are some of the most memorable:
Apparatus for Cooling and Solar Heating a House
Today, solar energy is still an emerging alternative that can help the world become more energy efficient and better preserve the environment. You may see solar panels on the roofs of homes or office buildings, or you may hear people suggest solutions to swap out traditional energy methods with solar energy.
But on January 3, 1967, when Harry Thomason received his patent for an “apparatus for cooling and solar heating a house,” he was quite a trailblazer. His apparatus combined a heat collector, which trapped heat from the sun, and a heat dissipator, which released that heat to cool down the home. Heat could also be stored and used at a more appropriate time, much like solar energy can now be stored when used to power a building.
George Washington Carver’s Cosmetics Patent
George Washington Carver is one of the most famous inventors in American history. Born into slavery shortly before it was abolished, Carver rose to prominence for inventing techniques that helped improve soils depleted after extensive cotton planting. He is also famous for finding more than 300 uses for peanuts, which came into play with the cosmetics patent he was granted on January 6, 1925.
Although there is no drawing of the invention, the text for the patent lays out ideas of cosmetic products made from peanuts, water, peanut oil, and perfume as you can see below:
Manufacture of Gasoline
Gasoline is a part of everyday life for most people. It fuels your car, helps you get where you need to go, and gasoline prices are often the yardstick by which the state of the economy is measured. It can be difficult to imagine a world without gasoline.
But the manufacture of gasoline was not patented until January 7, 1913, by an inventor named William Burton. Cars were still a recent invention, and the more accessible Ford Model T had only been invented 5 years prior. Burton invented a method for boiling petroleum in a way that produced gasoline. This efficient manufacturing of gasoline made the Ford Model T, with its gasoline engine, even more accessible, ensuring that motor vehicles were no longer a luxury of the rich.
Environmentally conscious innovations, historically famous inventors, and inventions that would become everyday necessities — all of these patents and more can be found in Januaries of the past. What inventions will you patent in January?
When you need help protecting your invention or other IP, turn to Garcia-Zamor. We have over 2 decades of combined experience with intellectual property law, and we’re here to help you. Contact us today to learn more.
