On December 9, 1919, Tom Doroszuk received U.S. Patent No. 1,324,342 on a Bicycle Sleigh:

According to the patent, its object is “the provision of a vehicle simulative of a bicycle and similarly operated ·whereby a rider may advance over the surface of ice or snow at a relatively high speed.”

There were earlier patents on winterized bicycles, including U.S. Patent No. 504,625 on an Ice Velocipede:

U.S. Patent No. 551442 on an Ice Velocipede:

U.S. Patent No. 566,483 on Ice or Snow Vehicle:

U.S. Patent No. 638,575 on an Ice Velocipede:

U.S. Patent No. 756,767 on a Runner and Propelling Attachment for Bicycles or Other Vehicles:

U.S. Patent No. 1,146,210 on a Velocipede Sled:

And some subsequent developments, including U.S. Patent No. 1,399,643 on a Bicycle Sleigh Attachment:

On December 8, 2024, Lloyd Espenschied and Herman Affel received U.S. Patent No. 1,835,031 on a Concentric Conducting System — coaxial cable:

Coaxial cable opened a wide spectrum of frequencies for long distance telephone service, making it possible to carry thousands of simultaneous phone calls on long distance circuits, and permitted the transmission of television signals. Espenschied was the holder of more than 100 patents in both wire and radio communication systems, and his co-inventor Affel likewise held numerous patents. Both were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.

On December 7, 1909, U.S. Patent No. 942,809 issued to Leo Bakeland on a Condensation Product and Method of Making Same:

Bakeland called the product Bakelite, and unlike the plastics before it, Bakelite became instant success, it was cheap to produce, non-flammable, versatile, and could retain its form even when its heated, Bakelite quickly found thousands of applications in products of all kind.

Bakelite was not the first plastic. That honor goes to Parkesine, a celluloid based on nitrocellulose treated with a variety of solvents, created by Alexander Parkes in 1856. Daniel Spill, who worked with Parkes, too over Parkes’ patents, improving the Parkesine, and naming the resulting plastic Xylonite. Businessman John Wesley Hyatt discovered a method to simplify the production of celluloid, making industrial production possible, and founded the Celluloid Manufacturing Company in the US.

On December 6, 1955, Friedrich Nallinger and Rudolf Uhlenhaut received U.S. Patent No. D176278 on the design of an automobile.

The patent covers the production version of the 300 SL race car. The production version of the 300 SL debuted in 1955 with a sleeker and more stylish body, but the same gull wing doors of its race car predecessor. The production 300 SL had a tilt steering wheel. It also had fule injection, and to accommodate the fuel injectors, a raised ridge had to be formed in the hood of the 300 SL, and to maintain a second, parallel raised ridge was formed in the hood as shown in the design patent above.

On December 5, 1854, Aaron H. Allen received U.S. Patent No. 12,017 on an Opera Chair:

The seat pivoted to a vertical orientation when not in use, to allow people to more easily traverse a row, while allowing theaters and similar venues to space rows of seats closer together to increase capacity. This style of seating revolutionized theater-type venues, and is still in use today.

Aaron endured a patent interference, and at least one infringement suit.

On December 4, 1894, Nicholas H. Borgfeldt received U.S. Patent No. 530219 on an Apparatus for Aerial Navigation:

This was not Nicholas’ first foray in the field of aeronautics, he received U.S. Patent No. 411779 on a Flying Machine on October 1, 1889:

It is not clear whether either of these inventions got off the ground, but Nicholas also worked in other fields, patenting a Fire Escape in 1882 (U.S. Patent No. 267,399):

and a cigar bunching machine (U.S. Patent No. 331,676), which was actually litigated, albeit not successfully:

On December 3, 1912, William E. Storms received U.S. Patent No. D43,329 on a Motor Vehicle Body:

The patent was assigned to the Colonial Electric Car Company. This was not just a paper patent, but an actual product on the market (see below). Today we think of electric cars as something new, but they were a reasonable competitor to gasoline powered cars until technological developments allowed the gasoline engine to win out. As often happens, further technological developments have changed that calculus, and electric cars are again competitive — at least for some purposes. Inventors and inventions continue to change the world around us.

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On December 2, 1879, George W. Goff received U.S. Patent No. D11529 on a Sleigh-Bell:

Co-incidentally, sleigh bells are the theme of Harness IP’s 2024 Holiday e-card, which will be published shortly. Sleigh bells actually performed an important function other than inspiring and performing in holiday songs. They would warn of the approach of a fast-traveling sleigh, which moved relatively silently on the snow. Perhaps they will make a comeback on electric cars.