On July15, 1913, Adam S. Landis received U.S. Patent No. D44343

The subject of Adam’s sign is a rebus — a puzzle in which words are represented by combinations of pictures and individual letters.; for instance, apex might be represented by a picture of an ape followed by a letter X.

So can you solve Landis’ rebus? The title of the patent is clue if you are stumped.

On July 14, 1868, U.S. Patent No. 79965 issued to Alvin J. Fellows on a Tape Measure:

The first spring-loaded tape measure was invented nearly fifty years earlier in England, but it was too expensive to be a practical workman’s tool. In 1864, just four years before Fellows secured his patent, another Connecticut man William Bangs Jr. became the first American to obtain a patent for a spring-loaded tape measure:

Fellows improved Bangs’ design in two significant ways: First, Fellows adding a locking mechanism to hold the tape in place until released. Second, Fellows enclosed the entire tape measure in a compact metal case.

On July 13, 1937, U.S. Patent No. 2,086,607, issued to Emmet J. Culligan on a Water Softening Device:

Emmett was the original “Hey Culligan Man” the company was founded in 1936 by Emmett Culligan with financing from his brother and sister. The started in a blacksmith shop in Northbrook, Illinois. By 1938 a first Culligan franchised dealership opened in Wheaton, Illinois, and a second in Hagerstown, Maryland. In 1945, Emmett dissolved the partnership with his brothers and a new company was incorporated, with Emmett serving as president until 1950.

Today, Culligan International is a global water treatment company with a network of dealers and direct operations in 90 countries and more than 1,000 dealers, and more than 14,000 employees. All apparently inspired by a water filter made from a perforated coffee can filled with greensand that also softened the water.

On July 12, 1859, William Goodale received U.S. Patent No. 24734 on a machine for cutting blanks to make paper bags:

These blanks could be folded into paper bags had a flat bottom. The first paper bag making machine was patented by Franci Wolle on October 26, 1852, as U.S. Patent No. 9355, these bags had a tapered end, like an envelope:

It took another inventor, Margarete E. Knight, to put the pieces together and develop a machine that manufactures flat-bottomed paper bags, for which she received U.S. Patent No. 116842, on July 11, 1871:

The historical information buried in the U.S. patent collection is always surprising. U.S. Patent No. D41551 issued July 11, 1911, on a badge, button, or similar article:

The assignee of this design for a button explains the letters NATL – the National Anti-Tipping League. The National Anti-Tipping League was a domestic nonprofit corporation to oppose the practice of tipping, which had become a point of cultural and political debate in the early 20th century.

Tipping in the U.S. began after the Civil War, when wealthy Americans returning from Europe adopted the aristocratic European custom of rewarding servants with small coins. This was seen by many Americans as a sign of class distinctions and anti-democratic behavior. By the 1890’s opposition had grown into a Great Anti-Tipping Crusade. Anti-tipping groups declared tipping “un-American” and “a cancer” claiming it created artificial class systems, undermined fair wages, and allowed employers to pay below-living wages while shifting responsibility to customers.  Some states even banned tipping in certain industries.

The ‘551 patent issued at the height of the anti-tipping movement. But, as we are acutely aware in 2026, tipping persisted and became embedded in American culture. The National Anti-Tipping League was a small part of a larger, ultimately successful movement. 115 years later, the debate on tipping in the U.S. is reemerging as tipping is being forced upon us nearly everywhere.

On July 10, 1962, N. I. Bohlin, received U.S. Patent No. 3,043,625 on a Safety Belt:

Bohlin was hired by Volvo to become its first safety engineer. Following a year of extensive testing and engineering, Bohlin realized that straps across the chest and across the hips restrained people efficiently, than a simple lap belt. His design had the added advantage of allowing a person to buckle up with just one handle.

On July 9, 1872, U.S. Patent No. 128783 issued to John F. Blondel on an Improvement in Doughnut Cutters:

 Thomaston was a sea captain, and apparently a baker. However, credit for invention the hole itself goes to Hanson Gregory, a young sailor who first perforated a doughnut in 1847.

On July 8, 1856, Charles E. Barnes received U.S. Patent No. 15316 on a Machine Gun:

This was one of the first crank operating guns that could fire as fast as the crank could be turned, and had the design been pursued it would have resulted in a functional machine gun before the Civil War. It was not until Richard J. Gatling’s design, patented November 4, 1862, that a truly functional automatic weapon was available:

On July 7, 1914, Charles Lowell Howard received U.S. Patent No. 1,102,270 on a Pneumatically Operated Display Device:

According to Mr. Howard’s invention “provided a flag pole whereby “air under pressure
is admitted to a hollow body, such as a flag pole, and issues from orifices in said body
onto an object, such as a flag, so as to give said object such motion as is produced by
a natural current of air.” In simpler terms, the flag waves even where there is not a breeze.

This is the wonderful thing about inventors — they are working tirelessly to solve problems we didn’t even know we had.

On July 6, 1965, Keamon Kurose received U.S. Patent No. D201548 on a car that looks like a boat (and was probably intended to function as one as well):

a decade later, Keamon was back in the Patent Office and on December 28, 1976, received U.S. Patent No. D242850 on a very similar design — this time with an enclosed cabin:

in addition to these two “automobile designs, Keamon received five other patents: US Patent No. D242911 on a Boat; US Patent No. 3176664 on an Internal Combustion Rotary Engine; US Patent No. 2962581 on Dirigible headlights; US Patent No. US 2893044 on a Squeegee Type Fountain Cleaning Device, and US Patent No. 2517324 on a Simulated Racing Game Apparatus.

Keamon was born on October 12, 1890. Keamon Kurose died at age 92 years old in January 1983 It is not clear whether any of his inventions amounted to to anything, but Keamon was indeed an inventor.