On December 7, 1926, U.S. Patent No. 1,609,334 issued to Baltzar Carl von Platen and Carl George Munters, and assigned to Electrolux Servel Corp. on Refrigeration:

Originally founded in 1922 as the National Electric Products Company, the company adapted and shortened the name “Servel” from their slogan, “Serving Electricity.” In 1925, the company bought the American rights to a Swedish patent for a continuous absorption refrigerator and focused on the gas refrigeration market, introducing a household refrigerator in 1926. Servel dominated the gas refrigerator market from 1927 until 1956, when it ceased producing them.

On December 6, 1955, U.S. Patent No. D176288 issued to Joseph R. Schemansky on an Automobile — the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air:

The Chevrolet Bel Air was a full-size car produced by Chevrolet from 1950 to 1981. The first generation of the Bel Air included the 1950 to 1954 model years. The second generation began with the 1955 Bel Air, which was well received both for its appearance and performance:

On December 4, 1990, Casimir M. Lazickas received U.S. Patent No. 4,974,611 on a Shoe Horn and Comb Combination:

While no doubt convenient, is this combination inventive? Casimir’s “invention” calls to mind Hymen Lipman’s 1830 “invention” of a combined pencil and eraser, for which he received U.S. patent 19,783. Lipman sold the patent to Faber in 1862 for $100,000. However, in 1875 the Supreme Court in Reckendorfer v. Faber, 92 U.S. 347 (1875), invalided the patent because Lipman’s invention was simply a combination of two already known devices. The Supreme Court said “The combination, to be patentable, must produce a different force or effect or result in the combined forces or processes from that given by their separate parts. There must be a new result produced by their union; if not so, it is only an aggregation of separate elements.”

On December 2, 1952, U.S. Patent No. 2,620,061 issued to Oskar Uxa, on a Pocket Article Dispensing Container — the PEZ dispenser:

The PEZ dispenser started out as a way to dispense peppermints to help people quit smoking and freshen their breath. In fact, the name PEZ comes from the first, middle, and last letter of pfefferminz, the German word for peppermint.

Quitting smoking wasn’t quite a thing in the early ’50’s, so the company quickly pivoted to fruit flavors and began marketing the former mints as candy for children. The design of the dispenser evolved from a full body Santa, to a candy dispensing gun, to the iconic character head on top of the original dispenser.

The first design popular character designs were Popeye, Casper, and Bozo the Clown.

On December 1, 1856, U.S. Patent No. 18,788, issued to Ephraim Ball on a Mowing Machine:

Ephraim Ball was born in Stark County, Ohio, in 1812. In 1840 Ball started a foundry for making plough castings, and a shop for selling ploughs known as “Ball’s Blue Ploughs.” He formed a partnership with Cornelius Aultman and Lewis Miller, and in 1851 opened Ball, Aultman & Co. appeared in Canton, Ohio. In 1854, ball created the “Ohio Mower,” but a fire delayed completion of a practical machine until 1856, when the company made 500 “O.

In 1856, Ball, Aultman & Co., made five hundred “Ohio Mowers.” In 1858 the firm dissolved, with each partner forming a new business. Ephraim Ball went on to manufacture Ball’s New American Harvester.