On August 10, 1937, George D. Beauchamp received U.S. Patent No. 2,089,171, on an Electrical Stringed Musial Instrument:

Beauchamp and his partner Adolph Rickenbacher started producing guitars according to this design in 1932, incorporating as Ro-Pat-In Corporation (Electro Patent Instruments), later renamed to Electro String Instrument Corporation, and finally to Rickenbacker.

This is generally regarded as the first patent on an electric guitar pickup, but while Beauchamp has received the bulk of the credit, the reality is complicated, and there were others who work working on making electric stringed instruments a reality.

Arthur J. Stimson in one of those “others,”

On August 9, 1859, Nathan Ames received U.S. Patent No. 25,076 on Revolving Stairs — the first patent on an escalator-like device.

Nathan Ames (born November 17, 1826, as Nathan Eames), was a patent solicitor. He also patented an improvement in polishing leather, a polygraph — an early copying machine, and an improved grater. Nathan Ames was also a writer and a poet. He died August 17, 1865.

Nathan’s revolving stairs were never commercialized. The first successful commercial escalator was Jesse Wilford Reno’s Endless Conveyor or Elevator (U.S. Patent No. 470,918, issued March 15, 1892). His Endless Conveyor was displayed as a ride at Coney Island’s Iron Pier in 1896, transporting patrons seven feet into the sky!

In 1902, Reno founded Reno Electric Stairways and Conveyors, Ltd. and his invention was installed in various locations. Otis Elevator Company eventually purchased Reno’s venture and utilized its patents (including U.S. Patent Nos. 637526 and 673890).

On August 8, 1911, U.S. Patent No. 1,000,000 issued to F. H. Holton on a Vehicle Tire:

While this patent is numbered 1,000,000 is not really the one millionth U.S. Patent. The Patent Office didn’t start numbering patents until July 13, 1836, but the U.S. Patent Office starting issuing patents on July 31, 1790. It is estimated that 9,957 patents issued between July 31, 1790, and July 13, 1836, and these patents are known as the X patents. and are numbered accordingly. No one knows the exact number because the records of the X patents were destroyed in the Patent Office fire of December 15, 1836, ironically while in storage while a more fireproof storage could be constructed. Only about 2800 of the 9,957 X patents could be reconstructed, although the effort continues, the most recent addition occurring in 2012, when patent X7997 on “Rope Making, Called an Iron Tail”, was found in the inventor’s (Daniel Treadwell) at Harvard University.

So, the millionth U.S. patent may be U.S. Patent No. 990043, issued April 11, 1911, to C.T. Hanson on a Machine for Making Tubes from Fibrous Materials:

There are lots of interesting things in the U.S. patent collection, aside from one of the greatest catalogs of inventions. For example, there are occasionally references and even images of famous people. Buried in Fig. 7A in today’s patent of the day, U.S. Patent No. 6,270,077 is this drawing of Albert Einstein:

U.S. Patent No. 2,021,593 has an image of actor Ronald Coleman:

There are many others, that no doubt will be featured in future blogs.

On August 6, 1991, Gerard O’Connell received U.S. Patent No. D 318,935 on an Insect Habitat:

A few years later, O’Connell received U.S. Patent No. D335,003 on an Insect Habitat on April 20, 1993:

O’Connell’s patents are but two in a long line of patents on devices to keep and display insects. One of the earliest being U.S. Patent No. 948,805 on an Insectarium, issued February 8, 1910.

Another example being patent is U.S. Patent No, 3,687,110 on an Insect Activity Observation Center, issued August 29, 1972:

On August 5, 1958, Edward Hack received U.S. Patent Nos. D183309 on his whirl bottle, and D183310 on his pineapple bottle:

These bottles were briefly used to sell flavoring for milk, chocolate in the whirl bottle, pineapple in the pineapple, and strawberry in a third, strawberry shaped bottle

An article in the 1957 issue of The Chemist and Druggist magazine explained:

On August 4, 1868, U.S. Patent No. D3151 issued to Dayton Morgan, of Chillicothe, Ohio, on a bust of Frederick Douglass:

This was not the only tribute to Douglass found in the patent collection, he was also featured on a collectible spoon in U.S. Patent No. D24,228.

On August 2, 1791, Samuel Briggs and his son, Samuel Briggs, Jr. became the first father-son duo to receive a joint U.S. patent (No. X00013) on a nail making machine. (Most of the patents prior to 1836 were lost in the December 1836 fire, so little is known about the Briggs’ patent, and not even an image survives).

Other inventors had been working on improving the manufacture of nails. In 1775 Jeremiah Wilkinson, a Cumberland, Rhode Island, inventor, developed a nail cutting process utilizing a flat sheet of cold iron. in 1786, Ezekiel Reed invented and patented a nail making machine that was the forerunner of modem nail-making machines. Nail manufacture continued to be improved incrementally until the cut nail process was perfected.

On August 1, 1972, James B. Swett received U.S. Patent No. 3,680,828 on a Mold for Congealable Comestibles:

James Swett was a prolific inventor, designing a large number of consumer products, including this mold:

But the more remarkable thing about this patent is the patent lawyers’ turn of phrase “congealable comestible.” Who doesn’t remember the TV commercials exhorting “There’s always room for congealable comestibles”?

On July 28, 1942, U.S. Patent No. 2,291,158 issued to Axel Harald Holstensson and Svante Philip Arvidius on a Talking Machine for Playing a Plurality of Records in Succession:

Today, some might be confused by the phrase “Talking Machine” machine in the title, but that was a common name for the phonograph invented by Edison in 1877. Early on its principal use was for dictation, and not for recording and replaying music, although that obviously changed over the years.

On November 4, 1954, (twelve years into the 17-year patent term) Holstensson sued V-M Corporation, a manufacturer of record players, for infringement of the ‘158 patent. V-M denied infringement and charged that the patent was invalid. The District Judge held the patent was valid and infringed by V-M. The proceedings were still on-going when the patent expired on July 28, 1959, so the relieft sought was limited to the damages allegedly suffered prior to the patent’s expiration. VM appealed, and more than nine years after suit was filed, and more than four years after the patent expired, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Holstensson patent “is without validity as a combination patent and is likewise void for overclaiming.” Holstensson v. V-M Corporation, 325 F.2d 109 (6th Cir. 1963). At least in this case the wheels of justice appeared to turn slower than a record player.