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.
Today’s patent of the day was not issued on the day, but is about the day. U.S. Patent No. 978489 issued to Malcolm Salmond on an Amusement Device:
The invention is a patriotic jack-in-the box, which is triggered by a fuse. Unlike traditional fireworks the device is much safe, and reusable, when the diaphragm and fuse are replaced.
On July 3, 1984, Jean St-Germain received U.S. Patent No. 4,457,509 on a Levitationarium for Air Flotation of Humans:
St-German essentially repurposed vertical wind tunnels which had been used for decades for aerodynamic research, for recreational purposes, allowing people to experience the feeling of flight. A steady vertical stream of air at about 120 mph is enough to allow a person to float.
In 1982 St-Germain sold his vertical wind tunnel concept to both Les Thompson and Marvin Kratter, both of whom went on to build their own wind tunnels. Soon after, St Germain sold the franchising rights to Kratter. St. Germain then helped build two wind tunnels in America the first in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the second in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. There were both operated under the name of Flyaway Indoor Skydiving.
In 1992, St-Germain obtained a second patent (U.S. Patent No. 5,318,481):
Other inventors, such as William Kitchen, joined in:
A number of competitions based on vertical wind tunnels have been created, including the FAI World Cup of Indoor Skydiving, the Windoor Wind Games, the Australian Nationals, the Polish Nationals, and the US National Championships.
On July 2, 1940, Enrico Fermi received U.S. Patent No. 2,206,634 on a process for the production of radioactive substances:
This patent on making radioactive elements through bombardment with slow moving neutrons, appears to be related to the work for which he won the 1938 Nobel Prize in physics. He would go on to earn thirteen more U.S. patents: U.S. Patent 2836554, “Air Cooled Neutronic Reactor,” issued April 1950; US Patent 2524379, “Neutron Velocity Selector,” issued October 1950; US Patent 2852461 “Neutronic Reactor”, issued September 1953; US Patent 2708656, “Neutronic Reactor”, issued May 1955; US Patent 2768134, “Testing Material in a Neutronic Reactor”, issued October 1956; US Patent 2780595, “Test Exponential Pile”, issued February 1957; US Patent 2798847, “Method of Operating a Neutronic Reactor”, issued July 1957; US Patent 2807581, “Neutronic Reactor”, issued September 1957; US Patent 2807727, “Neutronic Reactor Shield”, issued September 1957; US Patent 2813070, “Method of Sustaining a Neutronic Chain Reacting System”, issued November 1957; US Patent 2837477, “Chain Reacting System”, issued June 1958; US Patent 2931762, “Neutronic Reactor”, issued April 1960; US Patent 2969307, “Method of Testing Thermal Neutron Fissionable Material for Purity”, issued January 1961.
On a sad note, ten of these patents issued posthumously as Fermi died of cancer in 1954 at the age of 53 in November 1954. Apparently, Fermi always suspected that working near the nuclear pile involved great risk, yet he continued because he felt that the benefits outweighed the risks to his safety. Two of his graduate student assistants working near the nuclear pile also died of cancer.
In Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. v. Hetero Labs Limited, [2025-2016] (July 1, 2026), the Federal Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction based on infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,659,282against Hetero’s introduction of a generic version of Nuedexta (a drug used for treating neurological disorders), but vacated the district court’s waiving the requirement of the bond required by FRCP 65(c).
After Hetero signaled its intention ot launch its generic product on or after July 10, 2025, Otsuka sued them in the District of Delaware. After issuing a temporary restraining order against them, the district court granted a preliminary injunction on July 23, 2025. The district court did not require Otsuka to post a bond pending appeal because the equities weighed strongly in favor of waiving the Rule 65(c) bond.
The Federal Circuit affirmed the injunction, and turned the district court’s decision not to require a bond. The Federal Circuit began its analysis with the language of FRCP 65(c), noting the injunction is appropriate “only if the movant gives security in an amount that teh court considered proper to pay the costs and damages sustained by any party found to be wrongfully enjoined or restrained. The Federal Circuit noted that the Third Circuit has recognized only limited exceptions to the bond requirement, and has said that waiver is “so rare that the requirement is almost mandatory.”
The district court found that the risk of financial harm to Hetero “speculative at best” and expressed concern over the “chilling effect on access to justice” if a multi-million-dolllar bond were required,
Bound by the Third Circuit’s narrow exceptions to Rule 65(c), the Federal Circuit noted that the Third Circuit has never excused a district court from requiring a bond where an injunction prevents commercial, money-making activities. Because Hetero’s attempt to enter the market with its generic pharmaceutical product is clearly a commercial, money-making activity, the Federal Circuit vacated th Rule 65(c) bond waiver and remanded the bond issue to the district court for reconsideration.
The decision is important because it reinforces the requirement for a bond for injunctions, but in the present case, with the patent expiring within 43 days, on August 13, 2026, so the impact Otsuka and Hetero is limited.
On June 30, 1931, Julius A. Nieuwland received U.S. Patent No. 1,811,959 on Vinyl Derivatives of Acetylene and Method of Preparing the Same — neoprene.
The patent was assigned to du Pont, and the product was marketed under the mark DUPRENE.
Julius was a professor at the University of Notre Dame and a priest of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. Born of Flemish parents in Hansbeke, Belgium, he immigrated with his family to South Bend, Indiana. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1899, studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1903. He received his Ph.D. from Catholic University in 1904. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1996.
Julius received a second patent the same day — U.S. Patent No. 1,812,542 on Catalytic process for the preparation of vinyl chloride:
On June 28, Frank L. Ogg received U.S. Patent No. D110257 on a Pennant Like Device:
As has been posted here many times, the patent collection is a fascinating historical record. The Golden Gate International Exposition was a World’s Fair held at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California. It operated from February 18, 1939, through October 29, 1939, and from May 25, 1940, through September 29, 1940, and drew 17 million visitors.
On the opposite side of the country, New York was holding a world’s fair, and here is the patent on the parachute drop amusement ride at the fair:
