On August 11, 2020, U.S. Patent No. D892,443 issued to Sean Smith on a Beverage Helmet:
While the ‘443 Patent is unique for its Viking theme (although there is no proof that Vikings wore horned helmets), beverage bearing headgear has been the subject of numerous patents, including:
On August 10, 1971, John P. McNett, received U.S. Patent No. D221395 on a Combined Sailor and Rowboat Toy:
The patent was assigned to Remco, who made the toy in the ’70’s:
John was a prolific inventor, in addition to the Sailor in a boat, he also invented a pirate in a boat (D221292), an Indian in a canoe (D221394), and a Viking in a boat (D221392), as well as numerous toy related inventions 4995844, 4622020, 4610640, 4608025, 4598976, 4585425, 4026066, 4023705, 4008895, 3953935, 3949517.
On August 9, 1966, U.S. Patent No. D205446 issued on a Building:
The building in question was a Zepi’s Pizza. Zepi’s Pizza was a popular family-style pizzeria and local landmark in the Kansas City area that operated for 43 years before closing in 1978. It was a popular location for children’s birthday parties, featuring a clown mascot, a train, and a merry-go-round for kids’ birthday parties.
On August 8, 1865, Samuel Calthrop received U.S. Patent No. 49,227 on a Railway Car:
Calthrop recognized the problem of “resistance occasioned by the passage of the train through the atmosphere.” and largely solved it using “the principles so successfully applied to ship building.”
Calthrop must have suffered the frustrations that many inventors endure suffer be so far ahead of his time. The first streamlined rail vehicle was an experimental e German experimental Schienenzeppelin (Rail Zeppelin) designed 65 years later in 1929, and built in 1930 by aircraft engineer Franz Kruckenberg, It featured an airplane-like body and a giant rear pusher propeller that could reach 143 mph, but it was not successful because of, well, the giant rear pusher propeller. The first practical streamlined trains were the Union Pacific M-10000 aka “The Zip” and the Burlington Pioneer Zephyr, which debuted in February and April 1934, respectively.
The Rev. Dr. Samuel R. Calthrop was a Unitarian minister and amateur scientist born in Lincolnshire, England. He was educated at Cambridge emigrated to the United States in 1853, and became a Unitarian minister in 1859. He was living in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1865 when he patented his “air-resisting train.” In 1868 he became Pastor of May Memorial Church in Syracuse, New York where he served as a pastor for more than 42, when he became Pastor Emeritus. He died in 1917 at the age of 87, and never got to see his invention implemented.
On August 7, 1951, George Olson received U.S. Patent No. D164194 on a Restaurant Sign:
George was the proprietor of Olson’s Bar and Grill in his hometown of Toms River, New Jersey, where the sign he invented was displayed for many years at Olson’s Bar and Grill on Route 37. Back in 1869 a New Jersey mermaid was widely reported to have been found off the coast of Toms River by fishermen who were so frightened by their catch that they threw her back. Since then, mermaids have been a recurring theme at the Jersey shore, including at Olson’s Bar and Grill:
The sign is all gone now, and the final iteration of Olson’s Bar and Grill is now a Salvation Army Thrift Store. Any explanation of why the Chef appeared willing to turn the poor mermaid into sushi is lost. However, the sign lives on a few Facebook and Pinterest posts, and of course it is indelibly recorded in the records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
On August 6, 1968, Fred C. Sproul received U.S. Patent No. D211861 on a housing tract:
This was an interesting use of design patents, and may have been intended to protect parts of the Mesa Margarita neighborhood of Oceanside, California, which Sproul helped develop:
Sproul also received another design patent for a housing tract (U.S. Patent No. D220903):
and a utility patent (U.S. Patent No. 3,427,645) , which no doubt for double patenting reasons, disclaims the term beyond the expiration of his earlier ‘861 patent:
on July 31, 1962, Otho Edward McCrackin received U.S. Patent No. D193317 on a Guided Missile:
Don’t worry – it was only a design patent, they did not disclose how the missile worked.
Otho was born on September 14, 1914, in Overland, St. Louis County, Missouri. He served in World War II, attaining the rank of commander. He filed this patent application on May 4, 1949, but tragically died in a plane crash on July 7, 1952, at just 37 years old while traveling to Kirtland Air Force Base. He was survived by his wife, Mabel, and their two daughters. Although he did not live to see it, his patent was not issued until more than 13 years after it was filed, likely because of security-related delays.
On July 30, 1963, U.S. Patent No. 195,756 issued to Joseph O. Tally on a Sign:
The sign was actually constructed, in Mr. Tally’s home town, and marked the location of Tallywood shopping center:
The sign, a tribute to mid-century modern design, stands today at 235 Tallywood Shopping Center, Fayetteville, NC (GPS coordinates: (35.046429, -78.931925). Sources indicate that William Baron was the designer of the sign, so it may be that Mr. Tally’s only contribution to the sign was his name.
On July 29, 1975, Paul D. Snyder received U.S. Patent No. D236069 on an Activity Toy:
This was the Fischer-Price Busy Box – another fixture of a 1970’s childhood.
On July 28, 1914, Henry Weil received U.S. Patent No. 46192 on a Pillow Top. Nothing special other than a nice image for a warm summer day:
