On September 29, 1914, Thomas Edison received U.S. Patent No. 1,111,999 on a phonograph record. The patent covered both the cylindrical phonograph record and the more widely adopted disk version:

For Edison fans, Rutgers University maintains an archive of Edison’s papers, which include this letter to his legal department about the above-invention:

Of the 199 U.S. Patents that Edison obtained related to the phonograph, sixteen related to the records themselves: U.S. Patent Nos. 382,418, 382,462, 400,648, 406,659, 406,576, 414,759, 414,761, 430,274, 437,429, 488,191, 839,372, 1,111,999, 1,158,659, 1,158,660, 1,234,450, and 1,248,468.

On September 19, 1876, Melville Reuben Bissell received U.S. Patent No. 182346 on a Capet-Sweeper:

Bissell improved the design and obtained a second patent (US Patent No. 199612) two years later in 1878. He went on to obtain at least eight more patents on carpet sweepers, the last issuing after his death from pneumonia in 1889. U.S. Patent Nos. 217322, 217854, 233137, 233596, RE9783, 239924, 240224, 349684, and 435268).

Bissell and his wife Anna formed the Bissell Carpet-Sweeper Co., which survived a fire in 1884 that destroyed his first factory, but he was able to overcome the loss and continue to expand the business. After Mellville’s untimely death on March 15, 1889, at 45, his wife Anna took over the Company, becoming the first female CEO, continuing to build the company. She established new guidelines on trademarks and patents and moved Bissell carpet sweepers into the international market. In 1919 she became the chairman of the Bissell company.

On September 6, 1819, a U.S. Patent issued to Thomas Blanchard on an Improvement in Machines for Turning or Cutting Irregular Forms, then of Middlebury, Connecticut. This was before patents were numbered, and this patent appears to be one of the ones lost in the USPTO fire of 1836. Blanchard’s device was capable of manufacturing irregular forms, such as gun stocks, doing the work of 20 people. Blanchard was recruited by the U.S. Armory at Springfield, Mass. to build machines to efficiently produce gun parts.

So important was the invention, that Congress twice extended this patent, first to 1834, then to 1848, giving a total of 42 years in force. Congress has occasionally extended patents by private act, sometimes even after the patents have expired. Among the more well known of these patents are U.S. Patent No. D54296 on the badge of the American Legion, U.S. Patent No. D55398 on the American Legion Auxiliary, and U.S. Patent No. D92187 on the badge of the Sons of the American Legion, which were extended multiple times through at least 2020:

One of the most recent (but unsuccessful) attempts by Congress to extend a patent was the 111th Congress’ H.R. 2508 trying to extend U.S. Patent 5,180,715 by two years:

For those purists who eschew microwave popcorn, and prefer to chew conventionally popped corn, today’s patent of the day issued August 13, 1985, to William C. Cesaroni on a Apparatus for Popping Corn:

The patent, assigned to Dart Industries, covers the popular West Bend Stir Crazy popcorn popper:

William Cesaroni established his own design firm Cesaroni Design Associates, Inc., several years earlier in 1979. He graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Industrial Design, and earned a Master’s Degree in Packaging Engineering fom Michigan State. He is responsible for many recognizable designs.

Alas, he is not a popcorn purist, as he is the coinventor of this design of a hot air popcorn popper, from a few years later:

On August 12, 1958, U.S. Patent No. D183350 issued to Henry C. Keck, Bernie M. Craig, and Thomas K Hale on a Fluid Dispenser — the iconic Dripcut Server Model 900:

This 1950’s design was ubiquitous in homes and restaurants.

The lead designer, Henry Chapman Keck, was a world-renowned product designer and inventor. He was born February 10, 1921, and died April 4, 2020. He graduated from Dartmouth College’s Tuck-Thayer Schools in 1943, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and earned a master’s degree in engineering and industrial design from Caltech. In 1951 Henry founded the industrial design firm of Keck-Craig, with one of his co-inventor. Many of Keck-Craig’s 1700+ designs have become known worldwide.

On August 11, 1896, Harvey Hubbell received U.S. Patent No. 565,541, on a Socket for Incandescent Lamps — the first lamp socket with a pull cord:

Harvey Hubbell was born in Connecticut in 1857. A prolific inventor, Hubbell received at least 45 patents, primarily relating to electric products. He is best know for the pull-chain electrical light socket (above), and most famously the separable electrical power plug, which he patented in 1904 (U.S. Patent Nos. 774,250, and 774,251), the ‘251 patent showing the familiar two flat prongs, but arranged in planar, rather than parallel, configuration.

Nine years later, Hubbell patented the parallel prong plug (U.S. Patent No. 1,064,833):

and 4 years after that the polarized version of the plug, with one prong slightly larger than the other (U.S. Patent No. 1,180,638):

Hubbell founded Hubbell Incorporated in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which is still in business today, headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut.

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.