Patents

Marking the centennial of the American patent system, participants gathered for a "Research Parade" in Washington, D.C., November 23, 1936.

These 20th-Century Technologists Sure Knew How to Throw a Party

To mark the centennial of the American Patent System in 1936, a group of innovators gathered to throw a deliciously creative celebration

The mechanical lung would function outside the patient's body.

An Artificial Lung That Fits In a Backpack

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are developing a device that works like the sophisticated organ

Velcro was originally available only in black, but even when it started coming in multiple colors, 1960s fashionistas wanted nothing to do with it.

Before Velcro’s Patent Expired, It Was a Niche Product Most People Hadn’t Heard Of

The hook-and-loop tape's moment in the sun came after others were free to copy it

Was sticking an eraser on the back of a pencil common sense, or a new invention?

Happy Birthday to the Modern Pencil

The patent for this supremely convenient invention didn't last long

It will be quick and it will be hot.

Hot Food, Fast: The Home Microwave Oven

A serendipitous discovery helped engineers harness radar to create the now ubiquitous timesaving appliance

Reddi-wip's aerosol canisters are a symbol of mid-century convenience culture.

This Patent Was the Hallmark of an Aerosol Whip Cream Empire

Aaron “Bunny” Lapin had already made Reddi-Wip a national concern when he finally received the patent for the aerosolizing whip cream nozzle

The Patents and Trademarks Behind Lucky Charms Cereal

There's a lot of food science that goes into those marshmallow clovers

Tootsie Rolls contain small amounts of cocoa and also an ingredient you might not expect—orange extract.

Tootsie Rolls Were WWII Energy Bars

The candies were included in rations because they stayed fresh for a long time

This photo shows the Berkeley 60-inch cyclotron, build in 1939. The year before, technetium-99 was discovered by Emilio Segrè and Glenn Seaborg using the facility's 37-inch cyclotron. Ernest Lawrence, the cyclotron's inventor, is standing, third from left.

Old Particle Accelerator Tech Might Be Just What the Doctor Ordered

Shortages of important supplies for nuclear medicine has researchers looking for answers on how to produce technetium-99

The original design patent for the Statue of Liberty included this image, which isn't the final picture of what it would look like, but shows how far Bartholdi's image was developed by the time he applied for the patent.

The Statue of Liberty Was Once Patented

Reading the original patent documents can help us learn more about this history of this American icon

A solid state radio frequency oven would allow you to cook a whole meal at once.

This Oven Could Change How We Cook

By using radio frequency technology, it can prepare all the components of a dinner, at the same time, just right

Benjamin Montgomery succeeded despite being refused a patent.

With Patents or Without, Black Inventors Reshaped American Industry

American slaves couldn't hold property, including patents on their own inventions. But that didn't stop black Americans from innovating in our country

The Patents Behind the Roses You Receive on Valentine's Day

You probably never thought of the perennials as inventions, have you?

As 19th century urban living became more cramped, some women began to reinvent the domestic sphere with technology.

These Four Black Women Inventors Reimagined the Technology of the Home

By designating the realm of technology as 'male,' we overlook key inventions that took place in the domestic sphere

One of 50 rooms in the Colonial Revival mansion in Rochester, New York, where George Eastman lived for 27 years.

Visit the Homes of America's Greatest Inventors

Within these walls, our nation's most brilliant tinkerers once ate, slept and imagined

This App Uses Facial Recognition Software to Help Identify Genetic Conditions

A geneticist uploads a photo of a patient’s face, and Face2Gene gathers data and generates a list of possible syndromes

An undated box that originally held Eskimo Fudge Pies.

The Weird, Brief History of the Eskimo Pie Corporation

It was America’s first chocolate-covered ice cream bar, patented on this day in 1922

Are stem cells the solution?

Tear Your Meniscus? This “Living Bandage” May Help

British researchers are using a newly patented technique involving stem cells to repair the common knee injury

The device that reinvented the phone

Happy 10th Birthday, iPhone! So What's Next?

Based on patent documents, here are eight innovations that could become part of the iPhone of the future

Harry Houdini by unknown artist, 1920

Escape Artist Harry Houdini Was an Ingenious Inventor, He Just Didn't Want Anybody to Know

More than just a magician, Houdini was also an actor, aviator, amateur historian and businessman

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