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Patents: Historic / Example Patents

Searching for patent documents

Disclaimer

The information and resources presented on this library guide are intended to support academic purposes of patent searching, such as identifying the "state-of-the-art" of technologies or conducting historical research regarding inventions.  None of the information provided should be considered as legal advice or an interpretation of the law.

For questions or guidance regarding legal matters involving intellectual property, including patentability / novelty, freedom to operate / infringement, or validity / enforcement readiness, contact the Wyoming Technology Transfer and Research Products Center.  Faculty, staff, and students of the University of Wyoming are governed by UW Regulation 9-1 on Patents and Copyrights, which specifies that inventions and works created through the use of University resources are the property of the University.

U.S. Patent Number 10,000,000 issued

Examples of U.S. Historic Patents

USX1|1 --  Making of Pot Ash and Pearl Ashes; Inventor Samuel Hopkins; patent issued July 31, 1790; first patent issued in the United States.  https://www.google.com/patents/USX1

US1A -- "Locomotive Steam-Engine for Rail and Other Roads;" Inventor John Ruggles; patent issued July 13, 1836; first numbered patent issued by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, traction wheel design.  https://www.google.com/patents/US1A

US132A -- "Improvement in Propelling Machinery by Magnetism and Electro-Magnetism;" Inventor Thomas Davenport; patent issued February 25, 1837; describes first electric motor.  https://www.google.com/patents/US132A

US6469A -- "Buoying Vessels Over Shoals;" Inventor Abraham Lincoln; patent issued May 22, 1849; only U.S. President to be granted a patent.  https://www.google.com/patents/US6469A

US8294A -- "Improvement in Sewing Machines;" Inventor Isaac Singer; patent issued August 12, 1851; original Singer sewing machine, and the first practical design for home use.  https://www.google.com/patents/US8294A

US135245A -- "Improvement in Brewing Beer and Ale;" Inventor Louis Pasteur; patent issued January 28, 1873; beverage preservation process by famous French chemist and microbiologist.  https://www.google.com/patents/US135245A 

US140245A -- "Improvement in Scrap-books;" Inventor Samuel L. Clemens; patent issued June 24, 1873; inventor's pen name as a author was Mark Twain.  https://www.google.com/patents/US140245A

US200521A -- "Phonograph or Speaking Machine;" Inventor Thomas A Edison; patent issued February 19, 1878; first record player.  https://www.google.com/patents/US200521A

USD11023S -- "Design for a Statue;" Inventor Auguste Bartholdi; patent issued February 18, 1879; design of the Statue of Liberty. https://patents.google.com/patent/USD11023S/en

US223898A -- "Electric Lamp;" Inventor Thomas Alva Edison; patent issued January 27, 1880; first incandescent light bulb.  https://www.google.com/patents/US223898A 

US382280A -- "Electrical Transmission of Power;" Inventor Nikola Tesla; patent issued October 12, 1887; alternating current generator.  https://www.google.com/patents/US382280A

US504038A -- "Clasp Locker or Unlocker for Shoes;" Inventor Whitcomb L. Judson; patent issued August 29, 1893; a zipper.  https://www.google.com/patents/US504038A

US586193 -- "Transmitting Electrical Signals;" Inventor Guglielmo Marconi; patent issued July 13, 1897; first radio.  https://www.google.com/patents/US586193A

US621195 -- "Navigable Balloon;" Inventor Ferdinand Graf Zeppelin; patent issued March 14, 1899; gas-powered airship, inventor of the Hindenburg.  https://www.google.com/patents/US621195A

US644077A -- "Acetyl Salicylic Acid;" Inventor Felix Hoffman; patent issued February 27, 1900; process for manufacturing aspirin.  https://www.google.com/patents/US644077A

US821393 -- "Flying-Machine;" Inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright; patent issued May 22, 1906; first airplane. https://www.google.com/patents/US821393A

US1773080A -- "Animal Food Product;" Inventor Clarence Birdseye; patent issued August 12, 1930; method for packaging frozen meat or fish.  https://www.google.com/patents/US1773080A

US1781541A -- "Refrigeration;" Inventors Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard; patent issued November 11, 1930; improvement in refrigerator design that eliminated toxic gas leaks, the only invention patented by theoretical physicist Albert Einstein.  https://www.google.com/patents/US1781541A

US2032695A -- "Pocket Lighter;" Inventors George Gimera and George G. Blaisdell; patent issued March 3, 1936; original design of the Zippo windproof lighter.  https://www.google.com/patents/US2032695A

USD164227S -- "Guitar;" Inventor Clarence L. Fender; patent issued August 14, 1951; ornamental design of Fender electric guitar.  https://www.google.com/patents/USD164227S

US2708656A -- "Neutronic Reactor;" Inventors Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard; patent issued May 17, 1955; nuclear reactor design for power generation involving uranium/graphite lattice.  https://www.google.com/patents/US2708656A

US3473526 -- "Cardiac Pulse-Rate Monitor;" Inventors Albert Dale Herman and Herbert Zeppo Marx; patent issued October 21, 1969;  Zeppo was the youngest of the famous actor Marx brothers, who left acting to become an engineer.  https://www.google.com/patents/US3473526A

US7653883B2 -- "Proximity Detector in Handheld Device;" Inventors Steve P. Hotelling, Duncan Robert Kerr, Bas Ording, Jonathan P. Ive, Peter J. Kennedy, Anthony M. Fadell, and Jeffrey L. Robbin; patent issued January 26, 2010; the Apple iPad. https://www.google.com/patents/US7653883B2

US8401009B1 -- "Device independent message distribution platform;" Inventors Jack Dorsey, and Christopher Isaac Stone; patent issued March 19, 2013; Twitter.  https://patents.google.com/patent/US8401009B1/