Brown & Michaels

Patent Quiz

Can you guess when these patents were issued in the USA?

1. "Improvement in the Method of Protecting Timber" (pressure treated lumber).
2. An "Electrical Calculating System" - the first use of what became known as "IBM Cards".
3. The "Clasp Locker", later to become known as the "Zipper".
4. A mechanical refrigerator for the "artificial production of ice"
5. The first US Patent granted on an electric motor.
6. A method to adjust the angle of the slats on Venetian blinds.
7. "Improvement in Wire Fences" (barbed wire).
8. The Traffic Light
9. "Engine Starting Devices" - the first self-starter for automobiles.
10. A "compound for culinary use" called oleomargarine.
11. The "pour lip" on the screw-top bottle.
12. A "device to bake waffles" - the first waffle iron.
13. Canning - a "process to preserve in tin."
14. The first machine to show animated pictures or movies.
15. A machine to make threaded metal screws for use in woodworking.
16. A "velvet type fabric" - you know it as Velcro ®
17. "Weaving Straw or Fabric" - the first patent to a woman inventor.
18. The first modern supermarket.

Can you answer these questions about early patents? 

1. The first patent issued in America - what was it and when was it issued?
2. The first patent issued in the United States - what was it, when was it issued, who signed it, and who was the patent examiner?
3. What invention was Patent Number 1 for, and when was it issued?

How about Famous Inventors? 

Which famous person invented...

22. "Manner of Bouying Vessels" - Patent no. 6,469 (1849)
23. "Refrigeration" - Patent no. 1,781,541 for an improved butane/ammonia refrigerator (1927)
24. "Secret Communication System" for radio control of a torpedo- Patent No. 2,292,387 (1942)
25. "Cardiac Pulse Rate Monitor", Patent no. 3,473,526 (1969)
26. "Improvement in Scrapbooks", Patent no. 140,245 (1873)

Bonus Question:  

For a while in the 19th century, there were two patent offices in America. One was in Washington, DC. Where was the other, how many patents did it issue and when did it operate?

THE ANSWERS, PLEASE!

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