Pēteris Skorovs
Patent Archaeologist. Digging into patents & tech.
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On this day in innovation history…
17 January 1882
On 17 January 1882, Leroy B Firman received US Patent No. 252,576 for a “Multiple switch-board for telephone-exchanges”.
15 January 1861
On January 1861, Elisha Otis received U.S. Patent No. 31,128 for an “Improvement in hoisting apparatus”. It captured the breakthrough that made vertical travel trustworthy.
15 January 1885
On 15 January 1885, Paul Nipkow received German Patent No. 30105 for an “Electric telescope”, later known for the Nipkow disk for mechanical television scanning.
About historical patents…
Levi’s Patents
Many people believe that Levi Strauss invented the first of jeans, but that is not true. The original inventor of jeans was Jacob Davis, who assigned his patent partly to Levi Strauss’s company.
Minox Patents
Minox is the world’s most famous subminiature camera, which was invented by Walter Zapp and originally manufactured by Valsts elektrotehniskā fabrika (VEF) in Riga, Latvia. The Walter Zapp’s invention was protected by more than 80 patents in 24 countries.
Rubik’s Cube Patents
Almost everybody knows the Rubik’s Cube. It is not only widely recognised as the best puzzle toy ever made, but it is also one of the best-sold toys worldwide. The Rubik’s Cube was patented in Hungary. However it had obtained almost no patent protection abroad.