# Thomas A. Edison — Patents explained on PatentBrief

Thomas A. Edison has 3 landmark patents explained in plain English on PatentBrief.

- [How Thomas Edison's Kinetographic Camera Captured Early Motion Pictures](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/589168/motion-picture-camera-kinetograph) — granted 1897
  An 1897 patent by Thomas Edison for a camera mechanism designed to capture sequential images on a moving film strip to create the illusion of motion.
- [How Thomas Edison Improved Early Phonograph Recording](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/200521/phonograph-edison) — granted 1878
  An 1878 patent by Thomas Edison detailing mechanical improvements to early sound recording devices to make them more reliable.
- [Edison's First Patent: An Electric Vote Recorder](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/90646/edison-first-patent-vote-recorder) — granted 1869
  Thomas Edison's very first patent, granted in 1869, describes an early machine designed to use electricity to quickly record and tally votes, primarily for legislative bodies.

**Full profile:** https://patentbrief.org/company/thomas-a-edison

---

_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Plain-English explanations of US patents._