{
  "patent_number": "US 116842",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Margaret Knight's Machine Made Flat-Bottom Paper Bags",
  "original_title": "Improvement in paper-bag machines",
  "summary": "This 1871 patent by Margaret Knight describes a machine that automatically folds and glues paper to create flat-bottom bags, a major improvement over earlier V-shaped designs.",
  "what_it_does": "Based on the patent title, this invention describes a machine designed to improve the manufacturing of paper bags. Historically, Margaret Knight's work focused on creating machinery that could automatically produce flat-bottom paper bags, a significant advancement over earlier V-shaped bags or those requiring manual finishing. While specific claim details are unavailable for this patent (US 116842), the core mechanism likely involved a system for folding and gluing paper to form a stable, rectangular bottom. This allowed bags to stand upright and hold more contents efficiently. For example, a grocery store could use bags from this machine to pack items, knowing they wouldn't tip over easily.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover machines that produce V-shaped or pointed-bottom paper bags.",
    "Does not cover methods for manually constructing paper bags.",
    "Does not cover machines for making bags from materials other than paper, such as plastic or cloth.",
    "Does not cover machines that only print on paper bags without forming them.",
    "Does not cover machines for making bags with handles, as the focus is on the bottom-forming mechanism."
  ],
  "filed": null,
  "granted": "1871-07-11",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Margaret E. Knight",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/margaret-e-knight",
  "inventors": [],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "mechanical",
    "manufacturing",
    "consumer_goods",
    "packaging"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/116842/paper-bag-machine-knight",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/116842/paper-bag-machine-knight/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US116842",
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}