George Eastman's Original Box Camera Design
A foundational 1888 patent by George Eastman describing the mechanical structure of a simple, mass-market box camera that made photography accessible to everyday people.
Original patent title: “Camera”
A foundational 1888 patent by George Eastman describing the mechanical structure of a simple, mass-market box camera that made photography accessible to everyday people. Granted to George Eastman in 1888 with 1 forward citation.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes the internal mechanical housing and shutter mechanism for a portable camera. It focuses on the structural assembly required to hold a roll of photographic film and expose it to light through a lens. By simplifying the internal components, it allowed for a compact, handheld device that did not require a tripod or complex chemical setup by the user.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover digital image sensors or electronic light metering
- Does not cover autofocus mechanisms or motorized lens movement
- Does not cover the chemical composition of the photographic film itself
- Does not cover color photography processes
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The innovation was the extreme simplification of the camera body into a self-contained box, which allowed the user to simply press a button rather than manually calibrate light and focus.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
The original Kodak box camera
Early 20th-century consumer film cameras
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent marks the birth of the Kodak brand and the shift from photography being a professional, high-skill trade to a hobby for the general public. It effectively commoditized the act of taking a photograph, leading to the 'snapshot' culture that defines modern visual media.
Granted
September 4, 1888
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
The Eastman Kodak Company built their entire early business model on the manufacturing techniques established here. While digital technology has replaced film, the concept of a 'point-and-shoot' consumer device remains the spiritual successor to this design.
Market impact
This patent enabled the creation of the mass-market photography industry. It triggered a shift where the camera manufacturer provided the hardware, and the consumer provided the moments, fundamentally changing how history was recorded by families.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes the internal mechanical housing and shutter mechanism for a portable camera. It focuses on the structural assembly required to hold a roll of photographic film and expose it to light through a lens. By simplifying the internal components, it allowed for a compact, handheld device that did not require a tripod or complex chemical setup by the user.
The clever bit
The innovation was the extreme simplification of the camera body into a self-contained box, which allowed the user to simply press a button rather than manually calibrate light and focus.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover digital image sensors or electronic light metering
- Does not cover autofocus mechanisms or motorized lens movement
- Does not cover the chemical composition of the photographic film itself
- Does not cover color photography processes
Patent timeline
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$5K – $14K
Midpoint $9K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.5
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
(1888). George Eastman's Original Box Camera Design (U.S. Patent No. 388,850). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/388850/kodak-roll-film-camera-eastman
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does George Eastman's Original Box Camera Design cover?
A foundational 1888 patent by George Eastman describing the mechanical structure of a simple, mass-market box camera that made photography accessible to everyday people.
Who owns patent US 388850?
George Eastman owns this patent, granted in 1888.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 388850 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent marks the birth of the Kodak brand and the shift from photography being a professional, high-skill trade to a hobby for the general public. It effectively commoditized the act of taking a photograph, leading to the 'snapshot' culture that defines modern visual media.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover digital image sensors or electronic light metering
Patent monitoring