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.
Key facts
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.
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
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.
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.
Embed
Add this patent to your site
Drop this plain-English patent card into any blog post or article — free, no signup. It always links back to the full breakdown here.
<div data-patentlens-widget data-patent-number="US388850"></div> <script src="https://patentbrief.org/embed.js" async></script>
Stay in the loop
Get a weekly digest of new patents.
One email per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Keep exploring
Related patents you should know
US 4683195 · 1987
How to Make Billions of Copies of a DNA Segment
This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a method to rapidly create many copies of a specific piece of DNA or RNA, enabling its detection and analysis.
Cetus Corp
US 8697359 · 2014
How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System
This patent describes an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system for precisely cutting DNA in eukaryotic cells to change how genes work, opening the door for gene editing in complex organisms.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US 7657849 · 2010
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
Apple's 2010 patent describes unlocking a device by dragging a specific graphical image across the touchscreen along a predefined path, a gesture that became iconic with the original iPhone.
Apple Inc
US 4733665 · 1988
How Doctors Implant a Permanent Stent Using a Balloon
This patent describes the method for placing a permanent, expandable wire mesh tube inside a blood vessel or other body tube using a balloon-tipped catheter to widen it and keep it open.
Expandable Grafts Partnership
US 4405829 · 1983
How RSA Public-Key Encryption Keeps Digital Messages Secret
This patent describes the foundational RSA algorithm, a method for securely sending messages where anyone can encrypt a message using a public key, but only the intended recipient can decrypt it using a secret private key.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US 4575330 · 1986
How 3D Printers Build Objects Layer by Layer from Liquid
This patent describes the foundational method for 3D printing, where a machine builds a three-dimensional object layer by layer by hardening a liquid material with light or other energy.
UVP Inc
Semantically similar
You might also find these interesting
US 4131919 · 1978 · Eastman Kodak Co
The First Digital Camera's Core Technology
US 589168 · 1897 · Thomas A. Edison
How Thomas Edison's Kinetographic Camera Captured Early Motion Pictures
US 2543181 · 1951 · Polaroid Corp
How Polaroid's Instant Film Pods Work
US 3541541 · 1970 · Stanford Research Institute
How Douglas Engelbart Invented the Computer Mouse
More to explore
More in Consumer Electronics
US 7657849 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
US 7479949 · 2009 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls
US 4528643 · 1985 · FPDC Inc
How Stores Make Custom Products On-Demand with Remote Approval
US 7469381 · 2008 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge
New to patents?
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