# Edison's First Patent: An Electric Vote Recorder > 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. - **Patent:** US 90646 - **Original title:** Improvement in electrographic vote-recorder - **Owner:** Thomas A. Edison - **Granted:** 1869 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 0 - **Field:** consumer_electronics, telecommunications, mechanical ## What it does Based on its title, "Improvement in electrographic vote-recorder," this patent from Thomas A. Edison likely describes a system for recording votes using electrical means. Historically, such devices aimed to automate the process of legislative voting, moving beyond slow, manual roll-call methods. The core mechanism would involve members casting votes, which are then electrically transmitted and recorded, possibly on a paper roll or a visual display, to quickly tally results. For example, a legislator might press a 'yea' or 'nay' button, and the machine would instantly register that vote. Without the specific claims text, the exact electrical components, wiring, or precise recording methods are not detailed. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover purely mechanical vote recording systems that do not use electrical signals. - Does not cover electronic voting systems that rely on modern digital computers, networks, or cryptographic security. - Does not cover methods for ensuring voter anonymity or securing ballots against fraud, beyond the basic recording mechanism. - Does not cover systems designed for secret ballot public elections, as it was likely intended for public legislative votes. - Does not cover biometric identification methods for voters. ## The clever bit The novelty lay in applying electrical signals to automate and speed up the process of recording votes, moving beyond manual tallying. It was an early vision of how electricity could streamline administrative procedures, even if its initial application faced resistance. ## Real-world examples 1. Edison's original electrographic vote recorder prototype. 2. Early legislative voting machines (conceptual descendant). 3. Modern electronic voting systems (conceptual descendant). ## Why it matters This patent is significant as it represents Thomas Edison's very first patent, granted when he was just 22 years old. Although the device itself was not commercially successful—legislators preferred slower, roll-call voting to allow for lobbying and debate—it marked the beginning of Edison's prolific career as an inventor. It demonstrates an early attempt to apply electrical technology to automate a common administrative task, setting a precedent for future innovations. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Edison's First Patent: An Electric Vote Recorder cover? 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. ### Who owns patent US 90646? Thomas A. Edison owns this patent, granted in 1869. ### When does this patent expire? This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent is significant as it represents Thomas Edison's very first patent, granted when he was just 22 years old. Although the device itself was not commercially successful—legislators preferred slower, roll-call voting to allow for lobbying and debate—it marked the beginning of Edison's prolific career as an inventor. It demonstrates an early attempt to apply electrical technology to automate a common administrative task, setting a precedent for future innovations. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover purely mechanical vote recording systems that do not use electrical signals. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/90646/edison-first-patent-vote-recorder **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US90646 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Thomas Edison Improved Early Phonograph Recording](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/200521/phonograph-edison) — An 1878 patent by Thomas Edison detailing mechanical improvements to early sound recording devices to make them more reliable. - [Alexander Graham Bell's Patent for the Telephone](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/174465/bell-telephone) — Alexander Graham Bell's 1876 patent describing the method and apparatus for transmitting vocal sounds telegraphically, effectively inventing the telephone. - [How Thomas Edison's Kinetographic Camera Captured Early Motion Pictures](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/589168/motion-picture-camera-kinetograph) — 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 Samuel Morse Patented the Electric Telegraph System](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1647/morse-telegraph) — Samuel Morse's 1840 patent for the electric telegraph, which enabled long-distance communication by sending electrical pulses over wires to represent letters. - [How James Ritty's First Cash Register Tracked Sales](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/271363/cash-register-ritty) — This 1883 patent describes an early mechanical cash register invented by James Ritty, designed to record sales transactions and display the total amount, helping businesses prevent employee theft and track daily income.