Materials and manufacturing patents protect new substances and the methods to make them at scale — alloys, polymers, nanomaterials, and the fabrication and assembly processes behind them. Process patents in particular can be extraordinarily durable, because a better way to manufacture is hard to design around.
Materials & Manufacturing Patents
8 patentsUS 4166152 · 1979 · Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co
The Post-it Note Adhesive — Invented as a Failure That Stuck Around
US 2130948 · 1938 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
Nylon — The First Synthetic Fiber, Invented at DuPont
US 2717437 · 1955 · Velcro SA
Velcro — The Hook-and-Loop Fastener Inspired by a Burr
US 3671542 · 1972 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
Kevlar — The Fiber Five Times Stronger Than Steel, Invented by Accident
US 3005282 · 1961 · Interlego AG
How LEGO Bricks Connect and Stay Together
US 2612994 · 1952
The Barcode — The Lines on Every Product in Every Store
US 5401560 · 1995 · Norton Co
Making Strong, Stretchy Non-Slip Surfaces with E-Beam Cured Urethane
US 1219881 · 1917 · Hookless Fastener Co
The Zipper — The Fastener That Replaced a Thousand Buttons
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