The Directory
Every Patent, Explained
The complete collection of 357 landmark patents in plain English. Search by name or number, or filter by field, decade, and status.
All Patents
357explained · search & filter
US 4683195 · 1987 · Cetus Corp
How to Make Billions of Copies of a DNA Segment
US 8697359 · 2014 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology
How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System
US 7657849 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
US 4733665 · 1988 · Expandable Grafts Partnership
How Doctors Implant a Permanent Stent Using a Balloon
US 4405829 · 1983 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology
How RSA Public-Key Encryption Keeps Digital Messages Secret
US 4575330 · 1986 · UVP Inc
How 3D Printers Build Objects Layer by Layer from Liquid
US 4683202 · 1987 · Cetus Corp
How to Make Many Copies of a Specific DNA Segment
US 3953566 · 1976 · WL Gore and Associates Inc
Making Strong, Porous PTFE: The Gore-Tex Process
US 5121329 · 1992 · Stratasys Inc
How Machines Build 3D Objects Layer by Layer from Melting Plastic
US 7479949 · 2009 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls
US 5347632 · 1994 · Prodigy Services Co
Prodigy's System for Interactive Online Information and Shopping
US 4528643 · 1985 · FPDC Inc
How Stores Make Custom Products On-Demand with Remote Approval
US 10452978 · 2019 · Google LLC
How AI Models Understand Language Using 'Attention'
US 3906166 · 1975 · Motorola Inc
How Early Cell Phones Handled Calls Across Different Towers
US 6285999 · 2001 · Leland Stanford Junior University
How Websites Get Ranked by Importance
US 7469381 · 2008 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge
US 4665913 · 1987 · LRI LP
How Lasers Correct Vision by Reshaping the Eye's Front Surface
US 5960411 · 1999 · Amazon com Inc
How Amazon's One-Click Ordering Works for Online Purchases
US 5471515 · 1995 · California Institute of Technology
How a Modern Camera Sensor Captures Light and Converts It to Data
US 4063220 · 1977 · Xerox Corp
How Multiple Computers Share a Network Cable Without Crashing
US 3778614 · 1973 · EMI Ltd
How Early CT Scans Created Detailed Body Images
US 7669123 · 2010 · Facebook Inc
Displaying Friends' Activities in a Social Network Feed
US 4200770 · 1980 · Leland Stanford Junior University
How to Create a Secret Code Key Without Meeting First
US 5825352 · 1998 · Logitech Inc
Logitech's Method for Using Two Fingers on a Touchpad
US 4558302 · 1985 · Sperry Corp
How Computers Compress Data Using Dictionary Building
US 3691140 · 1972
Sticky, Tiny Plastic Balls Made from Acrylates
US 5487069 · 1996 · Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization CSIRO
CSIRO's High-Frequency Wireless Network Technology
US 5325765 · 1994 · Keurig Inc
How Keurig's Original Single-Serve Coffee Pod System Works
US 3803463 · 1974
Weapon That Shoots Wires to Deliver Electric Shocks
US 4195637 · 1980 · Schneider Medintag AG
Catheter System for Opening and Closing Body Passages
US 4009052 · 1977 · Exxon Research and Engineering Co
Early Lithium-Ion Battery Design Using Chalcogenides
US 4237224 · 1980 · Leland Stanford Junior University
How Scientists First Made DNA Replicate in New Cells
US 4356429 · 1982 · Eastman Kodak Co
How Organic Diodes Make Light Using Special Molecules
US 5961804 · 1999 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tiny Capsules for Electronic Paper Displays
US 4736866 · 1988 · Harvard University
Mice Engineered to Develop Cancer for Research
US 3789832 · 1974
Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to Detect Cancer in Tissue
US 4723129 · 1988 · Canon Inc
How Canon's Bubble Jet Printers Make Ink Droplets
US 3672155 · 1972 · Hamilton Watch Co
Hamilton's Early Digital Watch with LED Display
US 3761682 · 1973 · Docutel Corp
Early Automatic Cash Dispenser Using Credit Cards
US 6590928 · 2003 · Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
How Bluetooth Creates Wireless Networks with Unique Addresses
US 4131919 · 1978 · Eastman Kodak Co
The First Digital Camera's Core Technology
US 5774670 · 1998 · Netscape Communications Corp
How Websites Remember You Using Stored Data
US 2297691 · 1942
Chester Carlson's Original Xerography Patent
US 3819587 · 1974 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
The Molecular Structure of Kevlar High-Strength Fiber
US 4259444 · 1981 · General Electric Co
How Scientists Created Bacteria That Eat Oil Spills
US 6370526 · 2002 · International Business Machines Corp
Smart Ranking of Emails and Files Based on How You Click
US 3659285 · 1972 · Sanders Associates Inc
How the First Home Video Game Console Worked
US 8125456 · 2012 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Save Battery by Sleeping Between Touches
US 5563422 · 1996 · Nichia Chemical Industries Ltd
How Nichia Created the First Practical Blue LED Electrodes
US 5726435 · 1998 · Toyota Central R&D Labs Inc
How the QR Code Works
US 4166152 · 1979 · Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co
The Sticky Microscopic Beads Behind Post-it Notes
US 4267420 · 1981 · General Mills Inc
How Microwave Crisping Sleeves Work
US 3946398 · 1976 · SILONICS Inc
How Piezoelectric Inkjet Printing Works
US 4231938 · 1980 · Merck and Co Inc
The Discovery of Lovastatin for Lowering Cholesterol
US 4669140 · 1987
Interchangeable Blades for Folding Pocket Tools
US 4490728 · 1984 · Hewlett Packard Co
How Thermal Inkjet Printers Use Two-Step Heating to Shoot Ink
US 5305919 · 1994
How the Super Soaker's Pinch-Trigger and Built-In Tank Work
US 8448084 · 2013 · Twitter Inc
How Pull-to-Refresh Works on Your Smartphone
US 5199424 · 1993
How CPAP Machines Gradually Increase Air Pressure for Sleeping Patients
US 4687200 · 1987 · Nintendo Co Ltd
How the Nintendo D-Pad Works
US 4356270 · 1982 · Genentech Inc
How Scientists Taught Bacteria to Make Human Hormones
US 3713148 · 1973 · Communications Services Corp Inc
How Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags Were Invented
US 3655201 · 1972 · Moleculon Research Corp
How the 2x2x2 Magnetic Puzzle Cube Works
US 4302518 · 1981
How Lithium-Cobalt Battery Cathodes Were Invented
US 4173796 · 1979 · University of Utah
How Jarvik's Artificial Heart Uses Electric Motors to Pump Blood
US 3693535 · 1972
How a Coffee Maker Uses a Floating Valve to Heat Water
US 2708656 · 1955
How the First Nuclear Reactor Works
US 2130523 · 1938 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
How Wallace Carothers Invented Nylon
US 3826068 · 1974
How the String Trimmer (Weed Eater) Actually Cuts Grass
US 3819921 · 1974 · Texas Instruments Inc
How Texas Instruments Invented the Handheld Electronic Calculator
US 6424946 · 2002 · International Business Machines Corp
How Computers Automatically Label Different Speakers in Audio Recordings
US 3668658 · 1972 · International Business Machines Corp
How the Floppy Disk's Protective Jacket Cleans the Disk
US 2981877 · 1961 · Fairchild Semiconductor Corp
How Robert Noyce Invented the Modern Integrated Circuit
US 3220960 · 1965
How Soft Contact Lenses Were Invented Using Hydrogels
US 3492131 · 1970 · GD Searle LLC
The Discovery of Aspartame as a Sugar Substitute
US 2569347 · 1951 · Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc
The Invention of the Junction Transistor
US 2524035 · 1950 · Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc
The Invention of the Transistor
US 3387286 · 1968 · International Business Machines Corp
How Robert Dennard Invented the One-Transistor DRAM Memory Cell
US 3005282 · 1961 · Interlego AG
How the Modern LEGO Brick Design Works
US 3792322 · 1974
How Buried Channel CCDs Move Data Deep Inside Silicon Chips
US 2929922 · 1960 · Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc
How the First Laser Was Invented
US 5191573 · 1993
How Digital Media Purchases and Downloads Work
US 3142599 · 1964 · Sealed Air Corp
How Bubble Wrap Is Manufactured
US 5838906 · 1998 · University of California San Diego UCSD
How Web Browsers Run Embedded Programs Inside Documents
US 3867571 · 1975 · Xerox Corp
How Laser Printers Use Rotating Mirrors to Write Information
US 3359678 · 1967 · Wham O Manufacturing Co
How the Modern Frisbee Design Works
US 2543181 · 1951 · Polaroid Corp
How Polaroid's Instant Film Pods Work
US 4031893 · 1977 · Survival Technology Inc
How Auto-Injectors Adjust Their Dose Using a Simple Spacer
US 4063048 · 1977
How Early Cochlear Implants Used Digital Signals to Restore Hearing
US 5973252 · 1999 · Auburn Audio Technologies Inc
How Real-Time Pitch Correction and Auto-Tune Technology Works
US 3541541 · 1970 · Stanford Research Institute
How Douglas Engelbart Invented the Computer Mouse
US 2717437 · 1955 · Velcro SA
How George de Mestral Invented Velcro
US 3733309 · 1973 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
How Plastic Soda Bottles Are Made Stronger Using Stretched Molecules
US 3322485 · 1967 · RCA Corp
How Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) Were Invented
US 3789409 · 1974
How Passive Satellite Navigation Works Without Sending Signals
US 3585356 · 1971 · Innerspace Environments Inc
How the Modern Waterbed Works
US 2026082 · 1935 · Parker Brothers Inc
How the Board Game Monopoly Works
US 3057356 · 1962 · Wilson Greatbatch Technologies Inc
The First Implantable Cardiac Pacemaker
US 3671542 · 1972 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
How Stephanie Kwolek Invented the Liquid Crystal Solution for Kevlar
US 2266401 · 1941 · International Standard Electric Corp
How Pulse Code Modulation Digitizes Analog Signals
US 6883201 · 2005 · iRobot Corp
How the iRobot Roomba Automatically Cleans Floors Without Falling Down Stairs
US 3711262 · 1973 · Corning Glass Works
How Corning Invented Modern Fiber Optic Cables
US 4136359 · 1979 · Apple Computer Inc
How Wozniak Made the Apple II Display Color Graphics
US 4756529 · 1988 · OddzOn Products Inc
How the Koosh Ball's Design Makes It Easy to Catch
US 6302230 · 2001 · Deka Products LP
How Self-Balancing Vehicles Warn Users Before They Tip Over
US 4357215 · 1982
How Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes Are Made
US 3489148 · 1970 · Procter and Gamble Co
How Disposable Diapers Keep Skin Dry Using Porous Plastic Sheets
US 2780765 · 1957 · Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc
How the First Practical Silicon Solar Cell Works
US 4549302 · 1985 · Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc
How Modems Use Guard Time to Switch Between Data and Commands
US 1948384 · 1934 · Research Corp
How Ernest Lawrence Invented the Cyclotron Particle Accelerator
US 2292387 · 1942
Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil's Frequency Hopping Secret Communication System
US 3293513 · 1966 · Texas Instruments Inc
How the First Infrared LED Was Invented
US 223898 · 1880
How Thomas Edison Invented the Practical Incandescent Light Bulb
US 2230654 · 1941 · KINETIC CHEMICALS Inc
The Discovery of Teflon
US 2682235 · 1954
Buckminster Fuller's Geodesic Dome Building Design
US 4492385 · 1985
How Modern Rollerblades Became Adjustable and Interchangeable
US 3997676 · 1976 · Nissin Shokuhin KK
How Cup Noodles Are Designed to Cook Perfectly
US 3614954 · 1971 · Medtronic Inc
How the First Automatic Implantable Defibrillator Works
US 2742437 · 1956 · Oxy Catalyst Inc
How Eugene Houdry Invented the Modern Catalytic Converter
US 3102230 · 1963 · Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc
The Invention of the Modern Field-Effect Transistor
US 2487400 · 1949
How Earl Tupper Invented the Airtight Plastic Food Container
US 3388314 · 1968 · Control Data Corp
Gordon Gould's Early Concepts for High-Frequency Radiation Devices
US 3723796 · 1973
How a Single Coil Powers Multiple Motor Armatures Simultaneously
US 2988237 · 1961
How George Devol Invented the First Industrial Robot Arm
US 3678182 · 1972 · Philips Broadcast Equipment Corp
How Early Television Systems Isolated Specific Colors for Special Effects
US 3498798 · 1970 · Procter and Gamble Co
How Pringles Potato Chips Are Stacked and Packaged
US 2168726 · 1939
Frank Whittle's Early Jet Engine Design
US 3138743 · 1964 · Texas Instruments Inc
How Jack Kilby Invented the First Integrated Circuit
US 4531203 · 1985 · Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co Ltd
How Flash Memory Cells Use an Erase Gate to Clear Data
US 3191596 · 1965
How Dr. Forrest Bird's Mechanical Respirator Controls Patient Breathing
US 1102653 · 1914
Robert Goddard's Early Design for Liquid-Fueled Rocket Engines
US 2911759 · 1959 · Pilkington Brothers Ltd
How the Float Glass Process Makes Perfectly Flat Window Panes
US 821393 · 1906
How the Wright Brothers Invented Modern Airplane Control
US 2708722 · 1955
How Wang An Invented the Magnetic Pulse Memory Core
US 2541851 · 1951 · General Electric Co
How to Make Silly Putty Using Silicone and Zinc
US 2929804 · 1960 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
How Spandex Elastic Fibers Are Chemically Engineered
US 3501586 · 1970 · Battelle Development Corp
How James Russell Invented the Digital Optical Disc
US 5443036 · 1995
How to Exercise Your Cat Using a Laser Pointer
US 2741146 · 1956
How Leo Fender's Tremolo Bridge Changes Guitar Pitch
US 447918 · 1891 · Almon B. Strowger
How Almon Strowger Invented the Automatic Telephone Switch
US 3789410 · 1974 · US Department of Navy
How to Calculate Distance to a Radio Signal Using Two Antennas
US 2495429 · 1950 · Raytheon Manufacturing Co
How Percy Spencer Invented the Microwave Oven
US 2620061 · 1952
How a Spring-Loaded Pocket Dispenser Works
US 2744122 · 1956 · Syntex SA
The Chemical Discovery Behind the First Oral Contraceptive Pill
US 3120606 · 1964 · Sperry Rand Corp
How the ENIAC Computer Processes Data Using Electronic Pulses
US 3778335 · 1973 · Corning Glass Works
How Chemically Strengthened Glass Works
US 3351836 · 1967 · TANN CO
How Intermittent Windshield Wipers Work
US 3349949 · 1967
The Invention of the Modern Soda Can Pull-Tab
US 1342885 · 1920
How Edwin Armstrong Invented the Superheterodyne Radio Receiver
US 174465 · 1876
Alexander Graham Bell's Patent for the Telephone
US 2988008 · 1961 · WANKEL AND NSU MOTORENWERKE AG
How the Wankel Rotary Engine Works
US 2390636 · 1945
How Laszlo Biro Invented the Modern Ballpoint Pen
US 2768109 · 1956 · Eastman Kodak Co
How Super Glue Bonds Acidic Surfaces Like Wood
US 2820187 · 1958 · Parsons Corp
How Early Numerical Control Systems Automated Industrial Milling Machines
US 1203495 · 1916 · General Electric Co
How William Coolidge Invented the Modern X-Ray Tube
US 3552770 · 1971 · Eaton Yale and Towne Inc
How Early Vehicle Airbag Safety Systems Work
US 3043625 · 1962 · Volvo AB
How the Modern Three-Point Car Seatbelt Works
US 1964911 · 1934
How the modern internal menstrual tampon was invented
US 3378274 · 1968 · Brunswick Corp
How the Snurfer Invented Modern Snowboarding
US 1661058 · 1928 · FIRM OF M J GOLDBERG und SOHNE
How the Theremin Makes Music Without Touching Anything
US 2089171 · 1937 · ELECTRO STRING INSTR CORP
How the Frying Pan Guitar Created the Electric Guitar
US 2012680 · 1935
How the First Modern Kitchen Garbage Disposal Was Invented
US 2776139 · 1957
How the Wiffle Ball Design Works
US 3079728 · 1963
How the Hula Hoop Works
US 2817025 · 1957 · Zenith Radio Corp
How the First Wireless Television Remote Control Works
US 3167440 · 1965 · Rainbow Crafts Inc
How Play-Doh Was Invented
US 1994488 · 1935 · Sikorsky Aircraft Corp
Igor Sikorsky's Early Design for a Vertical Takeoff Aircraft
US 2415012 · 1947 · James Industries Inc
How the Slinky Toy Works
US 1956350 · 1934
How Laurens Hammond Invented the Electric Organ
US 808897 · 1906 · Buffalo Forge Co
How Willis Carrier Invented the Modern Air Conditioner
US 3055113 · 1962
Early Device for Tracking Objects with a Pen
US 1113371 · 1914
How TinkerToy's Original Wooden Construction Blocks Work
US 2982547 · 1961
How the First Modern Water Slide Was Designed
US 2370990 · 1945
How George Nissen Invented the Modern Trampoline
US 3023824 · 1962
How Joseph-Armand Bombardier Designed the Modern Snowmobile
US 1480914 · 1924 · ARNOLD ELECTRIC Co
How the Modern Kitchen Blender Works
US 1781541 · 1930 · Electrolux Servel Corp
How Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard Designed a Silent Refrigerator
US 2189285 · 1940
How the View-Master 3D Image Viewer Works
US 200521 · 1878 · Thomas A. Edison
How Thomas Edison Improved Early Phonograph Recording
US 2960558 · 1960 · Union Carbide Corp
How the Modern Alkaline Battery Was Invented
US 400664 · 1889
How Charles Hall Invented Modern Aluminum Production
US 1242872 · 1917
How Clarence Saunders Invented the Modern Self-Service Grocery Store
US 2187888 · 1940
How the 1940 Nachumsohn Cooking Apparatus Works
US 2519859 · 1950
Ralph Teetor's Speed Control Device for Automobiles
US 2799449 · 1957 · Nat Res Dev
How Alan Turing Designed Early Computer Memory Systems
US 1612267 · 1926 · Johnson and Johnson
The Invention of the Modern Adhesive Bandage
US 723325 · 1903
Leamon Souder's 1903 Design for a Spiral Escalator
US 2546078 · 1951
How the Rogallo Flexible Wing Kite Works
US 1505592 · 1924
How the Popsicle Was Invented by Accident
US 2956114 · 1960 · Ampex Corp
How Ampex Invented Modern Video Recording on Magnetic Tape
US 1760820 · 1930 · Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co
How Richard Drew Invented Modern Transparent Adhesive Tape
US 2133235 · 1938 · Owens Illinois Glass Co
How Glass Fibers Are Spun for Insulation
US 1219881 · 1917 · Hookless Fastener Co
How Gideon Sundback Invented the Modern Zipper
US 468226 · 1892 · William Painter
How the Crown Cork Bottle Cap Changed Soda and Beer
US 2058761 · 1936 · Arnold O. Beckman
How Arnold Beckman Invented the Modern pH Meter
US 3503060 · 1970 · JOHN J LYNOTT
How Early Hard Disk Drives Accessed Data Quickly
US 613809 · 1898
Nikola Tesla's Remote Control System for Boats
US 2331117 · 1943 · CLAUDE R WICKARD
How the First Aerosol Spray Can Works
US 1351086 · 1920
The Invention of Lincoln Logs
US 1773079 · 1930 · Frosted Foods Co Inc
How Clarence Birdseye Invented Modern Frozen Food
US 3454279 · 1969 · Milton Bradley Co
How the Game Twister Works
US 608845 · 1898 · Rudolf Diesel
How Rudolf Diesel's Engine Works
US 349611 · 1886 · William Stanley, Jr.
William Stanley Jr.'s Early Alternating Current Transformer System
US 1264128 · 1918 · Hobart Manfacturing Co
How Early Industrial Food Mixers Used Planetary Gear Systems
US 2118318 · 1938 · DUAL PARKING METER Co
How the First Coin-Operated Parking Meter Works
US 1647 · 1840 · Samuel F. B. Morse
How Samuel Morse Patented the Electric Telegraph System
US 775134 · 1904 · FED TRUST Co
How King Gillette Invented the Modern Disposable Safety Razor
US 2485039 · 1949
How the Aqua-Lung Scuba Regulator Works
US 1057423 · 1913
Elwood Haynes' Early Stellite Cobalt-Chromium Alloy
US 454622 · 1891
Nikola Tesla's Early System for Electric Lighting
US 2196914 · 1940
How Sylvan Goldman Invented the Modern Grocery Shopping Cart
US 207559 · 1878 · Christopher Latham Sholes
How the QWERTY Keyboard Layout Was Originally Designed
US 2713176 · 1955
How a Simple Felt-Tip Marker Works
US 31128 · 1861 · Elisha G. Otis
How Elisha Otis Invented the Modern Safety Elevator
US 644077 · 1900 · FARBENFABRIKEN OF ELBERFELD Co
How Felix Hoffmann Invented Aspirin
US 1721815 · 1929
How the First Cotton Swabs Were Mass-Produced
US 2824789 · 1958
How the Breathalyzer Measures Alcohol in Your Breath
US 3475623 · 1969 · ROBERT A MOOG
How Robert Moog Used Transistors to Shape Synthesizer Sounds
US 10456769 · 2019 · Bgi Shenzhen & Bgi Shenzhen Co Ltd
How to Sequence DNA from Tiny Samples Using Specialized Plates
US 9824092 · 2017 · Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
How Microsoft Organizes Data in Multi-Tier Storage Systems
US 10113167 · 2018 · Universitaet Wien
How CRISPR-Cas9 Uses RNA to Edit DNA
US 3633 · 1844 · Charles Goodyear
How Charles Goodyear Invented Modern Vulcanized Rubber
US 2046343 · 1936 · Phillips Screw Co
The Invention of the Phillips Head Screw
US 8278036 · 2012 · University of Pennsylvania Penn
How Modified RNA Tricks Cells Into Making Proteins Without Triggering Attacks
US 4302536 · 1981
How to Detect Disease Markers Using Colored Proteins
US 586193 · 1897 · Guglielmo Marconi
How Marconi Patented Early Wireless Telegraphy Signals
US 36836 · 1862 · Richard J. Gatling
How the Gatling Gun's Rotating Barrel Mechanism Works
US 78317 · 1868 · Alfred Nobel
How Alfred Nobel Stabilized Nitroglycerin with Dynamite
US 1906844 · 1933
How the Iron Lung Artificial Respirator Works
US 22186 · 1858 · John L. Mason
John Mason's 1858 Patent for the Mason Jar Lid
US 1967861 · 1934 · EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
How DuPont Invented Neoprene Synthetic Rubber
US 4677614 · 1987 · Process Systems Inc
How Self-Healing Data Loops Automatically Elect a New Master Controller
US 5903495 · 1999 · Toshiba Corp
How Multi-Level Cell Memory Stores More Data in Less Space
US 4914603 · 1990 · GTE Laboratories Inc
How to Speed Up Neural Network Training Using Momentum
US 9965705 · 2018 · Baidu USA LLC
How AI Uses Question-Guided Attention to Answer Questions About Images
US 10702600 · 2020 · ModernaTx Inc
How Moderna's mRNA Vaccine Technology Targets Betacoronaviruses
US 942699 · 1909
How Leo Baekeland Invented Bakelite, the First Synthetic Plastic
US 2485586 · 1949 · International Standard Electric Corp
How the Geiger Counter Detects Invisible Radiation
US 2702035 · 1955 · JEFFERSON MEDICAL COLLEGE
How the First Heart-Lung Machine Oxygenated Blood
US 375962 · 1888 · Marvin C. Stone
How the Modern Paper Drinking Straw Was Invented
US 743801 · 1903
How Mary Anderson Invented the Windshield Wiper
US 5401560 · 1995 · Norton Co
How to Make Durable Non-Slip Surfaces Using Electron Beam Curing
US 9839649 · 2017 · Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc
How to Design Effective siRNA Molecules to Silence Specific Genes
US 6362826 · 2002 · Intel Corp
How Intel's Memory Hub Manages Graphics Data Across Different Memory Types
US 7664715 · 2010 · Caterpillar Japan Ltd
How Caterpillar Compresses Heavy Machinery Data Using Neural Networks
US 10824959 · 2020 · Amazon Technologies Inc
How to Make Artificial Intelligence Explain Its Own Decisions
US 7663607 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How Multi-Touch Screens Track Multiple Fingers at Once
US 3333846 · 1967 · Glass Marvin and Associates
How the Classic Operation Board Game Works
US 3735375 · 1973 · Central Investment Corp
How Vacuum Tubes Detect Tiny Changes in High-Resistance Sensors
US 382280 · 1888
How Nikola Tesla Invented the Modern AC Electric Motor
US 10155945 · 2018 · Nitto Denko Corp
How to Build Tiny Lipid Capsules to Deliver Genetic Medicines
US 8046721 · 2011 · Apple Inc
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
US 11727263 · 2023 · Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
How Samsung Uses Two AI Models to Improve Sentence Generation
US 5013088 · 1991 · Data Tech Services Inc
How Tamper-Proof Labels That Break Into Pieces Work
US 1462456 · 1923 · FLOYD SMITH AERIAL EQUIPMENT C
How Floyd Smith Designed the Modern Parachute Pack and Harness
US 37305 · 1863 · James L. Plimpton
How James Plimpton Invented the Modern Roller Skate
US 879532 · 1908 · FOREST RADIO TELEPHONE CO DE
Lee De Forest's Early Radio Telegraphy System
US 139121 · 1873 · Levi Strauss & Co.
How Levi Strauss Invented the Copper-Riveted Jean Pocket
US 558393 · 1896 · John Harvey Kellogg
How John Harvey Kellogg Invented Flaked Breakfast Cereals
US 157124 · 1874
How Joseph Glidden Invented Modern Barbed Wire
US 8080 · 1851 · John Gorrie
John Gorrie's 1851 Patent for Artificial Ice Production
US 889823 · 1908
How James Spangler Invented the First Portable Electric Vacuum Cleaner
US 7512773 · 2009 · Nvidia Corp
How Graphics Processors Switch Between Different Tasks Efficiently
US 10607134 · 2020
How AI Learns to Control Game Characters Based on Their Surroundings
US 11295225 · 2022 · D Wave Systems Inc
How D-Wave Clears Magnetic Noise in Quantum Computers
US 5946647 · 1999 · Apple Computer Inc
How Computers Automatically Detect and Act on Data Like Phone Numbers
US 1788434 · 1931
Leonarde Keeler's Early Mechanical Blood Pressure Recorder
US 6281 · 1849 · Walter Hunt
How Walter Hunt Invented the Modern Safety Pin
US 1647147 · 1927
How Early Electromagnetic Pumps Moved Liquid Metal Using Magnetic Fields
US 4750 · 1846 · Elias Howe
How Elias Howe Invented the Modern Lockstitch Sewing Machine
US 1125476 · 1915
How Georges Claude Invented the Neon Light
US 5920821 · 1999 · Bell Atlantic Network Services Inc
How Phones Automatically Find and Update Network Lists Using CDPD
US 10559047 · 2020 · NCR Corp
How Mobile Devices Use Tags to Close Restaurant Checks
US 1032557 · 1912
How the Modern Disposable Paper Cup Was Invented
US 3321037 · 1967 · Hovercraft Development Ltd
How Hovercrafts Use Flexible Skirts to Ride on Air
US 483166 · 1892 · Joshua Pusey
How Joshua Pusey Invented the Paper Matchbook
US 5440632 · 1995 · Scientific Atlanta LLC
How Cable Boxes Download Software Updates Remotely
US 1475024 · 1923
How Garrett Morgan Invented the Three-Position Traffic Signal
US 1304 · 1839 · Samuel Colt
Samuel Colt's Early Revolving Firearm Mechanism
US 1115674 · 1914 · MARY P JACOB
How Mary Phelps Jacob Invented the Modern Backless Brassiere
US 387571 · 1888 · Theophilus Van Kannel
How the Revolving Door Was Invented
US 319082 · 1885 · Constantin Fahlberg
How Constantin Fahlberg Discovered Saccharin
US 5455030 · 1995 · Enzon Labs Inc
How to Build Smaller, Synthetic Antibody-Like Molecules for Medicine
US 4660166 · 1987 · California Institute of Technology
How Hopfield Networks Use Resistors to Mimic Brain-Like Memory
US 5561631 · 1996 · Xilinx Inc
How Xilinx Chips Quickly Check If Memory Is Completely Erased
US 5346778 · 1994 · Energy Partners Inc
Boosting Fuel Cell Power for Vehicles Using Oxygen Injection
US 388116 · 1888 · William S. Burroughs
How William Burroughs Invented the First Practical Adding Machine
US 1242065 · 1917 · Sperry Gyroscope Co Inc
How Elmer Sperry Invented the Gyroscopic Compass for Ships
US 355139 · 1886 · Josephine G. Cochrane
Josephine Cochrane's Mechanical Dishwashing Machine
US 259054 · 1882 · Henry W. Seely
Henry Seely's 1882 Electric Flatiron
US 7865399 · 2011 · Google LLC
How a Centralized Broker Handles Online Shopping Transactions
US 10540437 · 2020
How Automated Systems Generate and Track Consumer Dispute Letters
US 6476836 · 2002 · Ricoh Co Ltd
How Printers Save Toner by Dropping Light-Colored Pixels
US 10410117 · 2019 · BrainChip Inc
How to Save and Reuse Skills Learned by Artificial Intelligence Hardware
US 19783 · 1858 · Hymen L. Lipman
How the Pencil and Eraser Became One Tool
US 1049667 · 1913 · Standard Oil Co
How William Burton Invented Modern Gasoline Refining
US 1721530 · 1929
How Jacob Schick Invented the Modern Magazine-Loading Safety Razor
US 1066809 · 1913 · MYSTO Manufacturing CO
How A.C. Gilbert Designed Early Interlocking Toy Construction Blocks
US 388850 · 1888 · George Eastman
George Eastman's Original Box Camera Design
US 1394450 · 1921
How the First Automatic Pop-Up Toaster Works
US 10423875 · 2019
How a Camera-Based System Monitors Artificial Neural Network Creativity
US 7844915 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Handle Scrolling and Rubber-Band Effects
US 4064521 · 1977 · RCA Corp
How Amorphous Silicon Changed Solar Power
US 4081538 · 1978
Using Specific Steroid Molecules to Block Salt Retention in the Body
US 7543038 · 2009 · International Business Machines Corp
How to Keep Apps Running Without a Constant Internet Connection
US 5657390 · 1997 · Netscape Communications Corp
How Netscape Created the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) for Web Security
US 5682513 · 1997 · International Business Machines Corp
How IBM's Storage Controllers Keep Data Backups in the Right Order
US 98304 · 1869 · William F. Semple
William Semple's 1869 Patent for Improved Chewing Gum
US 88929 · 1869 · George Westinghouse, Jr.
George Westinghouse's Original Steam-Powered Train Brake
US 7577616 · 2009
How Mobile Phones Can Securely Authorize Payments Using Random ID Codes
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