|
The Thompson sisters,
Theresa and Mary, invented a solar tepee and called it a "Wigwarm."
Pretty clever name, but the sisters weren't able to get a patent on
their own.
Suzanna Goodin invented an edible, spoon-shaped cracker. She even
won a grand prize for her invention, yet she, too, needed some help
to get a patent.
Why couldn't these young women get patents on their own? Was it
because property laws prevented women from owning property,
including patents, during part of the 1700s and 1800s?
No, because all of the above inventors were born in the 1900s.
Besides, inventor Robert Patch had the same problem as the other
four inventors. So did Brandon Whale and his brother, Spencer, when
they invented separate devices to help hospital patients.
Why, then, couldn't these inventors receive patents on their own?
It was because they weren't even 10 years old yet!
Young Ms. Lannon was only 8 years old when she invented the
diaper with a pocket in 1994, and the Thompson sisters were only 8
and 9 when they invented their solar teepee in 1960. Ms. Goodin was
only 6 when she invented her prize-winning spoon-shaped cracker.
Robert Patch was only 6 in 1963 when he received a patent for a
toy truck that could be changed into different types of trucks.
[to top of second column]
 |
Brandon Whale invented the "PaceMate" in 1998 to improve the electrical
conductivity of his mother's sensor bracelets after she had an operation
for a pacemaker implant. Brandon's brother, Spencer, created a device to
attach IVs to the wheeled vehicles that child patients rode in, allowing
the IVs to stay in place.
In the end, each of these young inventors, except the Whale brothers,
received patents for their great ideas.
By comparison, how old were some of the more famous inventors
when they first achieved success?
Thomas Edison was 21 when he received his first patent, which was
for a vote counter intended to speed things up in Congress. Despite
the benefits it offered, it never made it onto the market.
Margaret Knight was 30 when she invented the machine that makes
the square-bottom paper bags in 1871, and that type of bag is still
being used today. Alexander Graham Bell was 29 when he invented the
telephone in 1876. Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler was 43 years old
when she introduced the world to the Barbie doll in 1959.
The U.S. Patent Office does not have an age requirement for
receiving a patent. Most inventors, though, whether they're 6 or 60,
need the assistance of a patent attorney to either prepare their
patent application or at least review it before submitting it to the
patent office. And most child inventors need to get some parental
assistance when paying for the patent application and attorney fees.
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann may be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2006
[Other
columns]
 |
