Ingenious Inventions Vol. III

AIR CONDITIONING

What it does: Decreases the temperature of indoor air by drawing in air from outdoors, cooling it, and then circulating it throughout a room by means of fans and blowers.

Inventor: Willis H. Carrier.

Place:  Buffalo, New York

Patent Date: January 2, 1906

ARTIFICIAL LEG

What it does: Provides a viable, comfortable, and aesthetically acceptable substitute for a lost leg.

Inventor: T.F. Engelbrecht, R. Boecklin and W. Stahlen

Place:  New York, New York and Brooklyn, New York.

Patent Date: January 6, 1863

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

What it does: Analyzes tissue for presence and degree of cancerous malignancy, serious muscle strain, and other important medical diagnostic information.

Inventor: Raymond V. Damadian

Place:  Forest Hills, New York.

Patent Date: February 5, 1974.

SEAT BELT

What it does: Provides a safety restraint mechanism to keep and individual in any movable seat. It was later adapted for the seats of powered vehicles such as automobiles and airplanes, to counteract  the forward momentum caused upon impact or in case of turbulence.

Inventor: Edward J. Claghorn

Place:  New York, New York.

Patent Date: February 10, 1885

ADHESIVE BANDAGE

What it does: Band-Aid bandage strips are used around the world to treat minor burns and cuts. The sterile gauze pad protects the wound and absorbs blood while promoting healing.

Inventor: Peter Schladermundt and William H. Dennerlein

Place:  Bronxville, New York and Beechhurst, New York.

Patent Date: February 18, 1958

PARACHUTE

What it does: Provides a safe, low-impact means of descending from great heights (as in existing and airplane while in flight) by deployment of a fabric canopy that uses wind resistance to slow the pace of descent and reduce the force of impact.

Inventor: Karl O. K. Osterday

Place:  Cincinnati, Ohio.

Patent Date: February 24, 1920

READING SYSTEM FOR THE BLIND

What it does: Translates written words into audible speech.

Inventor: Raymond C. Kurzweil

Place:  Newton, Massachusetts.

Patent Date: March 6, 2001

TURTLE EXCLUDER DEVICE

What it does: Saves sea turtles caught in nets during the shrimping process.

Inventor: Noah J. Saunders

Place: Biloxi, Mississippi.

Patent Date: April 26, 1988

KEVLAR

What it does: Kevlar's unique internal fiber structure and exceptionally high resilient properties make it ideal for manufacturing the resilient and lightweight body armor used by law enforcement officials and the military.

Inventor: Stephanie Kwolek

Place:  Wilmington, Delaware.

Patent Date: June 25, 1974.

RESPIRATOR

What it does: This pulmonary aid assists people with breathing problems by duplicating the functions of the human respiratory system.

Inventor: Forrest M. Bird of Palm Springs, California and Henry L. Pohndorf, of El Cerrito, California

Patent Date: June 29, 1965

NICOTINE PATCH

What it does: Designed to ease the withdrawal process when quitting smoking, the patch provides a steady, controlled release of nicotine through the skin, without the tars and toxins of actual cigarettes.

Inventor: Frank Etscorn

Patent Date: July 1, 1986

VITAMINS

What it does: The process outlined in the patent describes a method of extracting vitamins from their sources to be used as important nutritional supplements.

Inventor: Robert R. Williams, Roselle and Robert E. Waterman, of Orange, New Jersey; assignors to Research Corporation, of New York, New York.

Patent Date: August 4, 1936

SMOKE DETECTOR

What it does: The battery-powered smoke detector is an important in-home safety feature, often required by law, which emits a piercing alarm in the presence of smoke, alerting residents of a possible fire.

Inventor: Randolph J. Smith of Anaheim, California; and Kenneth R. House, of Norwalk, California.

Patent Date: August 5, 1969

BRA

What it does: Confines, shapes, and supports the bust comfortably, with a minimum of fabric - especially in the back - to facilitate its use under from[fitting, revealing or low-backed garments.

Inventor: Mary P. Jacob

Place:  Mamaroneck, New York.

Patent Date: November 3, 1914

IBOT

What it does: This sophisticated version of a wheelchair is intricately balanced and powered so that it can go where no wheelchair has gone before - up and down stairs, over curbs -  virtually anywhere a mobile person can go. Its easy "joystick" operation also allows for eye-to-eye contact with the world.

Inventor: John B. Morrell of Manchester, New Hampshire; John M. Kerwin, of Weston,  Massachusetts; Dean L. Kamen, of Bedford, Hampshire; Robert R. Ambrogi, of Manchester, New Hampshire; Robert J. Duggan, of Stratford New Hampshire; Richard K. Heinzman of Francestown, New Hampshire - assigned by Deka Products Limited Partnership.

Patent Date: November 6, 2001.

LASER EYE SURGERY

What it does: Gets rid of your glasses, for one thing. The ultraviolet surgical and dental procedures described in this patent broke new ground with the use of a laser that photo etches organic biological matter without using heat. 

Inventor: Samuel E. Blum of White Plains, New York; Rangaswamy Srinivasan, of Ossining, New York; and James J. Wynne, of Mt. Kisco, New York.

Patent Date: November 15, 1988

AIR BAG

What it does: Prevents injuries and saves lives during automobile accidents by inflating upon impact and creating a buffer between driver or passenger and the car's interior windshield, etc.

Inventor: Geoffrey L. Mahon and Allen Breed

Place:  Ridgewood and Boonton Township, New Jersey

Patent Date: December 10, 1892