Highland Inventors and Patents

In the week of May 7, Highland inventors were granted three patents. They include Thomas Edison, Elisha Gray, and George Washington Carver. Learn more about these people and their contributions to our society. We are proud to be home to some of the world’s greatest minds.

Thomas Edison

Inventor Thomas Edison made a big contribution to the history of electrical technology when he invented the light bulb. He further advanced the work of Joseph Wilson Swan, a physicist from England who had discovered that a carbon filament could provide good light and high resistance, which was necessary for the subdivision of light bulbs. Edison began work on the light bulb in mid-October and was soon making steady progress. In December of 1882, he made his first demonstration to the backers of his Edison Electric Light Company.

In 1899, Thomas Edison founded the Edison Portland Cement Co., which made cement at low costs. Edison was an early advocate of cement and saw its potential in other applications. However, he was ahead of his time, and widespread use of concrete was not feasible at the time.

Other notable Highlandians included Donald Weder, who owns Highland Supply Company, a major player in the floral industry. Weder has 1,413 patents, most of which relate to the packaging of flowers. Kia Silverbook and Paul Lapstun, who owns 1,298 patents each, also have high-profile contributions to the history of the area. Another prominent figure is Leonard Forbes, a retired professor of electrical engineering at Oregon State University who operates a consulting firm focused on solar cell technology.

Thomas Edison’s work has made the world a more convenient place to live in. His patents include the phonograph, which reproduces sound via indentations in paraffin-coated paper. His patents also include the light bulb, which he improved in 1878 using a carbon filament. This innovation made it safer and cheaper than its predecessors, and set the stage for our modern electrical world.

In addition to the invention of the light bulb, Edison also invented the telephone transmitter. This device allowed people to transmit their voices at higher volumes and clarity. He also pushed Congress to build telegraph lines across the US. The invention was so revolutionary that it was used in many countries.

Another invention by Thomas Edison is the carbon transmitter. He developed the device in response to serendipity and specific demands. His work in this field was interrupted when he saw a strange phenomenon. This device became popular, bringing entertainment to the troops in World War I.

Thomas Edison began his career as a railroad train boy in the Midwest. The Michigan Central began using telegraphy to control trains in 1854, and he learned the ins and outs of this new technology. By the time Thomas Edison was twenty, he was already working on a full-time job as a telegraph operator in Port Huron. He also continued to experiment and study on the side.

Thomas Edison was one of the most influential innovators of his time. His many inventions include the light bulb, the phonograph, and the electric power system. He earned a total of 1,093 patents in the United States and several hundred patents in other countries. Most of these were similar to those he received in the United States.

Elisha Gray

Elisha Gray was a young Quaker farmer who was a gifted inventor. He studied at Oberlin College and built laboratory equipment. After graduating in 1861, he met and married Delia Minerva Shepard. In 1865, he received his first patent for a self-adjusting telegraph relay. He later founded Gray and Barton, Co., and went on to receive over seventy patents.

Gray continued to work on electrical devices for the rest of his life. He amassed over seventy patents, some of which yielded large financial benefits. This was a great accomplishment for a man whose family had struggled with financial problems.

Elisha Gray moved from Ohio to Chicago in 1869, where he became a partner of the Gray & Barton Co. He stepped down from his administrative position as chief engineer of the company to focus on his inventions. His inventions included the acoustic telegraph.

After gaining international recognition, Gray’s innovations benefited many industries. His teleautograph invention, for instance, became common in railway stations and banks. He also helped develop underwater communication systems with ships. Gray was also an active member of the Presbyterian Church and helped finance a new church building. He died at the age of fifty-seven in 1901. He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery.

While Elisha’s early ‘Musical Telegraph’ had a basic design, later models had enough single-tone oscillators to transmit two octaves of musical tones. Later models also had a simple tone wheel control. The device worked well and was popular at Lincoln Hall, where it was used as an aid for live performances.

Elisha Gray submitted a caveat to the US Patent Office before Bell filed his application. This caveat, a formal reservation of patent, allowed the inventor time to develop a proof of concept, model, or prototype. This caveat allowed Gray to create a liquid transmitter, which was not identical to Bell’s transmitter.

Gray went on to receive over 70 patents over his life. In the course of his career, he earned more than $5 million from his own inventions. His most important invention, the telautograph, became a household name, and Graybar is still one of the largest corporations in the US.

In February 1876, Bell filed a patent application for the telephone, two hours before Gray. This led to a lengthy court battle, which eventually settled in Gray’s favor. The court ruled that Bell and Gray did not use Gray’s water transmitter in public demonstrations or commercial use.

Gray was also accused of stealing Bell’s liquid transmitter design. Gray was also accused of stealing Bell’s knowledge of it. A neighbor made claims against Gray after the patent was issued. The disputed patent was granted on March 10, 1876, and Bell used it to transmit his message to Watson.

Bell’s patent application contained valuable claims. One such claim was Claim 4. It was a method of producing variable current in a circuit. While this feature was not shown in Bell’s patent drawings, it was clearly evident from Gray’s caveat filed the same day.

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Diamond Grove, Missouri. His parents were Moses and Susan. His father likely worked on another farm nearby, but was killed in an accident when George was an infant. The family later moved to Kansas and he attended Minneapolis High School. He was accepted to Highland University in 1885, but was turned down for admission because of his race. The president of the university turned him down, and many other colleges also turned him away.

Carver’s life was filled with hardships. He was born into slavery and spent most of his early life wandering around three states, working odd jobs to gain a basic education. However, his innovations helped improve the lives of poor black farmers in the South. In his work, he discovered how to use the natural clays in the soil to make better agricultural products.

Carver was also interested in conservation and crop rotation. He developed several ways to use acorns for livestock and peanuts for humans. He also created many uses for native red clays, including pigments for paint. His experiments were later published in nearly 50 bulletins.

In 1877, George Carver was accepted into a public school in Neosho, Kansas. After his graduation, he moved to a rural area where he worked at odd jobs. He also lived with Ben and Lucy Seymour, who ran a laundry business in Olathe. The couple moved to Minneapolis, Kansas in the summer of 1880, where he finished high school.

George Washington Carver, Inventors And Patents From the City of Highland, Missouri, is credited with developing a number of important products. He was also a proponent of chemurgy, which uses agricultural raw materials to produce non-food products. Although the term “chemurgy” was coined in the 1930s after Carver’s rise to fame.

As a young boy, George Carver was taught to love nature. His home was surrounded by woods, and he spent most of his time playing outdoors. He earned the nickname “the plant doctor” for his skill in cultivating plants.

While studying at Simpson College, Carver was also the first black student in the school. His natural skills helped him earn a Bachelor’s degree in botany. His professors recognized his talent and recommended him for a master’s program at the Iowa State Agricultural College. After graduating, he taught at Iowa State University, where he became a faculty member.

Carver was also responsible for running the Agricultural Experiment Station farms. He was charged with managing production and sales of the products from these farms. He was not a very good administrator. He complained in 1900 about the physical work and the letter-writing. The Institute committee also found that his poultry yard yields were exaggerated.

George Washington Carver’s interest in agriculture started as a child. He loved the natural world and was fascinated with plants. He gathered plants from different regions, and he also treated his friends’ sick plants. He was known as “The Plant Doctor” when he was young.

https://www.ycombinator.com/documents/
https://techcrunch.com/
https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/startup-resources
https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/fund-your-business
https://hbr.org/1998/11/how-venture-capital-works
http://patentpc.com/
http://uspto.gov/

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