Inventors and Patents From the City of Highland Park

Inventors and patents in the City of Highland Park have a long and rich history. This article will focus on Thomas Davenport, Elisha Gray, John S. Thurman, and Sarah E. Goode, some of the city’s early residents. They all contributed to the development of new technologies that made life better and more comfortable.

Elisha Gray

Elisha Gray was a technological whiz who was born in Barnesville, Ohio. He studied at Oberlin College and became fascinated with electricity. In 1865, he received his first patent for a self-adjusting telegraph relay. His next major innovation was a telegraph relay that could be operated underwater. He eventually partnered with Enos M. Barton to form the Gray and Barton Company, which provided equipment to the Western Union Telegraph Company.

In 1869, Elisha Gray founded the Gray & Barton Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, which supplied telegraph equipment to the Western Union Telegraph Company. This company later spun off a division and became Western Electric. Gray later retired from the company and pursued independent research and development.

Gray received over 70 patents during his lifetime. He is widely credited with designing the first practical telephone prototype. In addition, the historic house Gray built in Highland Park later became the site of the first telephone exchange and an electric generating plant. Today, Graybar, the company he helped found, is listed on the Fortune 500 list of largest US corporations.

In addition to building telephones, Gray invented many telegraph devices. His inventions included the telegraph and the telephone, and he also became the co-founder of the Western Electric Company. He was later awarded a patent for his speaking telephone.

Thomas Davenport

Inventors in the city of Highland Park include W. H. Woods and J. C. Hackett, who both owned patents on the cooking stove and the steam cylinder. Other Highland Park residents with patents include I. C. Ham, who owned a patent on a vulcanizing flask, and J. W. Gilliam, who owned a hand plow and a percussion cap. In addition to Thomas Davenport, the book also features other inventors and patents from the city.

Another inventor from Highland Park was Thomas Davenport, a blacksmith and inventor. He invented the electric motor in 1834 and patented it in 1837. He also opened a workshop in New York City and published a journal on electromagnetism.

John S. Thurman

In 1899, John S. Thurman patented a gasoline-powered vacuum cleaner that was used to clean carpets. The machine was called a pneumatic carpet renovator and was patented on October 3, 1899. In fact, it may have been the first motorized vacuum cleaner. After his patent was issued, Thurman began running a door-to-door carpet vacuuming service in St. Louis for which he charged $4 per visit.

He was a passionate supporter of inventors and innovation, helping to promote ingenuity in young people. He was also a past president of the Ladyfield School Parents-Teachers Association and a member of St. Ursula Academy, and was involved in science fair programs. While his career took him far, he remained hands-on, writing several publications on “How to Be an Inventor.”

Sarah E. Goode

Born in slavery, Sarah E. Goode became the first African American woman to receive a patent for a product. In 1885, she patented a folding cabinet bed. She and her husband, Archibald, ran a store in Chicago where she sold furniture. Many of her customers lived in small apartments and she created a new type of bed that incorporated these features.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame hosts the annual Invent Now America event, and thousands of people submit inventions for consideration. Goode is one of many African-American women who received a patent. Other African-American women who were first women to receive a patent were Judy Reed and Miriam Benjamin.

Goode’s invention was an answer to the problem of cramped living conditions. She designed a folding cabinet bed that incorporated a desk, storage, and a bed. This design allowed people to make the most of the limited space and saved money.

In addition to Goode, other notable Illinois women include: Bayley, Mary Laning, Anna L., and Mrs. C. H., who lived in Peoria County. Several of her inventions are named after local residents.

Richard James

Among the cities in the U.S. that have an active patent process, Highland Park is one of the most productive. The city’s patented products are used in numerous fields. Its inventors have a diverse range of abilities. Among these are computer scientists and medical technicians. Inventors from the city have contributed to some of the nation’s most important innovations.

Eli Whitney

Eli Whitney’s first invention was a cotton gin, which still stands today on the grounds of his plantation in Port Wentworth, Georgia. He also developed other devices to ease pain. His sons continued his work at the arms manufactory in Hamden, Connecticut.

Whitney’s invention revolutionized the way cotton was harvested, making it more profitable for the South. It also contributed to the continued existence of slavery in the United States. His later invention, a milling machine, was not patented. This allowed him to produce over sixty pounds of clean cotton in a single day. In contrast, hand-cleaning could produce only a few pounds.

Eli Whitney’s patent of the cotton gin was first granted on March 14, 1794. It was intended to allow cotton farmers to clean cotton in a more efficient and economical manner. His original business plan included charging growers for the service. However, the simplicity of the cotton gin and the primitive patent laws in the United States led to numerous attempts to infringe his patent.

Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla is one of the most important inventors of all time. The European-born innovator’s discoveries permeate the world today. Some of his innovations include the electric power grid and wireless energy transmission. His concepts are still pursued today, including wireless energy transmission and data networking.

One of the most famous inventions of Nikola Tesla was a wireless transmission device that could transmit a signal for up to 50 miles. This was the first wireless communication device. But, unfortunately, Tesla’s lab caught fire before he could publicly demonstrate his invention.

Tesla’s next invention was the radio. In 1896, he began to experiment with radio waves. Later, he received the first patent for wireless telegraphy in the U.S., which cost him millions of dollars. After that, he focused on wireless transmission. His first patent application for this technology was filed in England in 1896, but it was not until 1897 that the U.S. Patent Office finally issued the patent for his radio technology.

After leaving Edison’s employ, Tesla supported himself by doing manual labor. He worked in construction and dug ditches for $2 a day. Eventually, Tesla’s fame and financial capital began to grow. He applied for several patents that related to AC electricity transmission. One of these patents, U.S. Patent No. 382281, was titled Electrical Transmission of Power. The patent protected a method of transmitting power by electromagnetic motors that utilize adjacent convolutions. This new method eliminates the need for bulky condensers that are difficult to maintain.

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http://uspto.gov/

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