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| Wacky Patents Carry On Jeffersonian Legacy Nobody wishes more
than I do that ingenuity Thomas Jefferson was a prolific inventor. In 1787 he invented a macaroni making machine. He also invented, inter alia, a swivel chair, the moldboard plow, a spherical sundial and a duplication machine. Jefferson also invented a cipher wheel that allowed people to code and decode messages. The cipher machine was later "reinvented" prior to World War I and used by the U.S. Army to encrypt messages. Many of Jefferson's agricultural and mechanical inventions are still in use today. Jefferson also had very strong opinions about technology. He recognized the importance of innovations to the new American culture and economy. It is not surprising then that the patents were thought to be important enough to include in the U.S. Constitution. In Article 1, section 8, clause 8 one purpose of the legislature is: "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries " Thomas Jefferson examined the first U.S. patent application as part of his duties as the first Secretary of State. According to the first Patent Act, passed by Congress on April 10, 1790, the Secretary of State was to head a "three-man board" that also included the Secretary of War and the Attorney General "having power to grant patents." Jefferson is thought to have examined about 114 patent applications during his tenure. Jefferson's framework for examination of a patent application is still in use today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. According to Jefferson, an invention must be new, not obvious and useful in order to be entitled to a patent. These principles have been codified in 35 U.S.C. 102, 35 U.S.C. 103, and 35 U.S.C. 101, respectively. The first patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins in 1790 for a device and method for producing potash, used in making soap and glass at the time. Until 1839, issued U.S. patents were not given a number. The first numbered patent issued by the U.S. Patent Office was signed by Andrew Johnson (before he became President). The Patent Office now issues nearly 90,000 patents a year. The author Robert Routledge is reported to have said, "Every new invention, every triumph of engineering skill, is the embodiment of some scientific idea; and experience has proven that discoveries in science, however remote from the interests of everyday life they may at first appear, ultimately confer unforeseen and incalculable benefits on mankind." The "unforeseen and incalculable benefits to mankind" can be illustrated by the genius of the following 15 patents. These are some of my favorites from my archived file labeled: "Now why didn't I think of that?" Happily, two Sacramento inventors made the list. To fully appreciate these inventions view the patents up at www.uspto.gov.
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