The times., 1897-08-01
WOMEN'S NAMES
ON PATENT LIST
Favorite Objects of Feminine In
yeDtiye Genius.

veDtiye Genius.
Who says the mind of woman is SIM
ply initiative and utterly lacking the IN
ventive quality? Let him visit the United
States Patent Office and be gndeeeiyefI.
The first woman to take out q patent in
this country was nauied Mary Kies- Ii
was perfected on May ., 1909, the device
on which protection was obtained being
"a new method Of weaving straw with
silk and thread.' 10 was six years after
ward, in 1915, that Mary Brush got
patent on rew corset. After that woman
patcntees increased in number, though,
more than once, year and sometimes two
elapsed during which no woman applied
for protection for an invention.
BY FAR the greater number OF patents
granted to woIneL have been for inven-
lions pertaining 10 women's dress and
household duties A large proportion OF
the issuing or 5000 washing machine pat-
eHis Were taken out by members Of the
fair sex, and they are also Responsible
for many OF the hundreds of patents on
churns. The household patents have
included clothes baskets and dishw ash
crs; dough raising devices and dress
skirt elevators; in fact, there is hardly
an article OF clothing or an operation in
housework that has not been the sub
jeet OF study on the part of the iu-
ventive woman. In one IiEe, the hustle,
women secured MANY patents, which at
first seemed likely to be extremely yaIu-
able to their holders Since then thew
have lost most or all OF their money
making power When the patents were
Issued In oil
woiiian TO appear on the streets without a
hustle, but relentless fashion has made a
complete face about, and bustIes are as
lnuch ont or 1t now as their predecessors,
hoop skirts.
lt Is interesting to watch a group OF
pustieiess modern women examining the
glass cases TIlied with hustle models at
the faJcnt Office, and making comments
on ihe absurdity OF the fashion that CON-
peiieu their use IN the years gone by
III seems significant TO mere men thar
one Iii every six patents granted to women
Is on soIhe improvement OF the corset. and
that next to the corset comes the erinoing
iron and similar devices for beautifvine
Inc hair Cosmetics are ext in order ana
one woman applied for "a patent on 3
method OF making dimpIe Briefly de-
scnDed, her plan was to smear q small srot
on the cheek or chin with coIorIess sheIIao
yarnish nuxed with glue. and then with
pencil o. other pointed instrument roaks
Gent In the yielding flesh and hold
it In place until the sheIlac drie,, hars
All traces or the varnish were m Ia ran-
dered invisible by the skiHful use Of face
| power The inventor admitted in ber an
phcatioE that her inv ention would NOT ba
OF as much value to women yvitt, thin ,nd
bony faces as to those with nlurnn a,d
oony ones 1t is not likely that this bad
| anything to do with the PATENT C,r,r,Ig-
Sioner decision, but he declined to Grant
the patent. anu
Among other Inventions designed tn
increase personal beauty that tooE in.
patent all right is a nose irnprover Its
eAiei feature is metal shell Of the ex-
80 SIZE ana shape desired. This sbeI
20 oe paced On the nose at night aft
or 'iat organ has been well aucinted
win olve oil or glycerine In the morn
ihS nose bath in hot water iS sun-
p'seu 10 take away any resulting sore-
| ness. SoA o
sieep may be induced, accorHnp, IN
another woman patentee, by a curious in
Veh'lon consisting OF a coHar-Iike rubbar
neck Dand, SO made that hyproD,.r a,,i,,st.
Ihent the How OF the blood In the be,,+
may be regulated. StiI another worna,,.
invention that attracts the attention is a
combination cumping pin, which. in ad-
dition 70 the puTposeincicated bvtts p.r,a
can be used as paper cutter, skirt s.n-
porter, paper file, child pin, bouGuethoIder
! shawl fastener and book mark.
If is To tho ororlf,
maps that the percentage granted t. wotn-
en- nom that section Of the Union Is much
larger THAI the proportion ofNew EngIand's
population as compared with that of the
entire country.
IL was Philadelphia woman who chang
ed the cIrrent Of woman's practical inven.
tions from household apparatus and wear
ing apparel Co articles of wider appIica-
ton She devised a new hive for honey
bees and got it patented. and at about the
same tine another Philadelphia woman
took out letters patent for scheme To
prevent the journals of railroad trucks from
heating
Then there came a patent to still an
other woman of that city for a railroad
car heater. Soon after this patent had been
Issued a California woman invented and
patented device for desulphurfzing ores,
Georgia woman followed with a pIow,
and after that inventions OF general utility
patented by women increased in umber
rapidly.
Bot women Inventors do not yet ap-
proach men inventors in numbers. the
proportion being only about one-haf per
cent or one in 200. Neither do the majority
of women Inventors as vet devote their
ingenuity TO things other than those which
appeal directly TO their fellow women