El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-25
Women Patent Many Ideas
Inventions OF Women Range From
Pins to Automobiles and
Railroad Appliances.
By E'rederIf. J. HasESiu-
ASHINGTnN n q An,

NV AsHINGToN. D. C.. April Is
wy Women are sometimes &C
cused of being deficient in
initiative and the fact that so many ar
ticles used by women have been pat
ented by men is cited as a proof that
they are lacking in inventive power.
A patent attorney who has over
quarter Of centUry's experience in
procuring patents recently said.
nave taken out hundreds of ap-
pllcauOnS for patents from men for
things that women need and I believe
lnat more than hat of them had really
been invented by women and the idea
turned over to men who took. the credit
Tor IT, remember a couple of years
ago a brother and sister came down
from pennsylvania with model of a
line Jelly-strainer and fruit Dress.
knew that the sister got it up and
they both admitted it but she wanted
TO have the patent taken on in her
brothers name because she was sure
that it would be more likely to be
stolen from woman than a man.
NOtnlng 1 could say would convince
her TO the contrary. so a good for
nothing lazy lOafer, who from every in
olcauOn has always existed largely
upon MS sisters bounty, is taking Gre
dit for an invention ne never would
have thought of himself"
First Patent in 1909.
Notwithstanding this tendency. the
United States government has Deen IS
suing patents to women for more than
a century. The first on record was
awarded to Mary Kies, N 1909, for a
process OF combining silk and cotton
thread with straw in the weaving of
straw braldS for making hats. 1t was
six years before another woman Sc
cured patent, this time for an i'm
proved corset Patents were first
granted by the secretary of state and
the United States patent office was
not established until the year 1886. /
Eighteen patents had been granted to !
women before this time. No feminine
applicant was granted a patent for
three years after the establishment OF
the patent office and the first patent
issued to a woman from that inStitu-
ton was number 1913, awarded to
Eliza Ann r Judkius for a new device
Tor DuuOlnS sheds Between that date
and June is, 1883 nearly 5000 patents
had been granted 10 women according
to a report issued by the patent office
that year As the last patent included
In this list was number 10.93S the
report would indicate that nearly a
third of the patents granted had been
issued TO women.
Patented Corset Fastener.
Following this first report upon the
patents granted to the women inven-
tors Of the country. the patent office
issued two appendices carrying the
list down to February 20 1893, when
patent No 534, $50 was awarded to
Sarah J. Root, Of New Haven, Connect
cut, for a locking device for fastening
cOrsets- Since that date the office evil
IDENTIFY has assumed that there is no
sex In invention, and has not Kept
separate lists of the women inventors.
While fewer than 10 percent Of patents
now taken out are in WOmens names,
the wide diversity Of their subjects in
dictate that there Is no Limitation 10
the channels followed by the woman
inventor. Her patents cover every
thing from a pin to an automobile
corset fastening to a steam shovel.
Industrial Inventions.
Until the centennial exposition held !
in Philadelphia in 1876, little account
had been taken of WOmen's inventions
During that year and the year pre-
cedlng, however, nearly Z5O patents |
had been awarded to women, the sub (
ject ranging from hair crimDing pins |
to steam generators and including I
many unique household cOnveniencess |
as well as appliances for factories, farm /
implements and clothing. When all I
these inventions were gathered under 1
one roof and exhibited as the results ]
OF feminine ingenuity the interest IN I
WOmen's patents Immediately went up /
several degrees
When women became the heads of 4
industrial concerns or began to hold /
important positions in which needs TOT 4
improvements presented themselves IN (
a practical manner, their inventive /
genius began to assert itself. one OF I
the most important OF the patents /
granted during the centennial year was /
an OveTseaming machine which has be
come invaluable TO manufacturers OF /
knitted fabrics and of various articles /
of ready made clothing. It was IN /
vented by Miss Helen Augusta Blan- ]
chard who established q large COM
pany in Philadelphia 1t has formed |
the basis Of numerous other patents 1
which nave brought about the mar
velOus mechanism found in all the 4
great modern factories for this class /
of work.
Appliances for Hospitals.
The entrance of women into the pro !
feSsiOn of trained nursing has been re- |
spOnsible for the invention Of large ]
number of hospital helps and surgical /
to the efficiency Of the equipment OF !
the average hospital Invalid chairs, 1
bed tables electrical appliances, sur
geOn's instruments, sterilizing ma I
chimes. inhalers, exercising machines,
hot water bags of special design, ana /
dages are among the patents taken out I
by women for cOnveniences for the /
sick room.
Labor Savers In Offices.
The business woman frequently de-
velops an inventive genius. Mrs So /
phie Huelbrin, of Illinois, recently has
devised a simple little machine when /
viii open 400 letters a minute. She /
was in charge Of a large mail order /
department and the possibility OF les /
sening her work gave her the incen- /
tive for the invention which 1t IS pre-
dicted will ultimately make her a rIch /
woman. A number of typewriter ap- |
Dliances have been invented by women, /
including a guide shield. a new reel /
and several varieties of pads designed /
to lessen the noise.
Draw String for Wells. /