1. For ages people had been writing using internal ink cartridges, but in 1944 Laszlo Biro, a Hungarian inventor living in Argentina, removed the nib and used a tiny ball bearing. Biro filed his patent and the biggest pen maker at that time — ‘Eversharp’ acquired the rights. But before they launched their product, another company beat them to it. On October 29th, 1945 a company from Chicago released their own design based on a sample piece they saw and within 6 months had sold $5 million worth of these pens. Which company is this that claims ‘Every Indian carries one’?
2. In 1871 Antonio Meucci filed a caveat at the U.S. Patent Office for something he called a ‘telettrofono’. In 1854 he had demonstrated its working in New York. The American District Telegraph lost some of his working models and Meucci was going through a tough time and didn’t have the $10 needed to renew his caveat in 1874. Because of this lapse, who was given a similar patent in 1877 for the invention which made him a household name?
3. Nils Bohlin was an engineer with Volvo Cars. He used to work as an aviation engineer and his specialty was designing the ejector seat. He invented a particular design for use on their PV544 model which was revolutionary in its safety aspect. Till then, the previous design (which was doing more harm than good) had a 2-point harness and Bohlin made it a 3-point harness. Volvo could have made millions from this but decided that everyone should benefit from this invention, and opened up the patent. What is this life-saving invention that Volvo gifted to the world?
4. As a teenager this person used to have a canoe and made money ferrying travellers and carrying cargo. When his boat got stuck in a waterway, he had to improvise to save the cargo. He came up with an idea for a mechanism that would lift a boat over obstructions and, in 1849, was awarded U.S. Patent no. 6,469 for it. He even went on to become a successful patent attorney. He is more famous, though, for leading his country through its civil war and paving the way to the abolition of slavery. Who is this person to have held that post to have a patent in his name?
5. Frederick Banting was a surgeon interested in the working of the pancreas. He devised an experiment to prove a theory he had, and a physician called Macleod gave him a lab to work in. After many months, they succeeded and in 1922 announced their discovery to the world. In 1923 they were granted U.S. Patents. Knowing how much this was going to change the world of medicine and how many lives it would benefit, they sold the patent to the University of Toronto for just $1 each. What is this first ever human protein to be artificially synthesized?
6. The movie capital of the United States, if not the world, is based in Hollywood in Los Angeles. A picturesque place, land there was cheap in 1915. But, most importantly, L.A. was far away from New Jersey. New Jersey was the home of a prolific inventor who held over 1000 patents, many of which were used in movie-making. He had even formed a consortium to exercise monopoly over the industry and had friends in the courts, so patent infringement cases always went in his favour. To escape this, independent movie makers went to L.A. because the courts were more fair and cross-continental travel would be cumbersome for federal marshals. Who is the inventor who forced the creation of Hollywood?
7. In 1998, U.S. Patent #6,285,999 was granted to Stanford University for an algorithm called ‘PageRank’. This valued a webpage based on how many other pages were linked to it. It increased the quality of search results, which was a key factor in the rise of the company which was based on this process. What company used this patent to such an effect that its name is now used as a verb in the same context?
8. Patent US4991745 is for ‘Dispensing valve with trampoline-like construction’ granted to Paul Brown in 1991. After many failed prototypes, maxing out credit cards and getting loans from friends and family, Brown finally perfected his invention after 112 attempts. He got $13 million for licensing his product for use in an everyday object. Till then, whenever you had to use this product you had to turn it upside down and whack it. What product uses this patent?
9. US patent ‘Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion’ shows a system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his centre of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes. This is visually depicted in an iconic scene featuring the patentee himself. Who does Patent US5255452 belong to?
10. U.S. Patent 4300473 - ‘Device for moistening the adhesive coating on postage stamps and envelopes’ - The applicator may be in the form of a ______.’ Fill in the blank.
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley
Answers
1. Reynolds
2. Alexander Graham Bell for the Telephone
3. The seat-belt
4. Abraham Lincoln
5. Insulin
6. Thomas Alva Edison
7. Google
8. Upside down Ketchup bottles
9. Michael Jackson for the 45-degree lean move in ‘Smooth Criminal’
10. Tongue