The Recording Rosary

Damon Doherty invented the "Recording Rosary" so that people could pray the Rosary while driving. As a traveling jewelry salesman he found that "Rosary beads sometimes became tangled in the gear shift as he prayed his way from city to city." So he invented a solution (Design Patent 167,827).

I'm not Catholic, and know very little about praying the Rosary, but I've got a few questions about his invention.

First, is it considered okay to multitask while praying the Rosary? So it's okay to pray the Rosary while driving a car?

Second, the second article below notes that his Recording Rosary was "an actual Rosary of legitimate material." What are the 'legitimate' materials that Rosary beads can be made out of?

Boston Globe - Feb 22, 1953

Omaha Our Sunday Visitor - Mar 15, 1953

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 14, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Religion, Patents, 1950s, Cars

Pocket Typewriter

In 1952, Maurice Julliard patented a typewriter small enough to fit inside "an average size pocket." It could be used "without any support, being simply held in the hand."

His patent included a sketch of the typewriter, but I haven't been able to find any pictures of it. I'm not sure what practical use it was supposed to have, beyond being a novelty. His patent doesn't say. Would one use it to type miniature notes or manuscripts?

I noticed that it had a non-qwerty keyboard.

The Hackensack Record - July 24, 1952

Julliard's pocket typewriter wasn't the first one in existence. The book Victorian Inventions by Leonard de Vries contains an example from 1891. Though unlike Julliard's typewriter, it lacked a keyboard.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 07, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Technology, Patents, 1950s

The Electric Hairbrush and Comb of Hugo Gernsback

One of the fathers of modern science fiction once came up with this.

Tip o' the hat to Steve Davidson, current proprietor of Amazing Stories.

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 27, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Magazines, Patents, Science Fiction, 1910s, Hair and Hairstyling

Vegiforms

Back in the 1980s, Richard Tweddell III invented a way to grow vegetables into shapes such as faces, hearts, pop bottles, etc. by using plastic molds. As he wrote: "Just plant regular seeds in your garden, in the usual way. When the young vegetable forms, place it into the two part plastic mold and watch it grow to fill the mold. That's all there is to it."

I don't know why his invention never caught on. If I had a vegetable garden, I'd use them. But perhaps the idea of vegetables shaped like small human heads didn't appeal to enough people.

More info: archived vegiforms website, Tweddell's obituary, vegiform patent

Tweddell with a vegiform

Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 12, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Horticulture and Gardens, Patents, Vegetables

Telescoping Fish Knocker

Not being a fisherman or sportsman of any sort, I had no idea until now that there existed a special tool for whacking your caught fish on the noggin: the fish knocker or fish bat. You can buy a variety of modern ones, as seen here. But I like the patent on a collapsible model.

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 02, 2023 - Comments (6)
Category: Sports, Tools, Lakes, Ponds, Rivers, Streams, Swamps and Other Bodies of Fresh Water, Patents, 1950s

Dog Collar with Decorative Tie

When you want to bring your dog to the office, he or she must be properly dressed in a business-like manner.

Patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 27, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Business, Fashion, Patents, Dogs, 1940s

A system for climbing vertical surfaces

The French patent office granted Raymond Saulnier a patent in 1951 for "a system for climbing vertical surfaces." A British patent followed in 1952.

Saulnier had come up with a way to allow vehicles, or even people, to climb vertical surfaces without the aid of ropes. His insight was that climbing any slope is essentially a problem of adhesion. If a force stronger than gravity is pushing you against the slope, then you won't slide down. And that adhesive force could be supplied by the downward pressure of propellors or jet nozzles.



Of course, powering propellors or jet nozzles requires a lot of energy. So Saulnier imagined powering them with compressed air supplied by a tube from the ground. He suggested that firefighters, among others, might find his system useful for scaling the sides of buildings.

I've never seen a prototype of Saulnier's invention in action. But when I was in Target the other day, I noticed a Sharper Image-branded toy named the "Gravity Rover" that "climbs from floor to wall to ceiling." It occurred to me that this was Saulnier's invention transformed into a toy.

It's a pretty cool toy, but based on videos of it, extremely loud.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Nov 26, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Technology, Toys, Patents

Speed Mask for Swimmers

From what I can gather, Calvin Gongwer is legendary for his inventions in the world of ocean swimming. But his speed mask doesn't seem to have gained a following.

(left) Popular Mechanics - Dec 1968; (right) Ottawa Citizen - July 25, 1968

Patent No. 3,653,086

Posted By: Alex - Mon Nov 13, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Swimming, Snorkeling, and Diving, Patents

Device to Cure Ingrown Toenail

This torture apparatus surely looks to provide worse pain than the malady it purports to cure. A metal hook goes under the toenail itself and yanks it up, whereupon it is strapped into position for permanent wear.

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 08, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Inventions, Patents, 1940s, Diseases, Feet

Rain-Making Device

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Oct 17, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Patents, 1910s, Weather