| Date | Text | |
|---|---|---|
05 Feb 1850
Calculator patent |
Calculator patent In 1850, the first U.S. patent for push-key operation for an adding machine was patented by Dubois D. Parmelee of New Paltz, N.Y. (No. 7,074). His "Calculating Machine" patent diagram showed 9 keys. The operation of any key would cause a ratchet to raise a graduated indicator rod at the rear by a corresponding number of notches. Key 2 followed by Key 4 would thus reveal a total of 6 graduations. He anticipated another form using dial indicators to count tens and hundreds. Parmelee also invented a suction socket for artificial limbs almost a century before its general use (Patent No. 37,637, 10 Feb 1863). His calculator was unsuccessful. Over 40 years later, the first practical adding machine was invented by William Burroughs. |
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05 Feb 1850
Meat Biscuit |
Meat Biscuit In 1850, Gail Borden of Brooklyn, NY, was issued a U.S. patent his process that baked a combination of extracts from meat with flour to produce a meat biscuit capable of long term storage (No. 7,066). This gave a convenient method that a preserved meat-based product could be carried by the military, seamen and other travellers. Because it could be reconstitued with hot water as a soup, the patent title was “Preparation of Portable Soup-Bread.” Six years later, he perfected a process to heat milk in a vacuum to produce condensed milk capable of extended storage. He started a company to distribute the condensed milk in large cities. The Borden company is today one of the largest dairy product concerns in the world. |
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