[Pioneering Women Inventors: From Patent Advocacy to Home Security]-[Salute to Women Inventors]

Stuff You Should Know · B2 · 2024-07-04

📋 Summary

The Advocacy for Women Inventors: Charlotte Smith’s Legacy

In the late 19th century, the landscape for female inventors was significantly restricted by social norms and systemic barriers. The podcast highlights the pivotal role of Charlotte Smith, who emerged as a fierce advocate for women in the field of intellectual property. Starting in 1875, Smith dedicated years to pressuring the patent office to acknowledge the contributions of women. Her persistence was driven by the belief that visibility would inspire others, stating that if the office could simply produce a list of "women inventors to whom patents have been granted," it would serve as a catalyst for future generations.

Her efforts culminated in 1888 when she successfully published a catalog of these women. While some women had secured patents prior to this, the process was described as "extremely rare." Smith’s work acted as a "game changer," effectively opening the "floodgates" for women to recognize that there was a viable path for them in the world of invention.

The Ingenuity of Marie Van Brittan Brown

Moving into the 20th century, the podcast features the story of Marie Van Brittan Brown, an African American nurse living in Jamaica, Queens, during the 1960s. Working late-night shifts in a neighborhood that was considered "rough," Brown faced significant personal safety concerns. Collaborating with her husband, an electronics technician, she engineered what is widely regarded as the first closed-circuit television (CCTV) system for home security.

Faced with a "lack of technology at the time," the couple displayed remarkable ingenuity. Since the camera could not pan, they installed four separate peepholes at different heights to accommodate callers of varying sizes. The system included a television monitor, a remote control to "unlock the door from a distance," and an emergency button to alert authorities. Their invention, which received U.S. Patent number 3,482,037, was described as "completely revolutionary." Its influence remains profound, with the podcast noting that "32 subsequent patent applications reference her original invention," laying the groundwork for modern smart home security devices like the Ring and Nest doorbells.

Josephine Cochran and the Birth of the Dishwasher

Finally, the discussion turns to Josephine Cochran, a wealthy socialite who challenged the status quo. Driven by a "dismay" at her servants accidentally chipping her fine 17th-century china, Cochran took matters into her own hands to create a functional dishwasher. Her invention was not merely a domestic convenience but a commercial success, leading to the establishment of a company that would eventually evolve into the iconic brand KitchenAid. Her story serves as a testament to how personal necessity and determination can lead to long-lasting industrial innovation.

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how about and she eventually came to the invention part of it but how about property rights and intellectual property rights and then starting in 1875 she really focused on inventors and invention and getting patents and getting the patent office to just simply recognize the fact that women were starting to get patents was took nine years it was and I believe 1879 she moved to DC started a hassling the patent office to say hey here's all I want just give me a list of women inventors period I think he could inspire other women we could publish it so if you could just put together that list you got the list put it together for me and they said sure nine years later they came back with women and well I think she packaged it but women inventors to whom patents have been granted and in 1888 she published it 500 copiesworth.

And that I'm sure was a big game changer as far as like hey look it's happening it's possible you can do it yes and while that did kind of open up the flood gates to women inventors seeing like I can do this there is like a path for me here to take toward inventing there were women who did have patents in their name prior to this it was just extremelyrare.

Oh yeah I mean well there were how many were there did I thought there was a list here yeah the only one that I've come across I never saw the list of women inventors to whom patents have been granted but I did see one I think the first American woman to earn a patent in her name was named Mary Dixon keys K I ES yes she was the first one about 90 years earlier but it supposedly took four clerks 10 days put this list together so I think I'm going to dothat.

So you know it was a great thing that Charlotte Smith did she had a vision that this could be a game changer and it seems like it probably was yeah she was like you can't hide the truth any longer with your walrus moustaches and your arm garden give me that list and they did so should we highlight some of these these are pretty great yes all right let's take a break after this first one maybe because I want to I'm eager to talk about Marie Van Britain Brown she was awesome she was very born in 1922 and Jamaica Queens New York City an African American woman who worked as a nurse and oftentimes was working you know late night shifts coming and going at odd hours her husband Albert Brown was a electronics technician he had odd hours of work to so how that shakes out is a lot of times Marie Van Britain Brown would be at home or come home late at night be a little worried and you know what was a rough neighborhood at the time as to who may become a knocking on her door so she invented along with her husband's help a what ended up being kind of the first close circuit TV system and home security system in the 1960s yeah it's pretty amazing it was a bunch of different systems that they put together to create this one complete system pretty much out of the box it was like a complete security system but they really had to work with a lack of technology at the time like there was no way to pan the video camera that the whole thing was based on so instead they had four separate people's and you could raise or lower the camera to the correct people depending on the height of the person on the other side I find that ingenious great idea I said CCTV so there were television monitors this camera fed into these monitors so the ideas that you didn't actually have to go to the door and even looking through a people can be dangerous if someone knows you're just on the other side of the door at that people they can they can get you that's what it says in the patent that's what it said so she had a remote control that would let her unlock the door from a distance away and an emergency button a distance away that would alert the police or security in the apartment building you had these four people's the sliding camera and two way microphones so she could actually say like who's you know basically what we have now with like ring doorbells and nest doorbells yeah she thought of this idea and her husband helped her pull it off in 1966 yeah and the idea of just how ubiquitous this has become this is like such a commonplace everyday thing now is kind of a testament to what she invented because at the time this was completely revolutionary there was nothing like this at the time and she and her husband just invented it from whole cloth and I think they got patent number three million four hundred eighty two thousand and thirty seven that was theU.S.

patent for their close circuit television security system that's right she also got an award from the National Scientists Committee she was recognized in the times the paper of record sadly she passed away in nineteen ninety nine at the age of seventy six but it was such a good idea that thirty two subsequent patent applications reference her original invention and their patent application so in other words great idea yes indeed you want to take that break now let's do it okay we'll be right back Hey everybody it's time to talk about square space square space has absolutely everything you could possibly need to build whatever website you're trying to you can host video content and organize your entire video library plus showcase it on beautiful video pages you can use analytics to grow your business and learn where your site visits and sales are coming from what else Chuck well buddy if you got a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to 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So up next we're going to talk about a woman named Josephine Cochran who kind of bucked the trend of inventors and was a wealthy socialite and supposedly the origin of her invention the dishwasher the first actual useful dishwasher came from a dismay that her servants washing her fine china that had been in her family since the 17thcentury.

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