Patent Past and Patent Future

So often as patent professionals and human beings we focus solely on cool, new tech and what will be coming down the patent pipeline in the future. However, I think that taking a look at patents from the past is just as important and interesting. I pulled the patent for "Flying Machine" US 95,513 for you to look at. This patent was granted and published on October 5, 1869. I have to admit that looking at the drawing immediately put a smile on my face. It's cute--it has a sketch of a man with some sort of wing contraption enveloping him. I love it. I wonder how long W.F. Quinsy, the inventor, worked on developing it. And I wonder what his patent attorney thought when he brought his concept in to be patented.

The patents of the past that I've been perusing lately usually ignite my amusement. But they also fill me with a sense of wonderment. Innovation is truly fascinating and so are the products derived out of it. I bet the hundreds of patents that Apple has received will illicit some giggles two hundred years from now as well. But patent law and the tech industry are the sum of all the patents that have come before them. So let's appreciate the cool tech of the past and look forward to all the exciting new stuff that's to come in the future!