Thomas Edison's 10 little-known and denied inventions
Thomas Edison was a great inventor with 1093 patents registered in his name in the world. Our modern life depends very much on his inventions such as electric lights, recorders, film projectors .
Besides the great inventions, there are still many of Edison's highly applicable inventions that many people do not know. Here are 10 Edison inventions that you may have never heard of.
10. Electronic vote counting machine
In 1869, when he was only 22 years old, Edison was granted a patent for his first invention, which was an electronic vote counting machine. This machine was invented specifically for legislatures and the electoral system, such as the US Congress.
Individuals who vote only need to use the switch on Edison's machine to record their ballot, then the information is sent to the final results.
Dewitt Roberts, a telegraph operator and a friend of Edison, brought the device to Washington to introduce. But Congress does not want a device that takes a lot of time and such a process, so it is never used.
9. Stencil air compressor
In 1876, Edison patented the invention of his stencil compressor. This item is considered a precursor to tattoo guns.
This device is one of the first devices used to copy documents, it uses an inclined stick with a steel needle to pierce the paper for printing.
In 1891, Samuel O'Reilly, a tattoo artist was awarded the first patent for a tattoo machine - a device that is believed to be based on a Stencil Edison pen.
8. Separating iron from young ore
In the 1880s and 1890 when iron ore prices surged, Edison used magnets to extract iron from low-quality ores that were unusable in the laboratory. He then put it into practical use in the hope of generating profits from the existing mines.
Edison poured all of his money to buy 145 abandoned mines and set up a pilot project at the Ogden mine in New Jersey. But due to some technical problems, iron ore prices plummeted and Edison abandoned the project. This is the biggest financial failure of Edison's career.
7. Electricity meter
In 1881, Edison was granted a patent for inventing his electric meter. This product helps businesses and families to measure the amount of electricity used.
This electric meter is actually an electrolytic structure, which is fed into the shunt. In meters there are jacks installed in electrolyte chemicals - liquefaction solvents and zinc plates are cleaned before being used to measure electricity.
A plate used to get the main measurement data and the other one to verify against the original state. At the beginning of the electricity charging cycle, the plates are cleaned and carefully weighed by a laboratory scale and then plugged into the jacks placed in the electrolyte.
When an electric current is passed through the electrolyte, a zinc coating is deposited on the other plate. Zinc plates will be weighed again when the end of the billing period. The total amount of electricity passed is expressed by the weight of zinc between the two weighings.
Edison later added a mechanical counter to make it easier to read electrical indicators.
6. Methods of preserving fruits
In 1881, Edison applied for a patent for a vacuum method to preserve fruits, vegetables or organic substances.
Fruit items are filled in barrels, the air is sucked out with an air pump for storage. The result proves to be an excellent fruit preservation method.
5. Electric cars
In 1899, Edison began developing a battery for cars with the belief that cars would be powered by electricity.
And he succeeded. In 1900, about 28% of more than 4,000 cars manufactured in the United States ran on electricity. He continues to study with the goal of creating a battery that can help the car run 100 miles without charging.
About 10 years later, when gasoline appeared, Edison gave up his project.
But Edison's work was not in vain - his rechargeable battery was used in miners' headlamps, rail signal lights, and sea buoys. Henry Ford also uses Edison batteries in his TS model.
4. Concrete house
When concrete, a new construction material appeared, Edison realized that cement could be cast into many different shapes and he believed that a house could be built by pouring cement into a mold. big wood.
According to Edison, these houses cost only one-third of the houses built at that time, about $ 1.2,000. They can be mass-produced for the poor to eradicate slums
In 1917, a company built 11 houses in Union, NJ, but they were not well received.
3. Concrete interior
Not only home but Edison also invented concrete furniture in the hope that people could own a fully furnished house and they would last a lifetime.
He used thin, foamy cement to make baths, videoders and pianos. All furniture will be polished and smoothed or stained to look like wood grain but these products are not well received.
2. Phonograph for dolls
After patenting the phonograph, Edison began to think of a way to use it. He minimized the phonograph, inserting it into a doll or other toy in the hope that they emit a voice or music. This toy is sold for about $ 10.
But, the tape recorder of that period began to develop, the sound was not yet standardized so the toys made sounds that were hard to hear. At the same time, those "talking" dolls are not used to play goods or sew. Therefore, Edison's invention gradually went into a dead end.
1. Phone soul
In October 1920, Edison announced that he was working on a machine to open lines of communication with the mental world. This machine will measure what he describes as life units that disperse in the universe after death.
But until his death, Edison never introduced any machines that he thought could communicate with the dead. Many people said that he only joked reporters.
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