Connecticut inventions

20 THINGS CREATED OR PATENTED IN THE NUTMEG STATE

From the Polaroid camera to the Wiffle Ball, Connecticut residents can pride themselves on having an inventive state. Recently, the pandemic fostered some creativity with locals creating everything from masks for the hearing impaired to tiny ones for Elf on the Shelf.

In 2020 alone, Connecticut was issued 3,563 patent grants by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. And in 2019, Connecticut ranked No. 4 in the list of states with most patents per person — after Massachusetts, California and Washington, according to data by the USPTO. In 2020, that ranking dipped to 15. Typically, the patent process takes anywhere between two to five years, according to Patent Attorney John Yankovich.

"There is a lot of patenting going on from Connecticut corporations," said Yankovich.

Today, Connecticut has 29,678 active patents, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark database. And

while many of these are new inventions or ideas by companies based in Connecticut, many are also from day-today items that were invented as far back as the 1800s.

Here are some of the inventions or patents that originated in Connecticut throughout the years.

Frisbee

The invention of the Frisbee, by Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni, has its beginning in the former Frisbie Pie Company located in Bridgeport. Students from nearby universities would gather and throw empty Frisbie pie tins since the company’s beginning in 1871. In 1948, Morrison and Franscioini invented a plastic version and called it “Flying Saucer,” but in 1955 the invention was sold to Wham-O as the “Pluto Platter." Wham-O, now owned by Mattel Toy Manufacturers, changed its name to “Frisbee disc," misspelling the pie company’s name.

Helicopter

The first practical helicopter took a flight in Stratford on Sept. 14, 1939. The helicopter was designed by Igor Sikorsky and built by the Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft Corporation, according to ConnecticutHistory.org. Sikorsky’s helicopter was the first to have a single main rotor and tail rotor design.

Colt firearm

Invented by Hartfordnative Samuel Colt, the Colt firearm was the first gun that fired multiple times without reloading, according to PBS. The Colt firearm was used in the U.S. Civil War, the Texas Revolution and the Mexican American War.

Sewing machine

While the sewing machine was not invented in Connecticut, inventor Elias Howe Jr, was the first person to obtain a U.S. patent for it in 1846, according to Connecticut’s State Historian. Howe’s patent has a “lockstitch" and was the first to feature the automatic thread feed that continues to be used to this day.

Pay phones

Connecticut residents can find a sign in downtown Hartford on the corner of Main Street and Central Row where the world’s first pay telephone was placed back in 1889. The pay phone was invented by Simsbry native William Gray and developed by George A. Long. According to the Connecticut Historical Society, the idea was conceived in 1887 when Gray’s wife was ill and he was not able to call a doctor.

Chest protector for baseball

William Gray, who also invented the payphone, designed a baseball chest protector in 1884, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. While Charlie Bennett was the first major league catcher to wear a chest protector, Gray’s design was the first patented and it is the most similar design to what players use today, according to the Society for American Baseball Research.

Polaroid camera

Bridgeport-native Edwin Herbert Land invented the system of instant photography, known as Polaroid. According to the American Chemical Society, Land’s idea came after a vacation with his daughter in Santa Fe. Land founded the Polaroid Corporation, where he served as a President for 50 years, as well as The Rowland Institute at Harvard.

Portable typewriter

The first U.S. patent for a portable typewriter was issued by Stamford-native George C. Blickensderfer, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The machine reduced the moving parts of the machine from 2,500 to 250, which decreased its weight by a fourth and made it portable.

Hamburger

There is dispute as to who invented the first hamburger, mostly because its concept can be traced back to ancient history. However, according to the Library of Congress, with the efforts of U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro,

MC2 Sean M. Castellano/ File photo U.S. Navy photo by Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano From the helicopter to the Polaroid camera to the Wiffle Ball, Connecticut residents can pride themselves on having an inventive state.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Andy Kosch stands next to his replica of Gustave Whitehead’s “No. 21” airplane, currently on display at the Connecticut Air and Space Museum, in Stratford on Aug. 3,.The working replica, which Kosch flew in 1986, is a re-creation of aviation pioneer Gustave Whitehead’s 1901 airplane, which some credit for being the first powered aircraft to take flight.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media

Robert Alexander/Getty Images Dan O'Conner, president, CEO and owner of Frisbie's (CQ) Pies of Bridgeport, front, with Yale University students Daniel Monteagudo, Hudson Walberg, Alec Emser, Ella Schmidt, and Isabelle Carson of the Yale Men's and Women's Ultimate Frisbee team, hold Frisbie's Pies pie plates, the original "flying discs". A public pay phone in Grand Central Terminal in New York City owned and operated by Pacific Telemanagement Services.