Back-to-School Supply Patents
Brrring! That’s the sound of the school bell, welcoming students and staff back for another exciting school year. Now is the perfect time to highlight some of the most important patents for back-to-school essentials.
From innovative lunchbox designs to cutting-edge educational tools, patents play a crucial role in bringing fresh ideas to life for classrooms, homes and beyond. At Suiter Swantz IP, we’re passionate about helping creators safeguard their innovations, so whether you’re an entrepreneur with a brilliant new backpack concept or a teacher with a revolutionary classroom gadget, understanding the landscape of back-to-school patents can be your first step toward success.
Let’s dive into some of the fascinating patents that make the school year run smoothly.
Traffic Cones
Where would school parking lot pick up lines be without the invention of the traffic cone? The history of traffic cones began in the early 1900s, with rubber cones. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the first plastic cones were developed. Early cones were shorter and lighter than the ones we use today.
Image: Google Patents
Crayon Boxes with Built-In Sharpeners
A patent for a crayon box with built-in sharpener was granted in 1958 to Binney and Smith Inc. It’s safe to say it has been almost 66 years since kids have had to color with dull crayons! Crayola’s 64-color box of crayons with sharpener was a staple for kids and classrooms, and it became so iconic that a box is now part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Image: Google Patents
Pencil-Eraser Combo
One hundred years before the crayon box with built-in sharpener debuted, Hyman Lipman patented the pencil with its own built-in eraser. Before this innovation, students had to correct their homework mistakes with a separate eraser! But shortly after in 1874, the Supreme Court ruled in Rubber-Tip Pencil Co. v. Howard that combining two known technologies – a pencil and eraser – was not patentable, which allowed any company to then add erasers to their pencils.
Image: Google Patents
Trapper Keeper
If you are between 35-55 years old, you likely have vivid and fond memories of the Trapper Keeper. Patented in 1976, the Trapper Keeper was a colorful binder with Velcro closures and multiple pockets to organize your papers from your various school subjects.
Bryant Crutchfield, an executive at Mead, the famed notebook company, first imagined the Trapper Keeper, after hearing students couldn’t fit everything in their lockers but struggled with carrying it all around. Explore the story of the Trapper Keeper and how the one-piece combination clip made it possible in one of our past blog posts.
Image: Google Patents
Graphing Calculator with Touchscreen Display
Early calculators date back to the 1970s. Since then, graphic calculators have come a long way, and there isn’t a high schooler who can imagine doing algebra without the convenience of a calculator. This convenient graphing calculator features a touchscreen, which allows users to visualize their equations.
Image: Google Patents
More School Supply Patents
Read our past blog posts that include lockers, backpacks, dry erase boards, lunch boxes, flexible rulers and more:
Back To School: History On Back-to-School Supplies | Suiter Swantz IP
Back-to-School Essentials: A Closer Look at Game-Changing Patents | Suiter Swantz IP
These patents remind us that just like our classmates and teachers, school supplies have fascinating histories and significant impact on education.
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Suiter Swantz IP is a full-service intellectual property law firm providing client-centric patent, trademark, and copyright services. If you need assistance with an intellectual property matter and would like to speak with one of our attorneys, please contact us at info@suiter.com.