...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6780076 | Talking stick horse An interactive ride-on toy, having a stuffed toy horse's head which includes ears, a movable mouth and is connected to a stick. One or more buttons, each with an icon depicting an image, is positioned on one or both ears of the horse's head. An electronically progra... | 08/24/2004 |
| 6524156 | Talking stick horse An interactive ride-on toy, having a stuffed toy horse's head which includes ears, a movable mouth and is connected to a stick. One or more buttons, each with an icon depicting an image, is positioned on one or both ears of the horse's head. An electronic... | 02/25/2003 |
| 6416381 | Motion induced sound and light generating system A motion sensing device for producing either an audio or a visual output includes a toy body, a motion sensor, either a sound generating device or a light generating device, and a control circuit. The motion sensor is coupled to the toy body. The motion s... | 07/09/2002 |
| 5764150 | Gas alarm A gas detector is disclosed which includes a CO sensor and a processor. The CO sensor senses an environmental CO concentration and provides a variable electrical output in response. The processor receives digitized samples of the sensor's electrical outpu... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5421763 | Apparatus for producing noise for use with a child's toy An apparatus is provided for use in connection with a child's toy which selectively generates a noise. The apparatus includes a chamber within a child's toy for holding a volume of air. Adjacent the chamber is a noise-making member, such as a reed, constr... | 06/06/1995 |
| 5217411 | Mr. see saw A musical seesaw is provided and consists of a music box carried within hollow cylindrical post mounted on a base which is placed on a flat surface. When an elongated plank which is centrally carried between upper ends of a pair of spaced standards extend... | 06/08/1993 |
| 5074820 | Stuffed, vibrating, sounding, sitting toy Disclosed is a stuffed toy comprising a main switch turned on in response to a load applied externally, a vibrator activated when the main switch is turned on to vibrate at least a part of the body of the stuffed toy, and a sound generator generating a so... | 12/24/1991 |
| 4289307 | Riding toy with sound effects A model horse is resiliently mounted to permit a child rider to cause motion of the horse having vertical and/or horizontal motion components. A trotting gait sound is generated in response to detected vertical motion, and a walk and/or gallop gait sound ... | 09/15/1981 |
| 4157826 | Toy assembly with sound device The present invention provides a sound producing device that can be combined with a toy hobby horse. A whinny or neigh sound can be produced by child operated movement of reins to stress and subsequently release a weight loaded spring lever. A coil spring... | 06/12/1979 |