Unusual Inventions - The flat bottomed paper bag
by Startacus Admin
Perhaps at the time this was an invention not unusual because of its' design, but because this great idea was conceived, designed and tested by a Woman - the indignity! Or so it was at the time to some...
The story goes that Margaret E Khight, an inventor from an early age, (we are talking the mid 19th Century by the way) was working in a Paper Bag plant in Massachusetts. Frustrated that items placed in the paper bags never sat flat, she went about inventing a machine that could create a flat bottomed paper bag - the machine would do the work of folding and sticking the bag into place.
So, especially in the States, we have Margaret to thank for the flat bottomed paper bags you get given to pack your items in Supermarkets! However what is unusual about this invention, is that she had to go to court to prove that the invention was hers in the first place.
Charles Annan, a visitor to the factory where Margaret was testing her prototype, stole the concept of her machine and patented the design, initially taking credit for the invention. However Margaret, as costly as it was, took Annan to court. Annan argued that Margaret could not have designed the machine, after all she could not have understood the complexities involved - as she was a woman!
Thankfully, via witnesses, diary entries and complex drawings - Margaret was able to prove her case and the patent was overturned.
Startacus loves this story - and it's a lesson to us all. Don’t be held back by dogma, or expectations - great ideas, inventions and inventors don’t follow rules, they make them!
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Bring! is a digital grocery tool that simplifies grocery shopping for you and anyone you are shopping for.
In a bid to help brands during the current pandemic, the GreenJinn grocery app makes some rapid changes to its service
Coronavirus & furloughing employees. Nichola Hailes of Payfit looks to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the job retention scheme.
For startups entering the food industry, here's why accurate labelling on ready-to-eat food products is important.
Whether you’re looking to create a frugal startup, or it’s already up and running, here are 4 tips to reduce costs while keeping the work environment pleasant.
The Belfast-based startup that provides a fully managed 24/7 Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for securely storing and sharing assets, packages and containers.
The insolvency technology startup secures funding to help support the UK's most vulnerable consumers to avoid bankruptcy
Darren Hockley, MD of Delta International on how millennials may be helping businesses face the current COVID-19 pandemic
The innovative startup that's enabling businesses to connect with their customers via personalised handwritten communication
The lowdown on the Estonian startup that has created a multiplayer game to help kids practice math facts in a fun way...
Published on: 10th August 2012
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Cerebreon the Irish deep learning startup raises £1.5m in seed funding 31st Mar 2020 The insolvency technology startup secures funding to help support the UK's most vulnerable consumers to avoid bankruptcy
- Chivas Venture divides this year's $1m Venture Fund between 26 global Startups 23rd Mar 2020 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chivas Divides its $1m No-Strings Venture Fund Between 26 Startups
- The open-source design of emergency ventilators for COVID-19 patients 20th Mar 2020 World Wide Community of over 500 designers engineers & medics finalising prototypes for safe scalable manufacture & rapid field deployment..
- Positive-ish reaction from small business and startup community to UK Chancellor’s Corona budget 11th Mar 2020 New UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak just delivered his first UK Budget. We took a look at first reactions from small business and startup leaders.
