Inventors with creative ideas often patent it to prevent others from copying it without their consent. While many patented innovations have earned peoples’ praise, some were ridiculed. This article covers 12 weird patents that were considered outlandish by people.
Self-Operated Butt-Kicking Machine
A patent was filed by J. Reese Leavitt in 2004 for a manually self-operated butt-kicking machine. This machine featured a chair with a hole, a kicking mechanism below the hole, a seat belt to hold the user, and a hand-operated lever for operation. Whenever a person sits on this chair with their posterior centered over the hole, the boot attached to the kicking mechanism will kick the person through the hole. The inventor launched this creation to inspire creativity, motivate people, and instill discipline.
Anti-Eating Face Mask
Lucy L. Barmby gathered peoples’ attention when she filed a patent for an anti-eating face mask in 1980. While the innovation was created with the good intention of helping people prevent overeating, it was considered weird back in time. The innovation featured a cup-shaped mask with detachable hoops. Since the mask had a small opening, it forced people to take smaller bites and slow their eating. It would make them feel fuller faster, preventing them from gaining weight through overeating.
Beerbrella
Innovators Mason Schott McMullin, Mark Andrew See, and Robert Platt Bell made headlines when they filed a patent for a unique innovation called Beerbrella in 2001. It involved a tiny umbrella that could be attached to a beer bottle to keep it cool by providing shade from sunlight. The small umbrella is easily detachable and is typically 5 to 7 inches in diameter. People who wanted to enjoy cold beer during summer could easily attach a beerbrella via a clip, strap, and other mechanisms.
Animal Ear Protectors
James D. Williams noticed a common challenge faced by dog owners – their pet’s ears getting soiled while eating dog food. Hence, he created a novel product called animal ear protectors and filed a patent for it in 1979. It featured a tubular-shaped structure that held and protected each ear of the dog, letting them indulge in mess-free eating. While this innovation may sound weird and useless to some, it is a beneficial product for dog owners.
Flatulence Deodorizer
Brian J Conant and Myra M Conant patented an odor-neutralizing pad called flatulence deodorizer in 2000. This product referred to a slim-profile pad designed to absorb gas due to flatulence. The pad had an activated charcoal cloth securely placed between a pair of laminated layers. While some labelled it useless and weird, it was a great product to save people from the embarrassment of flatulence in public places.
Portable Baby Cage
Read Emma patented a portable baby cage in 1922. As the name suggests, it was a cage-like structure designed to be suspended outside a window, allowing babies to sleep while getting fresh air. It may sound absurd today, but it was an excellent way to let babies get fresh air in crowded urban settings. It could also be helpful where access to outdoor spaces was limited.
Banana Protective Device
The soft and squishy nature of bananas makes transporting or carrying them in boxes filled with other materials challenging. Hence, David B. Agulnik patented a banana protective device in 2001 as a potential solution. The device included a container with two covers hinged together. Each cover had cushioning pads to protect the banana from getting damaged. You could only place one banana in a single protective device, making it impractical for the logistics of large-scale banana transportation.
The Scented Golf Balls
Another amusing patent was filed in 2006 by Kyle Benjamin Matthews for the odorant golf balls. Also known as the scented golf balls patent, it refers to the method of adding a unique smell to golf balls for easy differentiation from similar-looking balls. The patented method can infuse various smells into golf balls, like sweet cinnamon pumpkin, lavender, rosemary, orange clove, candy corn, etc. Besides the easy distinction of golf balls, this method also aims to make golf more fun and interesting.
Life-Saving Coffin
The words ‘life’ and ‘coffin’ may not go well together, but Emily Violet Blacker did something unusual by combining the two to create a novel innovation. She patented a life-saving coffin in 1910 designed to save people from accidentally being buried alive. The coffin had a tube installation that communicated with a glass at the grave’s surface. It was used to indicate the presence of gases in the coffin, indicating whether the body decomposition process has begun, signaling the grave to be filled in.
The Hands-Free Umbrella
A somewhat helpful invention, the hands-free umbrella was patented in 2005. As the name suggests, the device was designed to enable individuals to carry umbrellas without using their hands. The umbrella has a button that can be used to automatically eject the umbrella pole. It also featured a mechanism to change the awning position and a loop to keep the umbrella stable. This invention could benefit people carrying multiple bags or children during the rainy season.
Bird Diaper
Lorraine Moore, Cely Giron, and Mark Moore patented a bird diaper in 1997. It was specially designed for pet birds using stretchable and absorbent material. The diaper would typically cover the bird’s anus, chest, urogenital area, and back to prevent them from spreading excrement in their owner’s house while roaming. It had a pair of openings to exclude the bird’s wings, legs, and tail feathers so they could roam freely and comfortably.
‘Walking Through Walls’ Training System
John St. Clair patented a process for a walking through walls training system in 2004. The process promised to teach people how to access and manipulate hyperspace vortices within their bodies so they can easily move through solid matter. Many considered this patent fictional and a novelty because it wasn’t based on any known biology or physics concepts.
