What would our world today be like without inventions like tarmac, aspirin, liquid crystals, and barbed wire? This guide shows how patents and the inventions they describe have shaped the 21st century. It gives us insights into the inventions, big and small, that have had huge impacts, many unexpected, on multiple spheres of our lives, from popular culture and entertainment, to global health, to transportation, to the waging of war. It features patent documents that date from the mid-19th century to the present. Patent documents describe inventions and represent an accurate and rich source of information about the history and current state of modern technology, as patents are examined and their accuracy can be challenged. The subject matter covers many technical areas. Patents discussed include, for example, Morse code, the diode, triode, transistors, television, frozen foods, ring-pull for soft drink cans, board games such as Monopoly, gene editing, metamaterials, MRI, computerised tomography, insulin, and monoclonal antibodies such as Herceptin. The text is illustrated with drawings adapted from the original patent documents. Patent numbers are included to allow interested readers to trace the documents. Inventions described in the patents are placed in historical perspective. For example, the book discusses the role of the cavity magnetron and radar in World War II, and the influence of the diode on the development of broadcasting at the beginning of the 20th century.

Countries worldwide are moving to a future without fossil fuels to mitigate the effects of climate change. This transition will involve phasing out the fossil fuels used for electricity generation, the liquid fuels used for transportation and the gas that is used to heat homes. To achieve the transition, a range of materials, known as critical materials or critical minerals are essential. These range from the lithium needed for batteries to store power to the neodymium needed for the magnets that convert motion to electricity in wind turbines. Critical Materials for a Low-carbon Economy looks at the science behind some of the materials that will be essential to this transition. Beginning with an introduction to the origins of climate change and the importance of critical materials this book is split into chapters focusing on different technologies. In addition to describing the science behind the need for these materials it also discusses issues around supply chains and geopolitical considerations.

Patent documents describe inventions and offer accurate information about the history of technology. This book shows how patents and the inventions they describe have shaped the modern world. Patent documents from the 19th century to the present are covered, from frozen foods and ring-pulls for soft drink cans, to Monopoly, to MRI and insulin.

Prior to 1862, when the Department of Agriculture was established, the report on agriculture was prepared and published by the Commissioner of Patents, and forms volume or part of volume, of his annual reports, the first being that of 1840. Cf. Checklist of public documents ... Washington, 1895, p. 148.