History - Oklahoma Inventors Congress

Oklahoma Inventors Congress

HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION

The Oklahoma Inventors Congress was established by a decree of Governor Henry Bellmon during his first term in office and the organizational meeting was held in Oklahoma City on October 26, 1966. Articles of Incorporation were filed and the Secretary of State issued a Certificate of Incorporation, establishing the Congress as a non-profit, educational corporation on December 16, 1966. The Congress has been supported by all succeeding administrations and is believed to be the oldest continuously functioning organization dedicated to inventors and the inventive process in the United States. The Congress is funded entirely by membership dues and voluntary contributions. It is a member of the United Inventors Association of the United States of America and is recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) of Geneva, Switzerland.

Since the start the purposes and main goals have been to:

1) To educate inventors in the development and promotion of their inventive art.
2) To disseminate to its members the techniques and information on proper patent application and new patent procedures.
3) To assist inventors in the exhibition of their inventions at periodical expositions.
4) To develop among inventors, a spirit of cooperation that will enable one to help another in gaining knowledge on methods of surmounting difficulties in the invention process.
5) To keep the members informed on new developments of the US Patent Office and foreign countries' patent requirements.
6) To create opportunities for inventors and manufacturers to come together and exchange information and education on invention development into useful products.

Some Historical Oklahoma Inventors and Inventions

PARKING METER
The parking meter is a device for generating money from a parking spot. When you put money in the meter, you are allowed to park for a given amount of time - after that, you can be given a parking ticket.

The parking meter was invented by Carl C. Magee of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. The first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City. Magee holds a patent (#2,118,318) for a "coin controlled parking meter," filed on May 13, 1935 and issued on May 24, 1938.

Shopping Cart

The first shopping cart in the United States was developed in 1937 by Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City, OK. It was constructed from a folding chair then wheels added. It utilized two wire hand baskets to carry merchandise. When not in use the carriers were folded and stored against the wall while the hand baskets were stacked to conserve space. Patented on March 15, 1938.

For more history of the shopping cart.

The Roots of the Yield Sign by Dale White

In 1939, while attending Chicago's Northwestern Traffic Institute, Clinton Riggs, an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman came up with a simple, cost-effective way to make driving safer----the "Yield Right of Way" sign.

The first sign, which he place at Tulsa's most dangerous intersection in 1950, sharply lowered the number of accidents. Soon requests for the Keystone-shaped yield signs poured in from across the nation.

Riggs had a very distinguished career with the Tulsa Police Department retiring over 20 years ago. Riggs, who died at the age of 86, also designed the Tulsa Police Department's shoulder patch after the original yield sign. The Uniform Division Southwest in Tulsa is named after the former deputy chief. He was also instrumental in formal training for Tulsa Police recruits.