The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives

What is Patent Number 540,648?

Focusing on Details: White Out/Black Out

All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.

Introduction

You will see a patent drawing for an invention with its name and inventor's name hidden. 
 
Quickly scan this document. What do you notice first?


Name:
Class:

Worksheet

What is Patent Number 540,648?

Focusing on Details: White Out/Black Out

Examine the documents included in this activity and write your response in the space provided.


  • Describe the document and the invention it depicts as if you were explaining it to someone who can’t see it.
  • Based on what you can see, what do you think is the purpose of this invention? List evidence from the document to explain your opinion.

After you have made a hypothesis, click "View Entire Document" to reveal the invention.

Your Response




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Activity Element

Patent Drawing for the Duryea Road Vehicle

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Conclusion

What is Patent Number 540,648?

Focusing on Details: White Out/Black Out

  • How has this invention been used since the 1890s? 
  • How and why has the design changed since the 1890s?

  • What positive effects has this invention had over time?
  • What negative effects has this invention had over time? 


Your Response




Document

Patent Drawing for the Duryea Road Vehicle

6/11/1895

A patent protects the work of the inventor by excluding others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention. This patent was granted to Charles Duryea on June 11, 1895, for "Improvements in Road-Vehicles" which he and his brother Frank had developed. The Duryeas produced the first successful American gasoline-powered automobile and later went on to help found the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, which produced 13 automobiles in 1896.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Patent and Trademark Office.
National Archives Identifier: 592997
Full Citation: Patent Drawing for the Duryea Road Vehicle; 6/11/1895; Patent Number 540,648; Patent Case Files, 1/1/1836 - 12/31/1978; Records of the Patent and Trademark Office, ; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/patent-drawing-for-the-duryea-road-vehicle, March 29, 2024]


Patent Drawing for the Duryea Road Vehicle

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