An ad appeared in my Facebook feed offering framed watercolor prints of “Timeless Patents.” I had never thought about some of the things featured, but it makes sense that someone had to be the first to create or standardize something we take for granted every day.
Examples include:
- An 1891 patent for a toilet paper roll and the size of perforated sheets — still in use today
- The universal dimensions for a running track
- The configuration of a snare drum
- The dimensions and numbering protocol for a football field
- A self-closing [tooth] paste tube
- The basketball rim and net size
- The design of playing cards
- The standardization of a toilet seat
- The design of a tennis ball
Designing a toilet paper roll may not have been glamorous, but Seth Wheeler’s work has lived on. In over a century, no one has developed a better design for this everyday product.
Your work doesn’t have to be fancy to make an impact.
