April 24, 2002
#02-29
Patent for Ironing Board issued April 26, 1892
Patent for Ironing Board issued April 26, 1892 African American woman invents predecessor to modern ironing board
PRESS RELEASE
Sarah Boone, of New Haven, CT, received patent #473,653 for
the ironing board on April 26, 1892. Boone's ironing board was
made of a narrow wooden board, with collapsible legs and a
padded cover and was specifically designed for the fitted
clothing worn during that time period, particularly the sleeves
and bodices of ladies' garments. Prior to her inventions,
people resorted to simply using a table or being creative in
laying a plank of wood across two chairs or small tables.
Boone' s patent, as well as the more than six million patents
issued since the first in 1790 and the 2.3 million trademarks
registered since 1870, can be seen on the Department of
Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site at
www.uspto.gov
.
Last year USPTO issued 187,824 patents and registered 102,314
trademarks.
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