Innovations

The first invention credited to Parpart is a street sweeper designed to automate the process of cleaning city streets. Parpart filed two patents for this invention (No. 649,609[32] in 1899 and no. 762,241 in 1901), both of which listed Hiram D. Layman as co-inventor despite his being only an investor. The sweeper was designed to reduce the manual labor involved in street sweeping by providing an automated mechanism to "efficiently gather dirt from the street-surface regardless of inequalities" and deliver the dirt by an onboard elevator to a storage receptacle that could then discharge it into carts. Also important in the design was that the sweeper would be covered, reducing dirt and dust in the air during its operation. An early electric refrigerator was invented by Florence Parpart in 1914. She holds patents for industrial swe.eping machine & electrical refrigerator

founder and executive director of INTech Camp for Girls inspiring girls of color to pursue careers in technology

Croteau is co-inventor of the CPR doll named Actar 911, together with Richard Brault & Jonathan Vinden. Her CPR mannequin is light weight, compact and inexpensive, it features artificial lungs that can be pushed down to stimulate a real life emergency & has a target for hand placement. In 1992 Croteau released infant model of Actar 911.

1994 found Bashen is best known for patenting a web-based EEO software application, LinkLine, now known as Nalikah, to assist with equal employment opportunity investigations and claims tracking. er, President & CEO of Bashen Corp a national human resources consulting & technology firm with a market niche in EEO compliance & has investigated over 100,000 complaints of discrimination; designed VoxRah to support efforts to address workplace discrimination; developed AAP Advisory which offers guidance to clients on the best practices for affirmative action in the workplace; runs the hotline 1-800Intake a tool to help small & medium sized businesses receive & manage workplace complaints; holds 1 patent

increasing opportunities for women & girls of color in technology; advisor to startups & non-profits in technology

dedicated her life to teaching & mentoring; mentored several notable students including : Margaret Strickland Collins (entomologist) Katherine Johnson (matematician & Hidden Figure) & Jasper Brown Jeffries (Manhattan Project)

Together with Jim Okamoto & Don Helman, Hamilton designed manufactured & sold Quickie Wheelchair a lightweight manueverable athletic wheelchair. This is one of a range of disabled sports have been developed for disabled athletes, including basketball, rugby, tennis, racing and dancing. The wheelchairs used for each sport have evolved to suit the specific needs of that sport and often no longer resemble their everyday cousins. They are usually non-folding (in order to increase rigidity), with a pronounced negative camber for the wheels (which provides stability and is helpful for making sharp turns), and often are made of composite, lightweight materials.

holds 53 patents for items to improve the lives of housewives toys typewriters & sewing machines; is responsible for over 100 inventions

She started the Live. Anywhere. Collection, a collection of wireless table and floor lamps, for which she owns a patent.

he also developed a combined cooking and hot water heating stove designed to save fuel by efficiently utilizing the wasted heat of the stove. These inventions, although not commercially successful, demonstrated her innovative approach to solving everyday problems and her forward-thinking in appliance design.

Sachs invented multipe household appliances and gadgets, including flashlight with key toy log cabin furniture wine storage & cellar cabinets 2 music games ( DomiNotes & Musicards) accessories for dogs (including Watch-Dog a collar with a watch Bonnie Stand a stand for disposable dog food bowls Gui-Dog an early version of a retractable leash). created 6 products for wine connoisseurs under the name Cramanna (a wine wheel personal wine cellar wine racks a wine log book bottle ring/wine bib & tipsy table; coined the word ""Nutronics"" a method of combining the latest nutritional information with the good parts of home economics; holds 6 patents (2 under Charlotte Cramer 2 under Charlotte A. Cramer)" Food Sc

Christina Palmer. Christina has been picking locks since 1975, has done dedicated studies on different aspects of lock picking, and is a lock pick designer who has worked with multiple pick manufacturers to help create better tools. see https://www.lockpickextreme.com/women-locksport-series-christina-palmer/

The circular saw is attributed to by Shaker lore: circular saw improved spinning wheel head; process for manufacturing false teeth; process for manufacturing cut nails (also claimed by Eli Whitney)

received 28 patents between 1873 and 1915. She was known for her numerous inventions dealing with sewing machines and sewing technology.

founder of Software Tailoring-a company that uses 3D body scanning to provide patterns for tailoring & custom clothing design; 1 of the 1st African-American women to earn a PhD In Electrical Engineering from a primarily white institution

Newmar received U.S. patents for pantyhose and one for a brassiere

During the Second World War, Stoudt worked at the Green River Ordnance Plant in Amboy, Illinois packing ammunition boxes.[2] She recognized that the way ammunition boxes were sealed made them difficult for soldiers to open in a hurry.[3][4] She suggested this idea to her bosses at work, who did not implement the change.[5] On February 10, 1943, she wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the problem and offering a solution: I suggested we use a strong cloth tape to close seams, and make tab of same. It worked fine, I showed it to different government inspectors they said it was all right, but I could never get them to change tape. — Vesta Stoudt to President Roosevelt, February 10, 1943[5] Roosevelt approved of the idea which he sent to the War Production Board, who wrote back to Stoudt: The Ordnance Department has not only pressed this idea...but has now informed us that the change you have recommended has been approved with the comment that the idea is of exceptional merit. — War Production Board's Ordnance Department to Vesta Stoudt, March 26, 1943,[6] They tasked the Revolite Corporation to create the product. Stoudt received the Chicago Tribune's War Worker Award for her idea and for her persistence with it. She is credited by Johnson and Johnson (The parent company of Revolite Corporation at the time) for the invention of duct tape. [1

Crosby filed for a patent for her invention on February 12, 1914, and in November that year the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted her a patent for the 'Backless Brassiere'.[2][14][15][16]: 54 [2] Crosby likened her design to earlier covers over the bosom when a woman wore a low corset. Her design had shoulder straps to attach to the garment's upper and lower corners, and wrap-around laces for the lower corners which tied at the woman's front, enabling her to wear gowns cut low in the back. Crosby wrote that her invention was "well-adapted to women of different size" and was "so efficient that it may be worn by persons engaged in violent exercise like tennis."[2] Her design was lightweight, soft, and comfortable to wear. It naturally separated the breasts, unlike the corset, which was heavy, stiff, and uncomfortable, and had the effect of creating a single "monobosom" effect. With 2nd husband, Harry Crosby, founded Editione Narcisse a publishing company in 1927 which became black sun Press in 1928 & they published numerous expatriate writers living in Paris. She wrote numerous books of poetry & prose over the years exploring topics such as love, relationships & men in her life. Ran an art gallery in Washington DC & exhibited Henry Miller works of art among other artists. Is rumored to have ghost written pornography for Henry Miller.

Masters' second patent was awarded for a new process of making hats and bonnets using straw and palmetto leaves. The process was used to create many other woven goods as well, such as baskets, matting and furniture coverings.

1875 patented an upgraded version of the union suit, and dubbed it the “emancipation suit” a gathered section freed the breasts from compression, while sets of buttons at the waist & hips helped suspended several layers of skirts, it could also be purchased as 2 separate pieces which buttoned at the hips; they were called emancipation suits because they emancipated women from the confines of corsets; her suits were the 1st to attract widespread attention but they were still considered ugly

1 of the 1st African-American women to earn a PhD in electrical engineering at a primarily white institution; founder of Software Tailoring a company that uses 3D body scanning to provide patterns for tailoring & custom clothing design; designed microwave test equipment at Hewlitt-Packard; is an advocate for women & people of color in science & engineering; 2003 founded Clear Stream Technologies (CST) that builds test systems for start-up companies

In 1793, Samuel Slater showed his wife Hannah some very smooth yarn he had spun from long staple Surinam cotton. While Samuel intended to use this yarn to produce cloth, Hannah and her sister saw a different potential. Using a hand spinning wheel, they spun the yarn into thread, which turned out to be stronger than traditional linen thread. The same year 1793, Hannah applied to the U.S. Patent Office for a patent for an invention - a new method of producing sewing thread from cotton. The patent was issued in the name of "Mrs Samuel Slater".[3] By creating a more robust thread, Hannah's invention contributed to improving the quality and durability of textile products. This innovation was particularly significant in the context of the American textile industry, which was seeking ways to compete with already established European manufacturers.

While working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratories in New Orleans in the 1950s, Benerito developed a method for the use of mono-basic acid chlorides in the production of wash-and-wear cotton fabrics, allowing for more wrinkle-free and durable clothing. In the southern United States, cotton was a major agricultural product and was a key material in the production of various household items, including clothing, bed sheets, and table linens. However, a major issue with cotton items was how much they wrinkled after being washed, requiring much household time to iron the fabric. Benerito found a way to chemically treat the surface of cotton that led not only to wrinkle-resistant fabric but also to stain- and flame-resistant fabrics. The invention was said to have "saved the cotton industry."

invented a better dress form, adjustable sleeve form, corset & life preserver

with sister Edna founded Page boy in 1937 in Dallas TX-it was the country's 1st high-end maternity-wear firm; invented & patented a 2-piece maternity suit that was chic, stylish & maintained it's hem-line during pregnancy; was the face of the company & designer of it's 1st patented suit while sister Edna kept the factory & sales shops running & sister Louise (who joined the firm 5 years later) ran the design studio

when pregnant with her 2nd child was the inspiration for her sister Elsie designing & patenting a fashionable maternity suit with a hem-line that didn't rise up as her belly grew; 1937 she & Elsie founded Page Boy Maternity Wear; she is listed as co-inventor of the patent

at age 10, inventor or Wristies, protective winter gear that are designed to be worn under your coat and gloves that block the snow, wind, and cold from entering any unprotected gaps, & founder of the company to market them (Wristies, Inc); 2001 made the US Rock Climbing Team and went to the World Cup in Imst, Austria; 2013 founded Millyardage LLC to sell USA made Polartec fabrics by the yard, uses the same fabric to make her Wristies;

Invented & patented a sheet iron shovel in 1870

Mary was the more prolific inventor of the two, securing five patents between 1956 and 1987. She patented an early incarnation of the sanitary napkin by fashioning the device with a belt. She also invented a toilet paper holder, and a mounted back scrubber and washer for showers.

In 1948 Eleanor Abbott designed the board game Candy Land, while she was recovering from polio in San Diego, California. The game was made for and tested by the children in the same wards on the hospital. The children suggested that Abbott submit the game to Milton Bradley Company. The game was bought by Milton Bradley and first published in 1949.

She developed and patented a design of bike saddle specifically for women in 1991[5] and handlebars with reduced diameter to suit people with smaller hands in 1994.[6] The saddles featured the now-common cut-away centres[7] and Terry now produces ergonomic saddles for both men and women

Dennis introduced multiple features in passenger railroad cars to improve the comfort of the passengers. These improvements included partially reclining seats, stain-resistant upholstery, larger dressing rooms for women; dimmable ceiling lights, and individual window vents (which she patented) to allow passengers to bring in fresh air while trapping dust.

In 1898, Beasley was awarded a patent for a "Means for preventing derailment of railroad-cars".[19] As higher train speeds were now attainable by the use of electric power, train tracks needed additional safeguards to reduce the possibility of derailment. Beasley's anti-derailment device is a combination of a guardrail and locking device. The guardrail uses a strong top flange (a protruding edge or rim), located at the inner side of the track rail, which engages with a detent (a mechanical catch) connected to the train. In the event of a train car about to derail, the detent and flange prevent the car from leaving the track and restore regular motion. The detent must be rigidly framed in position to avoid the risk of straining and being wrenched from its fastenings.[19]

Eliza Murfey was an inventor who focused on the mechanics of the railroad. She created a device, called packing, that was used to lubricate a train’s axles with oil. This helped to reduce derailments caused by seized axles, an important safety innovation.

* Together with her colleague Dole, Nyswander hypothesized that heroin addiction was a metabolic disease, and that methadone could be used as a drug to treat this disease. * Contradiction of earlier beliefs that addiction was purely a personality disorder, the treatment of which should lead to abstinence. * Dole and Nyswander soon set up a local program for treating addicts with methadone, and similar programs eventually became widespread around the country and around the world.

1st director of the US Women's Bureau 1920-44; rallied support to ratify many new laws to support women and equal rights; bettered the working conditions, wages, and hours for women; was the first "'up from the ranks" labor woman to head an executive department of the federal government; organized Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers (1921);

* Mink was the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress, representing Hawai’I * Known for her work on legislation advancing women's rights and education * Worked legislatively to change discriminatory customs through law * Selected as one of five women to be pictured on the US coin quarter.

* Collette’s research focused on hypertension in animals, often using "white mice, guinea pigs, dogs, rabbits and other animals" in her research. * Later in her career, she was a professor at Howard University.

* In the Jim Crow era, Chinn provided care for Black patients in her private clinic who would not otherwise receive treatment in white facilities. * She was also a strong advocate of early cancer screening & cancer research.

* Rodriguez-Trias supported abolishment of forced sterilization & providing neonatal care to underserved women * Established the 1st center for newborn care in Puerto Rico, decreasing infant mortality by 50% within 3 years * Founded Latino Commission on AIDS * In 1979 helped write federal guidelines for sterilization, including need for patient consent & writing in language the patient can understand * Believed that social & economic inequality shaped health of individuals