Finding Aids

Henry J. Burt (1895-1970) invented a batting and pitching apparatus known as the "Pitchin' Pete" in the 1960s. Burt was a research professor at the University of Missouri and a clergyman in Newfields, New Hampshire. This small collection illustrates the U.S. patent application process for Burt's invention. In September 1963, Burt met with patent attorney Norman S. Blodgett (1921-1991) and engaged his services in patenting his batting and pitching apparatus. The collection consists of correspondence between Burt and Blodgett regarding the patent application process, billing, licensing, and product specifications. The batting and pitching practice apparatus patent is included in the collection, along with Burt's drawings, prior art, and product figures. This collection would be useful to those interested in how a product concept develops from ideation through patent protection to manufacturing.

Jackson Hunsicker (1948-2017) invented the Memo Mate in the mid-1990s. It was a small personal recording device that could store up to twenty seconds of audio. The Memo Mate was marketed as a handy way to remember appointments, phone numbers, directions, and the location of a car in a large parking lot. The Memo Mate was a successful invention, selling close to 10 million units. Hunsicker's papers on the patenting and marketing of Memo Mate document the typical process and pitfalls of patenting and marketing by a lone inventor. The collection consists of the legal correspondence of the patent application process and subsequent contractual disputes, along with schematics and designs, and possible names and logos. Hunsicker’s invention represents a demonstration of the patent process as well as a contribution from a woman inventor to the field.