Help Me Fund My Patent Quiz | People

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. I know that it's 1920, and it may be hard to spread the word about it, but my name is Earle Dickson, and I'm looking for funding for my new patent, a do-it-yourself surgical dressing, for small cuts or scrapes. What is the name of my invention that could really stick around with the proper funding?

Answer: Band-Aid

Earle Dickson invented the band-aid after his wife Josephine would cut or scrape herself constantly due to her clumsy nature. Because he was constantly having to help her with her bandages, he decided to make a product that allowed her to do it herself, and the band-aid was born.

He took squares of gauze and put them at different intervals along tape and covered them in crinoline for sterilization purposes. The company he worked for, Johnson and Johnson, began mass producing the band-aid on machines in 1924, and this really helped the invention stick around.

2. I have a risqu� invention to propose to you, I hope it will one day cover every woman's bottom. With the right funding, I believe I could help expose the midriff to the entire world. I also think this product could become a summer-wear staple. What is the name of my invention that shares its name with the site of a nuclear bomb test?

Answer: Bikini

Although bikini style clothing has been around for many centuries, the swimsuit that became known as the bikini was invented by Louis Reard on July 5, 1946. It was named for the Bikini Atoll, which was used as a nuclear feasting site just a few days prior.

When first released, many religious and media groups saw it as scandalous and provocative, but it was very popular among women, as it was a welcomed change from what they were used to wearing. These days Reard's invention can be seen at the majority of beaches, lakes, and swimming pools across the world.

3. The patent for my invention, referred to in development as "the brown box", claims that this device works in conjunction with a television set and produces dots on the screen which can then be manipulated by the user. If you helped me out, you would be funding which product that is sure to become a future billion dollar industry?

Answer: Video game console

Ralph Baer invented "the brown box" which was released as The Magnavox Odyssey in late 1972. He was awarded with the National Medal of Technology in 2006. Today the evolution of video games has far surpassed the abilities of Baer's machine, but we still owe it all to Ralph Baer for his invention, which paved the way for other video game pioneers.

4. Hear me out! My name is Frank Zamboni and I have a great idea for a resurfacing machine that I'm sure could become a necessity. I'm just not sure where. Where do you think my invention would be most useful?

Answer: On an ice rink

Frank Zamboni invented his ice resurfacing machine in 1949, to drastically improve the ice resurfacing process at an ice rink that he owned in Paramount, California. He began working on the invention in 1942, and after a few tweaks he had invented the Zamboni Model A by 1949. In 1953 a patent was issued on The Zamboni Ice Resurfacing Machine.

5. An explosive invention indeed, it is commonly used in demolition and contains an explosive powder packed into a stick. I'm trying to raise money to get this new product on the market. What is my name?

Answer: Alfred Nobel

The patent for dynamite was issued in 1867, and was Nobel's most famous of his 355 patents. He created dynamite by using nitro glycerin sorbents stabilized with diotamaceous earth, which created a portable explosive. Another of his inventions was the blasting cap.

In 1895, just a year before his death, Alfred Nobel established five categories of Nobel Prizes, including Literature, Chemistry, Medicine, Physics, and Peace, and in 1901 the first Nobel Prizes were officially awarded.

6. Although this actor, known for his roles in "Bullitt" and "The Great Escape", died in 1980, he is also the patent holder for the custom bucket seat shell. What is this famous actor's name, who probably doesn't need help funding his product?

Answer: Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen, an avid motorcycle and automobile enthusiast, created a bucket seat that could be designed to contour a specific person to aid in driver comfort. As a race car driver himself, he wanted a more comfortable seat. He officially received a patent for the bucket seat shell in 1970.

7. Jaap Hartsen is my name, and boy have I got an investment opportunity for you. My invention will revolutionize wireless communication and data transfer, if I could only get it funded. About which technology product, invented in 1994, am I talking?

Answer: Bluetooth

The Bluetooth is a fairly new technology, and has grown incredibly fast since its creation in 1994. Bluetooth connects mobile devices to each other by exchanging data with short-length UHF waves. These days Bluetooth is very popular with listening to music on the go, as you can link your phone to Bluetooth headphones, and even your car can come equipped with Bluetooth.

8. I hold a patent that is sure to change the world as we know it. I'm going to create a new technology known as the Global Positioning System. What is my name?

Answer: Roger Easton

Roger L. Easton holds the patent as the creator of the technology which he developed in the early 1950s, but it was the Navy that first invented a GPS satellite. The GPS system operates by sending messages to a number of the over 30 GPS satellites that are orbiting the Earth.

These satellites calculate the exact location based on how long it takes the message to reach the satellite while traveling at the speed of light. After a few satellites have received the signal they can calculate the location of the object sending the signal.

9. Marie V.B. Brown is my name and keeping you safe is my game. Please help me fund my product. For which item did I receive a patent in 1966?

Answer: Home-security system

The first home security system was a camera that slid up and down while looking through a set of four peepholes and relaying the footage to a television that could be viewed by the members of the household. The patent was issued in 1969 to Marie and her husband, Allen Brown.

10. If you help fund this patented invention, there's a chance you could get your money back from it someday. Which invention, patented by Donald Wetzel in 1973, can be found today at most banks, convenience stores, and malls?

Answer: Automated Teller Machine

The first Automated Teller Machine, or ATM for short, was installed at a Rockville Centre, NY Chemical Bank. Donald Wetzel worked for a company known as Docutel at the time of his invention, and Docutel's name appears along with Wetzel's name listed as the official inventor on the patent granted in 1973.

Source: Author LeChampion14

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Help Me Fund My Patent Trivia Quiz

If you're here, you are most likely looking to help fund a new invention. All of the inventions here are already patented and available to the public in real life, but for the sake of this quiz, the inventor is trying to get the product funded.

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