The Wizard of Menlo Park He Was Not…
…but as anyone who’s anyone in Hollywood these days could tell you, would-be American inventor I. Nathaniel Soares was definitely on to something when he obtained a patent for his Nose-Shaper in April 1907.
The scent of Soares’ legacy might have been lost had not a wonderful website called Wacky Patent of the Month preserved the fruits of his labor for posterity. Because of the painstaking efforts of the dedicated patent officer who logs these gems, we know today that, in support of his magnum opus, Soares penned (by scented candlelight, I like to imagine):
The noses of a great many persons are slightly deformed, and therefore because of the prominence of this feature the appearance of the face is more or less disfigured. Such deformity can frequently be remedied by a gentle but continuous pressure, and it is the object of this invention to bring about this result in a way that shall be painless to the individual.
Really, it couldn’t have been easier. Observe:
If you like the Nose-Shaper, you’ll love the “Device to Keep Dogs from Bothering Sheep.”
3/6/07 at 6:13 pm
Speaking of wacky patents, check out the Greenhouse helmet. Nothing like your own personal biosphere, eh? I just picked one up from Wal-mart. It’s a little hard to hear people talking but that’s a nice feature sometimes.
3/7/07 at 9:54 pm
My own personal biosphere! Awesome! Take that, environmentalists. ;-)