Public Collectors Patent Observations: Issue 3

The third and final issue in a series of three publications created by Public Collectors administrator Marc Fischer in response to a spreadsheet of over 34,000 patent applications by Los Angeles area inventors from 1976-2024. Each issue presents a series of findings, organized into playful categories. The contents of each issue are completely different.

From the introduction:

This third issue presents an array of eclectic ideas but with a greater focus on inventions that assist people and animals in various medical and health-related areas, or just try to make life a little more comfortable. I have also included a lengthy section dedicated to augmented and virtual reality. These are possibly some of the strangest patent drawings, often stretching the ability of a line drawing to describe imaginative worlds without being able to include color or texture because of patent application drawing rules. 

Because I live in Chicago, I have included space in each issue of Patent Observations for people with a stronger connection to Los Angeles. To close out this publication and project with a regional voice, I contacted my dear friend, artist Gary Cannone. Recently, Gary has been making art in response to mobility challenges caused by living with Multiple Sclerosis. During my research into patents by Los Angeles area inventors, I surveyed all of the mobility-focused inventions I could find and shared some of these patents with Gary for his feedback. I hope that readers will enjoy his insights in our conversation.

This publication series is the result of an invitation from curator Todd Lerew to participate in the exhibit No Prior Art: Illustrations of Invention at the Los Angeles Central Library (September 14, 2024 - May 11, 2025) as part of Getty’s regionwide initiative, PST ART: Art & Science Collide. Because No Prior Art is focused on inventions rather than designs, I have concentrated on utility patents by Los Angeles area inventors. The drawings that these inventors made or commissioned for their patents are what first made me excited to explore this material.  

Patent Observations is a serial publication by Public Collectors that explores patent applications submitted to the US government’s Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). With support from the Los Angeles Public Library and Library Foundation of Los Angeles, Patent Observations concentrates on the work of Los Angeles-based inventors. The Los Angeles Central Library is a member of the Patent and Trademark Resource Center Program and assists the USPTO in disseminating patent and trademark information to the public. Patent Observations extends from the earlier project and publication series, Library Excavations, which highlights overlooked and obscure materials from public library collections, particularly those that may be at risk of being discarded. 

Issue #3 includes these sections: Comfortably Slung; Virtual & Augmented Reality; Immersion Intermission; Hospital Helpers; Animal Attire & Assistance; Head Gear; Media Items; and Responses to Mobility Patents by Gary Cannone. 

Each issue in this series is an extra beautiful production that is printed on as many as ten or eleven different paper stocks. These books will not be reprinted or widely distributed beyond Half Letter Press and the Central Library in Los Angeles so get this while you can!