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When Patent Protections Couldn’t Keep Pace With Ingenuity in the Colonies, One Inventive Woman Took Her Case to Britain
In the late 17th century, Sybilla Righton Masters developed a machine to process maize using water power, addressing a challenge faced by colonists in North America. Unable to secure patent protection in the colonies, she traveled to Britain and obtained a patent for her invention under her husband’s name in 1715. Her efforts marked a significant step in early American innovation and commercialization, despite legal barriers faced by women at the time. Masters later expanded her work to include a method for making hats from plant fibers, further demonstrating her ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit.
Sybilla Righton Masters invented a machine to process maize in the 1700s and sought a patent in Britain after colonial laws didn’t protect her invention.
Her story shows how early American inventors navigated legal and social barriers, especially women, to bring new ideas to market.
It highlights the persistence and ingenuity of overlooked historical figures, offering a grounded look at innovation and its challenges.
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