In all, Edison was awarded 1,093 U.S. patents across a wide variety of technologies. Including his foreign patents, successfully filed in other countries, his total is 2,332. What makes him such an important figure in the world of invention is the depth and breadth of his work. He patents whole systems and the components that support such systems. His patents can be grouped into eight categories, whose total productive output can be “roughly approximated” as:

• Electric light & power  [425]
• Phonographs and recorded sound [200]
• Telegraphy and telephony [185]
• Batteries [145]
• Mining and iron ore milling [50]
• Cement [ 40]
• Miscellaneous [50]
• Motion pictures [10]

Edison appears to have had two great periods where his patent applications soared, 1872-1890, and 1897-1912; but throughout his career there is a steady flow of ideas and concepts for new products. He meticulously records his work in 4,000 notebooks to protect his intellectual property, influencing generations of inventors and entrepreneurs who would follow in his footsteps.

His legendary West Orange, NJ Labs are the crescendo of the inventive work started in his earlier labs in Newark, NJ and Menlo Park, NJ. At West Orange, Edison weds invention to entrepreneurial activities, demonstrating how invention has grown from its cottage industry roots to a full-scale commercial enterprise—destined to be an essential part of modern business. Here he perfects the embodiment of the R&D labs [and its important adjunct, the research project manager] in support of new product development. From his office/library at West Orange, the great inventor manages thirty companies under the umbrella of Thomas A. Edison Industries, Inc., employing over 10,000 workers in the design, prototyping and commercialization of many new products for sale to the world.

He is the iconic inventor-businessman, whose face is recognized the world over, symbolic of creativity and bright new ideas. He is the man who helps define what progress means.

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Download and Read Thomas Edison’s Patents:

• Patent #90,646 – June 1, 1869 – Improvement in Electrographic Vote-Recorder
• Patent #91,527 – June 22,1869 – Improvement in Printing-Telegraphs
• Patent #96,681 – November 9, 1869 – Automatic Electrical Switch for Telegraph Apparatus
• Patent #111,112 – January 24, 1871 – Improvement in Governors for Electro-Motors
• Patent #114,656 – May 9,1871 – Improvement in Telegraphic Transmitting Instruments
• Patent #114,657 – May 9,1871 – Improvement in Relay-Magnets for Telegraph Instruments
• Patent #128,608 – July 2, 1872 – Improvement in Printing-Telegraph Instruments
• Patent #130,795 – August 27, 1872 – Improvement in Electro-Magnets
• Patent #131,334 – Spetember 17, 1872 – Improvement in Rheotomes or Circuit-Directors
• Patent #132,455 – October 22, 1872 – Improvement in Paper for Chemical Telegraphs
• Patent #133,841 – December 10, 1872 – Improvement in Type-Writing Machines
• Patent #141,777 – August 12,1873 – Improvement in Relay-Magnets
• Patent #142,999 – September 23, 1873 – Improvement in Galvanic Batteries
• Patent #146812 – January 27, 1874 – Improvement in Telegraph-Signal Boxes
• Patent #147,917 – February 24, 1874 – Improvement in Duplex Telegraphs
• Patent #150,848 – May 12, 1874 – Improvement in Chemical or Automatic Telegraphs
• Patent #154,788 – September 8, 1974 – Improvement in District Telegraph Signal-Boxes
• Patent #169,972 – November 16, 1875 – Improvement in Electric-Signaling Instruments
• Patent #200,521 – February 19,1871 – Improvement in Phonograph or Speaking Machines
• Patent #201,760 – March 26, 1878 – Improvement in Speaking-Machines
• Patent #203,017 – April 30, 1878 – Improvement in Telephone Call-Signals
• Patent #203,329 – May 7, 1878 – Improvement in Perforating-Pens
• Patent #205,370 – June 25, 1878 – Improvement in Pneumatic Stencil-Pens
• Patent #210,767 – December 10, 1878 – Improvement in Vocal Engines
• Patent #214,637 – April 22, 1879 – Improvement in Thermal Regulators for Electric Lights
• Patent #217,781 – July 22, 1879 – Improvement in Sextuplex Telegraphs
• Patent #218,166 – August 5, 1879 – Improvement in Magneto-Electric Machines
• Patent #218,866 – August 26, 1879 – Improvement in Electric Lighting Apparatus
• Patent #222,390 – December 9, 1879 – Improvement in Carbon-Telephones
• Patent #223,898 – January 27, 1880 – Electric Lamp
• Patent #228,329 – June 1, 1880 – Magnetic Ore-Separator
• Patent #228,617 – June 8, 1880 – Brake for Electro-Magnetic Motors
• Patent #230,621 – August 3, 1880 – Addressing-Machine
• Patent #238,868 – March 15, 1881 – Manufacture of Carbons for Incandescent Electric Lamps
• Patent #239,148 – March 22, 1881 – Treating Carbons for Electric Lamps
• Patent #239,151 – March 22, 1881 – Method of Forming Enlarged Ends on Carbon Filaments
• Patent #239,153 – March 22, 1881 – Electric Lamp
• Patent #239,374 – March 29, 1881 – Regulating the Generation of Electric Currents
• Patent #240,678 – April 26, 1881 – Webermeter
• Patent #242,901 – June 14, 1881 – Electric Meter
• Patent #248,425 – October 18, 1881 – Apparatus for Producing High Vacuums
• Patent #248,430 – October 18, 1881 – Electro-Magnetic Brake
• Patent #248,431 – October 18, 1881 – Preserving Fruit
• Patent #248,434 – October 18, 1881 – Governor for Electric Engines
• Patent #248,435 – October 18, 1881 – Utilizing Electricity as a Motive Power
• Patent #251,552 – December 27, 1881 – Underground Conductor
• Patent #263,132 – August 22, 1882 – Electro-Magnetic Railway
• Patent #263,144 – August 22, 1882 – Mold for Carbonizing Incandescents
• Patent #263,149 – August 22, 1882 – Commutator for Dynamo or Magneto Electric Machines
• Patent #265,775 – October 10, 1882 – Electric-Arc Light
• Patent #271,614 – February 6, 1883 – Shafting
• Patent #273,489 – March 6, 1883 – Turn-Table for Electric Railways
• Patent #273,491 – March 6, 1883 – Regulator for Driving Engines of Electrical Generators
• Patent #273,492 – March 6, 1883 – Secondary Battery
• Patent #273,493 – March 6, 1883 – Valve-Gear for Electrical Generator-Engines
• Patent #273,715 – March 13, 1883 – Art of Malleableizing Iron
• Patent #278,418 – May 29, 1883 – Apparatus for Translating Electric Currents from High to Low Tension
• Patent #293,433 – February 12, 1884 – Insulation of Railroad-Tracks Used for Electric Circuits
• Patent #295,990 – April 1, 1884 – Type-Writer
• Patent #304,084 – August 26, 1884 – Device for Protecting Electric-Light Systems from Lightning
• Patent #314,115 – March 17, 1885 – Chemical Stock Quotation Telegraph
• Patent #340,707 – April 27, 1886 – Telephonic Repeater
• Patent #340,709 – April 27, 1886 – Telephone-Circuit
• Patent #350,235 – October 5, 1886 – Railway-Telegraphy
• Patent #365,465 – June 28, 1887 – Valve-Gear
• Patent #378,044 – February 14, 1888 – Telephone-Transmitter
• Patent #380,100 – March 27, 1888 – Pyromagnetic Motor
• Patent #382,414 – May 8, 1888 – Burnishing Attachment for Phonographs
• Patent #382,416 – May 8, 1888 – Feed and Return Mechanism for Phonographs
• Patent #382,417 – May 8, 1888 – Process of Making Phonogram-Blanks
• Patent #382,419 – May 8, 1888 – Process of Duplicating Phonograms
• Patent #386,974 – July 31, 1888 – Phonograph
• Patent #393,463 – November 27, 1888 – Machine for Making Phonogram-Blanks
• Patent #397,280 – February 5, 1889 – Phonograph Recorder and Reproducer
• Patent #397,705 – February 12, 1889 – Method of Winding Field-Magnets
• Patent #425,761 – April 15, 1890 – Incandescent Lamp
• Patent #430,279 – June 17, 1890 – Voltaic Battery
• Patent #434,586 – August 19, 1890 – Electric Generator
• Patent #434,587 – August 19, 1890 – Thermo-Electric Battery
• Patent #434,589 – August 19, 1890 – Propelling Mechanism for Electric Vehicles
• Patent #438,305 – October 14, 1890 – Fuse-Block
• Patent #439,391 – October 28, 1890 – Junction-Box for Electric Wires
• Patent #457,343 – August 11, 1891 – Magnetic Belting
• Patent #465,970 – December 29, 1891 – Armature Connection for Motors or Generators
• Patent #470,927 – March 15, 1892 – Driving Mechanism for Cars
• Patent #470,928 – March 15, 1892 – Alternating-Current Generator
• Patent #470,930 – March 15, 1892 – Dynamo-Electric Machine
• Patent #472,288 – April 5, 1892 – Dust-Proof Bearing for Shafts
• Patent #476,984 – June 14,1892 – Expansible Pulley
• Patent #476,985 – June 14, 1892 – Trolley for Electric Railways
• Patent #479,184 – July 19, 1892 – Fac-Simile Telegraph
• Patent #493,426 – March 14, 1893 – Apparatus for Exhibiting Photographs of Moving Objects
• Patent #506,215 – October 10, 1893 – Method of Making Plate Glass
• Patent #589,168 – August 31, 1897 – Kinetographic Camera
• Patent #641,281 – January 16, 1900 – Expanding Pulley
• Patent #657,922 – September 18, 1900 – Apparatus for Reheating Compressed Air for Industrial Purposes
• Patent #661,238 – November 6, 1900 – Machine for Forming Pulverized Material Into Briquets
• Patent #678,722 – July 16, 1901 – Reversible Galvanic Battery
• Patent #722,502 – March 10, 1903 – Means for Handling Cable-Drawn Cars on Inclines
• Patent #750,102 – January 19, 1904 – Electrical Automobile
• Patent #772,647 – October 18, 1904 – Photographic Film for Moving-Picture Machines
• Patent #775,600 – November 22, 1904 – Rotary Cement-Kiln
• Patent #909,169 – January 12, 1909 – Waterproofing-Paint for Portland-Cement Structures
• Patent #956,317 – April 26, 1910 – Tube-Sealing Machine