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Margaret Knight: Loom shuttle safety guard at 12 (unpatented); flat-bottom paper-bag machine as an adult

Loom shuttle safety guard at 12 (unpatented); flat-bottom paper-bag machine as an adult.

WhereUSA
Whenc. 1850 (shuttle guard); 1868 (bag machine)
Age at the work12 (guard); 30 (machine)
IP outcomeGranted patent (personal)

Image: Wikipedia 1912 photograph (PD by age; confirm file)

Loom shuttle safety guard at 12 (unpatented); flat-bottom paper-bag machine as an adult. The teen-era invention was never patented; the famous patent came at 30

[Editor: expand to 500–900 words from the research notes (batch G / batches A–E): the problem they saw, how they approached it, a verified quotation if one exists, what happened next.]

IP note

US 116,842 (1871) after winning a patent interference against a copier; at least 27 patents in her lifetime.

Recognition

National Inventors Hall of Fame 2006.

What this means for a student inventor in India

[Editor: 120–200 words connecting this story to the Indian route — Section 6 (any true inventor may apply), provisional vs complete specification, disclosure at fairs (Section 31), renewals, and who owns what when a school is involved. Link to the relevant MYCrave guide.]

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Sources

[Editor: list the 2–4 primary sources from the research notes for this entry, with the date checked.]

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Part of The MYCrave Young Innovators Index. Last reviewed 31 August 2026. General information, not legal advice.