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Black History Month - African American Inventors

Included in this photo gallery are the drawings and text from original patents. These are copies of the originals submitted by the inventor to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Also included in this photo gallery where possible, are the photos of individual inventors and their inventions.

Gerald L Thomas recieved U.S. patent #6,597,281 for a Pager Belt Buckle Device on July 22, 2003.

Inventor Gerald L Thomas, was born in Savannah Georgia, grew up in Maryland, and now resides in Chicago. He came up with his idea for his buckle after working in the fashion retail business for many years. Clients coming in to try on and purchase clothing were often wearing a clip-on device on their belts, pagers or cellphones that would fall to the floor or get missplaced.

Thomas thought it would be cool and more fashionable, to have these devices as a wearable technology. Thomas states, Im a Buckle Designer, who just wanted to get this product to market, that can be any number of wireless accessories, housed as fashion.

The family of transmissions has a plurality of members that can be utilized in powertrains to provide at least eight forward speed ratios and one reverse speed ratio. The transmission family members include three planetary gear sets having seven torque-transmitting mechanisms, two interconnecting members, and a grounded planetary gear member. The powertrain includes an engine that is selectively connectable to at least one of the planetary gear members and an output member that is continuously connected with another one of the planetary gear members. The seven torque-transmitting mechanisms provide interconnections between various gear members, the input shaft and the transmission housing, and are operated in combinations of three to establish at least eight forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio.

GM engineer, Dr Anthony B Will invented a vehicle steering system with a electronic power regulation unit and patented it on April 1, 2003.

Patent Abstract: A steering system for an

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