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Toy Inventions and Toy Patents.

The patent truth, did you know…

Read how an American metal lithography company purchased a French drawing toy invention at a German toy fair and how a toy patent soon became an American icon!

In 1955 the French inventor Arthur Grandjean invented an amazing device in his garage. He called the toy “L ‘Ecran Magique”, the magic screen. The plastic device contains aluminum powder and plastic beads which are be manipulated to draw lines by spinning the two controls. This drawing toy invention produces lineography drawings, a drawing created without lifting a pen, pencil, or paintbrush.

In 1959 Grandjean took his drawing toy to the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany. The Ohio Art Company, a metal lithography company, saw the drawing device and purchased the rights to this soon to be famous invention.

toy patents, patent on toysThe toy received a U.S Patent, No. 3,055,133. It was renamed from the magic screen to Etch A Sketch®. The Etch A Sketch® toy was manufactured and it didn’t take long before the toy  became  an icon. It has been loved by children of all ages.  The toy drawing device as also been used by artists to create some amazing lineography works of art.

The Ohio Art Company manufactured the Etch A Sketch for over 50 years. In February of 2016 the Ohio Art Company sold the Etch A Sketch to Spin Master of Toronto, Canada.

SOURCE: Maine Cernota & Rardin Law Firm in New Hampshire.

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The Patent Guys are attorneys in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of the law firm of Gertner Mandel LLC providing legal support for legal, technical & business issues.