Hispanic Heritage Month 2019: A look at Hispanic inventors

In honor of the start of Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15, 2019, below is a highlight of notable inventors of Latin American background with inventions patented by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), with a special emphasis on Hispanic and Latin American women.

Inventor: Jacobo G. Maria
Country of Origin: El Salvador
Invention: “Device and process for spinning or twisting and winding yarn”, US4366935,

 

 

 

 

Inventor: Luis Alejandro Cavallo Caroca
Country of Origin: Chile
Invention: design patents for scissors USD584122 and a corkscrew USD582231

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inventor: William Vasquez Ulate
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Invention: Dracaena Plant named ‘Lauren.’, USPP21549

 

 

 

 

 

Inventor: Elena T. Medo
Country of Origin: United States
Invention: Breast Pump System Using Wall Vacuum Source (among others), US5971952

Her company is dedicated to making human milk more available for all babies.

 

 

 

 

Inventor: Rea Ann Silva
Country of Origin: United States (of Mexican/Portuguese/Irish decent)
Invention: Silva has several patents in the beauty genre, US9,226,563.  Make-up enthusiasts might know her as the inventor of the Beautyblender.

 

 

 

Inventor: Luis von Ahn
Country of Origin: Guatemala
Invention: CAPTCHA (“completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart”), US8,555,353

von Ahn is quoted as feeling how most of us feel: CAPTCHAs are great for the added protection, but recognizes the wasted time spent solving them!

 

Inventor: Guillermo González Camarena
Country of Origin: Mexico
Invention: Chromoscopic adapter for television equipment, US2,296,019

known as the inventor of color television

 

Inventor: Ellen Ochoa
Country of Origin: United States
Invention: Position, rotation, and intensity invariant recognizing method, US4,838,644 (one of three optics-related patents where she is listed as a co-inventor)

Her inventions contribute to the quality of images taken and, notably, she is considered the first Hispanic woman to travel to space.


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