In what year did Margaret E. Knight secure the patent for her square-bottom paper bag machine?
Answer
1871
The specific timing of securing legal protection for the square-bottom paper bag machine is a key detail in understanding the patent dispute with Luther C. Crowell. Margaret E. Knight successfully secured the official patent for the complex mechanism designed to fold, cut, and paste paper into the sturdy, flat-bottomed grocery bag configuration in the year 1871. This date serves as the anchor point against which Crowell's subsequent application was measured, although the administrative process allowed him to secure his own patent first, initiating the necessity for litigation to reaffirm Knight's prior rights.

Related Questions
What inspired Margaret E. Knight's early design for a safety device for looms?Who contested Margaret E. Knight's patent for making square-bottom paper bags?What systemic friction did Margaret E. Knight face in the 19th-century marketplace?What commercial entity resulted from the success of Knight's secured paper bag machine?In what year did Margaret E. Knight secure the patent for her square-bottom paper bag machine?How did Margaret E. Knight's career trajectory often differ from many male inventors regarding specialization?What commercial improvement did Knight's machine introduce to early paper bags?What necessitated the extreme detail and self-protection Knight employed in her later work?Besides the paper bag machinery, which other mechanical fields did Margaret E. Knight apply her inventive principles to?What does Knight's ultimate victory in the patent litigation highlight about being a woman inventor?What risk does the common narrative focusing disproportionately on the paper bag patent fight pose for Knight's legacy?