Which inventor had previously patented a similar, less efficient machine in 1858 that Margaret Knight contested?
Answer
Charles Annand
When Margaret Knight filed for her patent for the square-bottom bag machine in 1870, she encountered resistance because the patent office referenced an earlier application by Charles Annand. Annand had patented a similar machine back in 1858. Knight was determined to secure her rights because her design was fundamentally superior, specifically producing the truly flat bottom versus Annand's gusseted sides. She personally traveled to Washington D.C. to argue her case, successfully differentiating her complex industrial machine and winning the patent in 1871, which was a significant legal victory affirming her intellectual property rights.
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