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25 Strangest Patents Ever Filed: A Journey Through the USPTO’s Most Bizarre Inventions
The human imagination is a magnificent, unpredictable beast. While some inventors have gifted us with the wheel, the light bulb, and the internet, others have channeled their creative energy into solving problems nobody knew they had — or problems that probably should have stayed unsolved. The result? A patent office filled with some of the most gloriously weird, baffling, and downright hilarious inventions ever conceived.
A patent protects an inventor’s right to their unique creation, granting them exclusive rights for a set period. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) receives over 600,000 patent applications annually, and while most are for genuinely useful innovations, a surprising number are… not. To earn a patent, an invention simply needs to be novel, useful, and non-obvious — a bar that, as you’re about to see, can be cleared in remarkably creative ways.
Get ready for a tour through 25 of the strangest patents ever filed, organized by theme and packed with the specific details — patent numbers, inventors, and filing years — that most lists leave out. Whether these inventions are ahead of their time or firmly behind it, each one is a testament to the boundless (if occasionally bewildering) spirit of human ingenuity.
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Bizarre Personal Care & Fashion Patents
1. Anti-Eating Face Mask (1982)
Patent: US 4,344,424 | Inventor: Albert M. Shifrin
If willpower alone isn’t cutting it, why not strap a wire cage to your face? That’s essentially the premise behind Albert Shifrin’s Anti-Eating Face Mask, a contraption designed to prevent compulsive eating by physically blocking access to the mouth. The device latches around the head like a muzzle, making it impossible to eat without removing it first.
It’s strange because it treats the symptom rather than the cause — and it requires another person to help you unlock it, meaning your diet plan depends entirely on someone else’s cooperation.
2. Greenhouse Helmet (1966)
Patent: US 3,229,699 | Inventor: Edward A. Johnson
Long before air quality monitoring apps existed, Edward Johnson proposed a more… personal solution to urban air pollution. His Greenhouse Helmet is a transparent dome worn over the head, containing live plants. The idea was that the plants inside would photosynthesize and produce fresh oxygen for the wearer to breathe.
Photosynthesis requires light and time — neither of which operates on the schedule of a morning commuter. The image of city workers striding down Wall Street with miniature terrariums on their heads remains one of patent history’s most surreal mental pictures.
3. Wearable Toilet Paper Dispenser (2000)
Patent: US 6,046,777 | Inventor: Sherwood B. Mills
Sherwood Mills identified a genuine frustration — running out of toilet paper at an inconvenient moment — and arrived at the most extreme possible solution: wearing your toilet paper supply on your head. The Head-Mounted Toilet Paper Dispenser is exactly what it sounds like, a hands-free roll dispenser designed to be worn like a hat or headband.
To be fair, Mills was solving a real problem. He just may have solved it in the most socially catastrophic way imaginable.
4. Motorized Ice Cream Cone (1972)
Patent: US 3,672,535 | Inventor: Alfred J. Zappala
Alfred Zappala looked at an ice cream cone and thought: what if the cone did the licking for you? His motorized device rotates the cone automatically so the ice cream comes to your tongue, eliminating the effort of the wrist turn entirely.
On the surface, this sounds like lazy genius. In practice, it creates an elaborate mechanical contraption to replace what most people manage just fine with their wrists. Still, it’s hard not to admire the dedication to dessert efficiency.
5. Method of Concealing Baldness (1977)
Patent: US 4,022,227 | Inventor: Frank Smith
The comb-over has a long and storied history, but Frank Smith wanted to patent his own take on hair redistribution. His Method of Concealing Baldness describes a specific folding technique using strands from the sides and back of the head to cover the top — a procedure so detailed it warranted legal protection.
The patent essentially describes the comb-over with mathematical precision, which somehow makes it both funnier and more impressive at the same time.
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Peculiar Pet & Animal Inventions
6. Pet Rock Leash (1977)
Patent: US 4,038,953 | Inventor: Gary Dahl
Gary Dahl became a millionaire in 1975 selling Pet Rocks — smooth stones marketed as low-maintenance companions. By 1977, he doubled down and patented a leash specifically designed for walking your pet rock. The patent depicts a standard leash, attached to a rock, intended for “training” purposes.
It’s funny, but it’s also brilliant marketing. Dahl understood that the joke was the product, and he protected that joke with a legally binding document.
7. Dog Chastity Belt (1982)
Patent: US 4,330,006 | Inventor: George R. Wiemer
George Wiemer’s Dog Chastity Belt was invented to prevent unwanted canine pregnancies. The device fits around a female dog’s hindquarters and, as the name implies, physically prevents mating.
Practically speaking, spaying exists. But Wiemer’s patent predates widespread acceptance of routine veterinary procedures for pet population control, making it slightly less absurd in historical context — though only slightly.
8. Cat Exercising Device (1989)
Patent: US 4,887,556 | Inventor: H.R. Smith
Cats, famously indifferent to human opinion, were the subject of H.R. Smith’s Cat Exercising Device — a carousel-like apparatus that dangles a toy mouse in front of a cat, designed to lure it into physical activity. The cat chases, the device rotates, and theoretically everyone wins.
Cat owners will immediately recognize both the appeal and the fatal flaw: cats exercise entirely on their own terms, and no rotating contraption will change that.
9. Bird & Chicken Diapers (2006)
Patent: US 7,096,820 | Inventor: E.J. Reidy
E.J. Reidy’s patent covers diapers for both pet birds and chickens — garments designed to allow poultry to roam indoors without the associated mess. The chicken diaper is particularly notable because it represents a genuine niche market that has since grown into a small but real industry.
This might actually be one of the least strange patents on this list in retrospect. Backyard chicken keeping is now a mainstream hobby, and the demand for chicken diapers is very real.
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Absurd Medical & Safety Devices
10. Apparatus for Facilitating the Birth of a Child by Centrifugal Force (1965)
Patent: US 3,216,423 | Inventors: George and Charlotte Blonsky
This is arguably the most famous bizarre patent ever filed, and it earned its inventors an Ig Nobel Prize in 1999. George and Charlotte Blonsky — he an engineer, she a medical professional — designed a circular table onto which a pregnant woman would be strapped and then spun at high speed. The centrifugal force, they theorized, would assist in delivering the baby.
The USPTO granted the patent. No hospital ever adopted the device. The fact that the drawing in the patent looks like something from a science fiction B-movie makes it all the more memorable.
11. Simulated Drunkenness Visor / “Beer Goggles” (2002)
Patent: US 6,379,159 | Inventor: Donald E. Neff
Donald Neff’s Simulated Drunkenness Visor is a headset designed to mimic the visual impairment caused by alcohol intoxication — for educational purposes. The device distorts the wearer’s vision to simulate being drunk without requiring a single drink.
Surprisingly, this concept has real-world successors: “fatal vision goggles” are now used in driver education programs. Neff may have been onto something, even if his version was a bit rough around the edges.
12. The Kissing Shield (1967)
Patent: US 3,342,175 | Inventor: C.L. Stearn
C.L. Stearn’s Kissing Shield is a thin, flexible membrane stretched across a frame and held between two people’s lips during kissing to prevent direct contact. The stated purposes include hygiene and disease prevention.
Invented in 1967, it reads like a pre-internet solution to a problem that would have been better served by, well, not kissing someone you don’t trust. Still, in an era before widespread germ-awareness campaigns, Stearn’s concern was at least understandable.
13. Anti-Theft Lunch Bag (2009)
Patent: US 7,607,519 | Inventor: D.C. Miller
Workplace lunch theft is a genuine grievance, and D.C. Miller found an inspired solution: a sandwich bag pre-printed with realistic green mold spots. To the casual thief, your lunch looks spoiled. To you, it’s a perfectly fresh sandwich protected by the power of disgust.
Of all the patents on this list, this one may be the closest to actual genius. It’s been manufactured and sold commercially, and reviewers love it.
14. Life-Sized Human-Doll Urn (2007)
Patent: US D546,051 | Inventor: J.R. Hall
J.R. Hall designed an urn shaped like a full-sized human doll to hold the cremated remains of a deceased person. The urn is sculpted to resemble the person it contains, offering a different kind of memorial experience.
Whether this crosses the line from touching to deeply unsettling is entirely a matter of personal perspective. Patent offices don’t make that distinction — they just check for novelty.
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Unconventional Transportation & Utility Patents
15. Flying Saucer (1961)
Patent: US 2,969,190 | Inventor: Alexander Weygers
Alexander Weygers filed a patent for a circular-winged aircraft he called a “discopter” — essentially a flying saucer powered by conventional engines. Weygers, an artist and engineer, was genuinely ahead of his time; his designs anticipated concepts that would later appear in VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft research.
The strange part isn’t the concept — it’s that his 1944 design sat in the patent office until 1961 and was ultimately more art installation than engineering proposal.
16. Combined Coffin and Fishing Rod (2001)
Patent: US 6,272,765 | Inventor: Steven R. Capps
Steven Capps designed a coffin with a built-in fishing rod holder, allowing the deceased — or their loved ones attending a graveside service — to fish right up until the end. The patent describes a standard burial coffin modified to accommodate fishing tackle.
It raises more questions than it answers, but it is undeniably committed to the fishing lifestyle in a way most of us can only aspire to.
17. Automobile-Supported Tent (1960)
Patent: US 2,928,399 | Inventor: M.D. Stoddard
M.D. Stoddard’s automobile-supported tent attaches directly to the roof of a car, essentially turning your vehicle into a pop-up camping shelter. In concept, this isn’t far from modern rooftop tents — which are now a booming industry.
What makes Stoddard’s 1960 version strange is its execution: the tent appears to completely envelop the car, making it look less like a campsite and more like a giant car cozy.
18. Self-Stirring Coffee Cup (2000)
Patent: US 6,049,969 | Inventor: W.C. Bouldin
W.C. Bouldin’s coffee cup contains a built-in battery-powered stirring mechanism that automatically swirls the contents when activated. It solves the impossible burden of picking up a spoon.
Self-stirring mugs are now sold on Amazon for about $10, which means Bouldin was either ahead of the market or correctly identified that human laziness is a renewable resource.
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Miscellaneous & Truly Bizarre Patents
19. Device for Preventing the Theft of a Hat (1949)
Patent: US 2,489,111 | Inventor: Ernest E. Banta
Hat theft was apparently a pressing concern in post-war America, enough to prompt Ernest Banta to patent a spring-loaded mechanism that physically secured a hat to the wearer’s head. The device locks the hat in place, requiring a deliberate release mechanism to remove it.
The mental image of a would-be hat thief yanking on a fedora while the owner stands completely unperturbed is, frankly, delightful.
20. The Beerbrella (2002)
Patent: US D461,324 | Inventor: J.J. Krumenauer
J.J. Krumenauer’s Beerbrella is a miniature umbrella that clips directly onto a beverage can or bottle, shielding the drink from sun, rain, and bird-related incidents. It’s simultaneously absurd and completely logical for anyone who’s ever watched their cold drink warm up poolside.
Of all the patents here, the Beerbrella has the most obvious commercial potential. Someone should probably make this at scale.
21. Acoustic Kitty (1960s, Declassified CIA Project)
Not a traditional patent, but too strange to leave off any list of bizarre inventions: the CIA’s Acoustic Kitty project involved surgically implanting listening devices — including a microphone in the ear canal and an antenna in the tail — into a live cat. The idea was to use the cat as a living surveillance device to eavesdrop on Soviet conversations.
The first field test ended when the cat was run over by a taxi. The project was reportedly abandoned after spending approximately $20 million. It was declassified in 2001.
22. Alarm Clock That Shoots Water in Your Face (Patented Concept)
The patent world contains numerous “painful alarm” devices, including one that shoots a fine mist of water at the sleeping person to force wakefulness. Unlike white noise machines or gentle sunrise simulators, this approach treats the sleeper as a problem to be solved through mild aggression.
It says something about the human relationship with mornings that inventors keep trying to improve on the alarm clock, even when “improvement” means getting sprayed in the face.
23. Motorized Shoes (Various Patents)
Multiple inventors across different decades have patented shoes with built-in motors or wheels, predating the commercialized Heelys by decades. These early motorized footwear patents describe everything from small rotary engines embedded in the sole to battery-powered rollers.
They’re strange because the engineering required to make them work safely would have made them heavy, expensive, and dangerous — essentially rocket boots for the sensibly cowardly.
24. Burial Suit Seeded with Mushrooms (2011 Application)
Inventor Jae Rhim Lee developed a concept burial suit embedded with mushroom spores that, post-burial, would feed on the decomposing body and neutralize toxins. The suit was intended to make the deceased’s return to the earth as ecologically clean as possible.
This one isn’t strange because it’s impractical — it’s strange because it’s genuinely brilliant and ahead of ecological trends that have since made it a real product (the Infinity Burial Suit is now commercially available).
25. Device for Waking Persons from Sleep (Electrified Bed Frame)
Approximate Era: Late 19th/Early 20th Century Patent Records
One of the oldest entries on this list, various patents from the early 1900s describe beds fitted with electric mechanisms designed to tilt, vibrate, or gently shock a sleeping person awake at a preset time. Some included mechanical arms that would physically tip the sleeper out of bed.
These inventions predate reliable electric alarm clocks and represent a genuine engineering effort to solve a real problem — they’re just solutions that most people today would consider worse than the problem itself.
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FAQ: Strange Patents and the Invention Process
Can you really patent something this ridiculous?
Yes — as long as an invention is novel, useful, and non-obvious, it qualifies for patent protection. “Useful” has a low bar; it simply means the invention has some stated function, not that it’s commercially viable or practical.
Did any of these weird patents ever make money?
A few actually did. The Anti-Theft Lunch Bag is sold commercially. The Motorized Ice Cream Cone inspired similar products. Self-stirring mugs are widely available. Sometimes strange ideas have real markets hiding inside them.
How much does it cost to file a patent?
Filing a utility patent application with the USPTO currently costs between $320 and $1,600 for the basic filing fee, depending on entity size, with total costs (including attorney fees and prosecution) often reaching $10,000–$15,000 or more.
Why do people file patents for ideas that seem impractical?
Reasons vary. Some inventors genuinely believe in their idea. Others file defensively to prevent competitors from developing similar concepts. Some file speculatively, hoping the idea will find its moment. And occasionally, the act of patenting is itself a creative or marketing statement — as Gary Dahl’s Pet Rock Leash demonstrates perfectly.
What’s the most famous strange patent ever filed?
The Apparatus for Facilitating the Birth of a Child by Centrifugal Force (US 3,216,423) by George and Charlotte Blonsky consistently tops lists like this one and won the inventors a 1999 Ig Nobel Prize — given for achievements that “first make people laugh, then make them think.”
Are any of these patents still active?
Most utility patents last 20 years from the filing date, so the majority of the patents on this list have long since expired. Their inventions are now free for anyone to build — should they be brave or eccentric enough to try.
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The Beautiful Absurdity of Human Invention
The 25 strangest patents ever filed aren’t just funny — they’re a mirror held up to human nature itself. They show us that the drive to create, to problem-solve, and to protect your ideas doesn’t always produce a smartphone or a vaccine. Sometimes it produces a leash for a rock, a hat-theft prevention system, or a table designed to spin a woman into labor.
What’s remarkable is that the patent system welcomed them all. The USPTO doesn’t grade inventions on their dignity — only their novelty. In that sense, the patent office is one of the great equalizers in human history: a place where the world-changing and the completely unhinged get the same careful consideration.
So the next time you have an idea that seems too weird to pursue, remember the Beerbrella, the Greenhouse Helmet, and the spinning childbirth table. The strangest inventions often have the best stories — and occasionally, they even change the world. Keep inventing.
