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Explanation
14.1 The Greatest Inventions of Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla had a dream: free electricity for every household in the world. Thanks to one of
the greatest inventors and scientists of the late 19th century (Thomas Alba Edison) electricity
was available for everybody, however, it was not for free. Tesla pointed out the inefficiency of
Edison’s direct current electrical powerhouses that had been built up and invented a different
way to transport electricity. The secret was the use of alternating current (AC), because to him
all energies were cyclic (Tesla Memorial Society of New York, n.d.).
Edison’s lamps were weak and inefficient when supplied by direct current. His system had a
severe disadvantage: it could not be transported more than three kilometers due to its inability
to step up to high voltage levels necessary for long distance transmission. Direct current flows
continuously in one direction; alternating current changes direction 50 or 60 times per second
and can be stepped up to vary high voltage levels, minimizing power loss across great
distances. Tesla said “The future belongs to alternating current”. He developed polyphase
system alternating current systems: generators, motors, transformers, and held 40 basic U.S.
patents (Tesla Memorial Society of New York, n.d.).
Tesla also worked and developed the now called Tesla coil, which is one of his most famous
inventions. It is essentially a high-frequency air-core transformer, taking the output from a
120VAC transformer and get it up above a thousand volts, which are discharged in the form of
electrical arcs (Tesla Memorial Society of New York, n.d.). Tesla coils are because they create
extremely powerful electrical fields. This invention was supposed to be the basis for sending
electricity through air to every corner of the world.
As early as 1892, Nikola Tesla created a basic design for radio. Tesla's robot-boat was
constructed with an antenna, which transmitted the radio waves coming from the command
post where Tesla was standing. Those radio waves were received by a radio sensitive device,
which transmitted the radio waves into mechanical movements of the propellers on the
boat(Tesla Memorial Society of New York, n.d.). Even we think Guglielmo Marconi as the
father of radio, Tesla was working on radio waves much earlier. However, these works were
not able to be patented yet.
The most important inventions of Nikola Tesla are the following (Tesla Memorial Society of
New York, n.d.):
Alternating Current
Direct current flows in one direction and cannot be transported more than 2 miles; Alternating
current changes direction 50 or 60 times per second and can be stepped up to vary high voltage
levels, minimizing power loss across great distances.
It is a high-frequency air-core transformer. It takes the output from a 120vAC to several kilovolt
transformer & driver circuit and steps it up to an extremely high voltage (1,000,000). Tesla coils
are unique in the fact that they create extremely powerful electrical fields.
Tesla's Robot-Boat
It was constructed with an antenna, which transmitted the radio waves coming from the
command post where Tesla was standing.
14.2 The Patenting Process
As you visualized in Tesla´s story, it doesn´t matter how far you go with your research: it will
not matter or will not be recognized if you are not able to get a patent of it. That is why Tesla is
not recognized as the father of radio. That´s why the patenting process becomes crucial. An
invention is patentable only if it is:
An examiner must search for prior art documents, in order to prove the novelty of the
invention.
Publication of the application 18 months after the filing date, so the invention will appear in
databases and act as prior to other applications.
Substantive examination as to decide if the invention meets the requirements of the Patent
Convention.
Validation in each designated state in order to enforce the patent. Some states may require a
translation of the whole patent.
Opposition by third parties that believe the patent should not be granted. They have a nine-
month period to file notice of opposition.