Patent for a type-writing machine from 1866
Published 13 November 2023
© Crown copyright 2023
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Date of release:
15 February 2021
Information request:
The British patent for the first typewriter machine, invented in 1866 in England by John Pratt (patent No. 3163, 1st December 1866, according to the London Society of Arts. Other sources list it as 1863).
Information released:
A copy of the patent is attached. It was applied for in 1866. The date of 1863 may refer to an earlier patent or the same patent filed in another country. John Pratt was a U.S. citizen, so it is possible that he also applied for a U.S. patent at the earlier date.