Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer, entrepreneur and business man Alfred Nobel had acquired 355 patents worldwide when he died in 1896. He invented dynamite and experimented in making synthetic rubber, leather and artificial silk among many other things. Here is a list of 29 Swedish and 58 English patents.
Swedish patents
1863. Patent number 1261. Ways to prepare gunpowder.
1864. Patent number 668. Method for the blasting of nitroglycerine. (Application not completed.)
1864. Patent number 63. Improvements of process of preparing and use of gunpowder.
1866. Patent number 99. Ways to prevent freezing of nitroglycerine.
1867. Patent number 102. Dynamite or Nobel’s gunpowder.
1876. Patent number 1352. Ways to make solid explosives from nitroglycerine, denominated gelatinated nitroglycerine.
1889. Patent number 2158. Ways to produce nitroglycerine containing explosive matter. (Ballistite or Nobel’s gunpowder.)
1890. Patent number 2752. Ways to produce nitroglycerine containing explosive matter. (Ballistite or Nobel’s gunpowder.)
1894. Patent number 5671. Ways to produce substitutes for caoutchouc, gutta-percha, leather and varnishes.
1894. Patent number 227. Safety fuzes. (Application not completed.)
1894. Patent number 228. Method for sealing of projectiles and for preventing gas leakage and burnouts in the firearms. (Application not completed.)
1894. Patent number 229. Welding and soldering of metals. (Application not completed.)
1894. Patent number 394. Pipes, shafts, cannons and other heavy metal pieces of wire welded together. (Application not completed.)
1894. Patent number 845. Sound and recoil inhibitors for firearms. (Application not completed.)
1894. Patent number 1324. Hardening. (Application not completed.)
1895. Patent number 7096. Devices for sealing of projectiles and prevention of gas leakage and burnouts of firearms.
1895. Patent number 6627. Methods for internal forging of firearm barrels and other tubular metal pieces, intended to endure great strain.
1896. Patent number 7552. Progressive smokeless gunpowder and ways to prepare it.
1896. Patent number 447. Gunpowder. (Application not completed.)
1896. Patent number 8347. Fuzes for explosive projectiles.
1896. Patent number 808. Projectile with rocket engine, lit by a timed ignition. (Application not completed.)
1896. Patent number 8237. Press nozzles, tiles and other objects with fine holes of predetermined finite diameter and the method of producing such.
1896. Patent number 1122. Rocket device with engine. (Application not completed.)
1896. Patent number 1231. Ways to provide pressure on pistons at forging presses and similar machines. (Application not completed.)
1896. Patent number 8390. A device for machines for drilling holes in blocks for guns, axes, and other metal pieces.
1897. Patent number 9773. Nitrocellulose gunpowder and ways to prepare it.
1897. Patent number 9775. Progressive gunpowder and ways to prepare it.
1897. Patent number 10257. A. Nobel and W.T. Unge: Self-propelling and self-rotating projectile.
1897. Patent number 10036. A. Nobel and W.T. Unge: Firearms with self-propelling and self-rotating projectiles (rockets and similar).
English patents
(Provisional patents are not on the list)
1857. Patent number 2507. Gas meter.
1859. Patent number 177. Apparatus for measuring water or other liquids.
1859. Patent number 556. Construction of barometer or manometer, with the aim of creating a cheap and easy to transport pressure gauge.
1863. Patent number 2359. Improvements in the production of “gunpowder” (black powder), and blasting powder.
1864. Patent number 1813. Improvement in the production and use of nitroglycerine.
1867. Patent number 1345. Improved explosive and primer for the same. Dynamite.
1869. Patent number 442. Explosives. Nitroglycerine is added to a mixture of combustible substances which are not explosive in themselves, such as powdered saltpeter or coal.
1873. Patent number 1570. Improvement in the production of explosives. Small amounts of paraffin wax, stearin and similar substances may be added to the explosive mixtures and prevent exudation of nitroglycerine.
1874. Patent number 4342. Method for producing sulfuric acid.
1875. Patent number 153, 2523. Burner for lighting purposes.
1875. Patent number 4179. Improved explosive (blasting gelatine or gelatine dynamite).
1879. Patent number 224. Apparatus for gasification of liquids.
1879. Patent number 226. Production of explosives.
1879. Patent number 227. Container for hygroscopic (moisture-sensitive) explosives.
1879. Patent number 2314. Purification of pig-iron.
1879. Patent number 2399. Enhancement of the production of explosives. Pressed black powder has a greater effect in rock blasting if the explosion is triggered using a specially prepared detonator.
1879. Patent number 2880. Apparatus for production of steam or distillation of liquids.
1879. Patent number 4104. Apparatus for the concentrating of acids.
1884. Patent number 5383. Improvement upon evaporation and concentration of liquids.
1884. Patent number 10860. Improvement in the production of fuming sulfuric acid.
1885. Patent number 5252. Treatment of explosives. Nitroglycerine can be dissolved in a non-volatile solvent with a boiling point higher than 200° C, for example tar oil. The mixture is not explosive. Nitroglycerine can be recycled by adding oleic acid which dissolves the tar oil, but not nitroglycerine.
1885. Patent number 9022. Containers for hygroscopic (moisture-sensitive) explosives.
1885. Patent number 9023. Same as 9022 above. Description is missing.
1885. Patent number 9125. Production and use of explosives.
1885. Patent number 14053. Method to decompose rocks by heat.
1886. Patent number 5330. Production of explosives. Tar oil, camphor, etc., may be added to the nitroglycerine to reduce its sensitivity to shocks.
1886. Patent number 5331. Production of explosives. Mixture of nitroglycerine and nitrate, chlorate or perchlorate.
1886. Patent number 15556. Improvement of the explosives and their use, especially in projectiles and torpedoes.
1887. Patent number 371. Regulation of the pressure in cannons.
1887. Patent number 926. Gun with projectile.
1887. Patent number 3674. Methods to counteract the recoil of a rifle.
1887. Patent number 5840. Improvement of explosive projectiles.
1887. Patent number 16919. Improved detonator/detonating composition.
1887. Patent number 16920. Safety explosives of copper ammonium nitrate for coal mines containing coal dust or explosive mine gases.
1888. Patent number 1469. Explosives. Method of producing gunpowder with barium nitrate instead of saltpeter.
1888. Patent number 1470. Improvement in the production of fuzes.
1888. Patent number 1471. Improvement of the production of explosives. Smokeless powder, ballistite.
1888. Patent number 6560. Improved explosive. Nitrocellulose as additives to explosives.
1888. Patent number 10722. Improvement of explosive.
1889. Patent number 568. Improved means to prevent ignition and to retard combustion.
1889. Patent number 1988. Method of preparing explosives for use.
1889. Patent number 4479. Improvement of method to prepare explosives.
1889. Patent number 9361. Improvement of method to prepare explosives.
1889. Patent number 12307. Improvement of method to prepare and use of explosives. Production of rifle cartridge or canon charges of smokeless powder.
1889. Patent number 14678. Improvement of bullet cartridges and weapons for the same.
1890. Patent number 6021. Improvement of the rifle. Ways to prevent overheating of the bore of machine-guns.
1891. Patent number 11212. Improved method to generate compressed gas for motor operation.
1891. Patent number 1891. Improved method to provide effervescence under pressure to obtain motor fuel.
1893. Patent number 11645. Explosive.
1893. Patent number 020234. Artificial rubber.
1893. Patent number 020467. Improving safety fuses for mines and similar purposes.
1894. Patent number 15914. Improvement of the production of artificial rubber, gutta-percha and leather.
1895. Patent number 11346. Improvement of forging of drilled metal subjects.
1895. Patent number 12384. Improvement of gas seal around projectiles.
1895. Patent number 15294. Construction of fuzes for projectiles.
1896. Patent number 6431. Improvement of explosives. Method to lower explosion temperature of explosives.
1896. Patent number 10118. Improved method of making photographic maps or measurements of land.
1896. Patent number 14000. Improvement of war rockets, means for maintaining or increasing the initial velocity.
American patent certificate for one of Alfred Nobel’s inventions
The National Archives, Stockholm