John Standard

An improved refrigerator design was patented by African American inventor John Standard of Newark, NJ, on 7/14/1891 - U.S. patent #455,891 - See patent drawing left. John Standard was also granted U.S. patent #413,689 on 10/29/1889 for an oil stove.

In his patent for the refrigerator John Standard declared, "This invention relates to improvements in refrigerators; and it consists of certain novel arrangements and combinations of parts." This means that John Standard was saying that he had found a way to improve the design of a refrigerator that he looked at a existing refrigerator and made it better.

Contrary to popular folklore John Standard did not invent the very first refrigerator, however, every patent represents something that has not been done before and most utility patents are issued for what is called an "improvement." Improvements are the work of inventors and often it is the improved design that succeeds.