Inventor Name
Hunsicker, Jackson
Repository
Hagley Museum and Library
PO Box 3630
Wilmington, DE 19807-0630
302-658-2400
https://www.hagley.org/research
Physical Description
0.8 linear ft. mixed material, videorecording
Summary
Jackson Hunsicker was born in Philadelphia, Pa., on May 14, 1948. She earned a B.F.A. in film from New York University and worked in Hollywood as a writer and director in films and television. She also invented the "Memo Mate," which she patented in the fall of 1993. The Memo Mate made use of newly available microchip technology that enabled it to record and store up to twenty seconds of audio on a device not much bigger than a business card. It made its debut shortly after, with commercials beginning in 1994. The Memo Mate spent about a year on the market, selling near 10 million units. It even found its way into a skit on the David Letterman Show. However, it was soon rendered obsolete by rapidly evolving personal communications technology. Ms. Hunsicker’s papers on the patenting and marketing of Memo Mate document the typical process and pitfalls of patenting and marketing by a lone inventor. The collection consists of the legal correspondence of Ms. Hunsicker’s patent application process and subsequent contractual disputes, along with schematics and designs, and possible names and logos. The collection is filed in one series titled Memo Mate. The Memo Mate series is divided into three sub-series: Legal Correspondence, Patent Process, and Marketing. All of the correspondence in the collection is filed chronologically in descending order. The collection also include two VHS tapes and DVDs. The tapes and DVDs feature a Memo Mate commercial and an appearance by the product on the David Letterman show.
