The company filed a patent, but once it was approved, they kept it open to make the world a safer place
When it comes to inventions, the majority of inventors throughout mankind's history filed patents so that their inventions could not be used for free. However, some have been selfless—either they did not file a patent and made the invention public along with the process, or some filed a patent but kept it open.
In this trivia, check out an invention that saved countless lives. The inventor kept the patent open for the world to use it free of cost.
Before 1959, cars worldwide had a two-point seat belt system, which simply wasn't effective enough to save lives.
In 1959, a lesser-known engineer at car manufacturer Volvo named Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seatbelt system.
Realising how effective the three-point seat belt system was at saving lives, Volvo filed a patent but kept it open. In short, the idea and technology were shared with every automobile maker to make the world a safer space.
Volvo upgraded all its bus models with the three-point seatbelt system in the 1990s, but unfortunately, several buses still do not offer the system as standard today.
In 2019, the company celebrated the 60th anniversary of Bohlin's revolutionary invention.
