The USPTO granted Makotronics Enterprises Inc. Patent No. 10178713 for a thermoelectrically powered portable light source, naming Ann and Arthur Makosinski as inventors.
On January 8, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Patent No. 10,178,713 for a thermoelectrically powered portable light source to Makotronics Enterprises Inc., the company founded around Ann Makosinski's inventions, with Ann Makosinski and Arthur Makosinski listed as inventors.
This was the second U.S. patent granted to Makosinski related to her thermoelectric flashlight technology, following the 2017 grant of Patent No. 9,723,659. The new patent, stemming from a 2017 application, covered refinements and additional embodiments of the core thermoelectric generator technology that converts body heat into usable electrical power for portable lighting.
Having two granted U.S. patents by her early twenties placed Makosinski among a small number of young women inventors with a substantive, protected technology portfolio in the clean energy and consumer electronics space. This achievement was significant not only technically, but symbolically, reinforcing her role as a role model for girls and young women pursuing STEM careers, particularly in engineering and physics, fields where women remain underrepresented among patent holders.
The 2019 patent grant was highlighted in a CNN report later that year, which noted that Makosinski had successfully secured two patents for her technology and had begun applying it to a line of children's toys focused on environmental stewardship, extending the impact of her invention beyond flashlights into educational and consumer products.