Answer to marking plate quiz

I made a quick collage that might provide a few more hints. If you’ve given up, view the patent here.

The marked device is the lowly restroom hand dryer. The patent has long since expired, but hand dryers bearing the number are everywhere. Is this a testament to the durability of the machine, or are new machines being marked with an expired patent? This online catalog shows a current model for sale that sure seems to have the same marking plate on it….

Now for some blog fun…

The hand dryer marking plate is frequently vandalized, often in a manner that mocks the simplicty of the operating instructions printed on the plate (”Push Button, Rub hands gently under warm air, Stops automatically”). Blog posts detailing some of the more popular variations of hand dryer vandalism are here and here.

A blog entry praising the simplicity of the listing of benefits of using hand dryers, which appears on some variations of the marking plate, is here.

You’ll probably never look at a hand dryer the same again…