User:Mary Jones De Leon/sandbox

Personal life
Mary Jones Deleon was born on May 5th, 1838 and died on May 23, 1914. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland where she lived most of her life until her death where she is now buried at the Westview Cemetary, Atlanta, Fulton Country, Georgia. Not much is known about her personal life, but what we do know is that she helped pave the way for future African American innovators to try to get equal treatment within the U.S. Patent acquisition process.

DeLeon's "Cooking Apparatus"
Mary Jones DeLeon set the groundwork for one of the most important pieces of equipment many businesses who sell food or cater take for granted. This being the Steam Table. Most restaurants, Buffet's and catering services for any gathering where food will need to be kept use Steam Tables. DeLeon's invention consisted of a large storage container for water which provided steam to the food which would be kept warm by an overhead lamp which provided dry heat. Her Patent, U.S. Patent No. 140,253 states that "The Nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of an apparatus for heating food by dry heat and steam at one time, and which apparatus may also be used for cooking, as will be hereinafter more fully set fort. ... At the same time as the dry heat from the lamp is used, the steam arising from the Water in the reservoir relieves the dryness of the heat and prevents the articles of food on the plates E from becoming scorched or otherwise injured. By placing the lamp B on its seat in the reservoir, and substituting a solid plate for the plate D, this apparatus may also be used for cooking, if so desire. The whole apparatus is covered by a lit."

The Revolution of the Cooking Apparatus
DeLeon's cooking apparatus unfortunately did not become as popular as one might imagine. Most likely because of racism during the time period as well as the control of women, Her innovation went largely unknown and did not really develop to be the most popular innovation of its time.