Non-U.S. Roller coaster patents are found on the non-U.S. patent page.
This list is not complete, and a few of the rides listed are not roller coasters. Small-scale coaster-like rides (backyard coasters) are grouped in a separate list on this page. Most gravity water ride patents are found on the water ride page, while alpine slides and some additional gravity ride patents are found on the other rides page.
Each patent link will open in a new window.
| patent number | issue date | inventor/ assignee | patent title [comment] | google link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95095 | 9/1869 | De Bodisco & De Rivera | Artificial sliding hill | 95095 |
| 128674 | 7/1872 | Taylor | Improvement in inclined railways | 128674 |
| 198888 | 1/1878 | Knudsen | Inclined-Plane Railways | 198888 |
| 269554 | 12/1882 | Alexander | Artificial sliding hill | 269554 |
| 277625 | 5/1883 | Steel | Inclined plane and sled therefor [wheeled sled] | 277625 |
| 291261 | 1/1884 | Wood | Circular gravity-railway | 291261 |
| 298710 | 5/1884 | Stevens | Roller coasting device | 298710 |
| 307942 | 11/1884 | Hinkle | Gravity pleasure road | 307942 |
| 308795 | 12/1884 | Rankin | Coasting track [ice railway, closed circuit] | 308795 |
| 309689 | 12/1884 | Campbell | Tramway and car | 309689 |
| 310356 | 1/1885 | Alcoke | Roller coasting vehicle | 310356 |
| 310966 | 1/1885 | Thompson | Roller coasting structure | 310966 |
| 314626 | 3/1885 | Stoddard & Terwilliger | Roller coasting device | 314626 |
| 315555 | 3/1885 | Root | Elevated railroad | 315555 |
| 315640 | 4/1885 | Kramer | Incline railway [car elevating mechanism] | 315640 |
| 316512 | 4/1885 | Yearick | Gravity Railway | 316512 |
| 317273 | 5/1885 | Alcoke | Gravity railway | 317273 |
| 318025 | 5/1885 | Pusey | Artificial coasting or sledding course | 318025 |
| 318026 | 5/1885 | Pusey | Artificial coasting course | 318026 |
| 322594 | 7/1885 | Geber | Parabolic railway and car, &c. | 322594 |
| 332762 | 12/1885 | Thompson | Gravity switch back railway | 332762 |
| 348798 | 9/1886 | Thompson | Pleasure cable railway | 348798 |
| 357790 | 2/1887 | Schaefer | Marine boat slide | 357790 |
| 363914 | 5/1887 | Roger | Toboggan slide [rollers on trackway] | 363914 |
| 366232 | 7/1887 | McCullough | Toboggan slide [rollers on trackway] | 366232 |
| 367286 | 7/1887 | Floyd/ Jackman | Sliding hill and toboggan therefor | 367286 |
| 368515 | 8/1887 | Chadeayne | Toboggan [wheeled, with guide rollers] | 368515 |
| 372306 | 11/1887 | Fenton | Combined sliding and roller coaster | 372306 |
| 373439 | 11/1887 | Campbell | Tramway and car | 373439 |
| 374736 | 12/1887 | Floyd | Sliding hill and toboggan to be used therewith | 374736 |
| 384843 | 6/1888 | Harrington | Inclined railway and water tobogganing apparatus | 384843 |
| 386123 | 7/1888 | Grant/ Grant & Brown | Toboggan slide | 386123 |
| 401734 | 4/1889 | Chadeayne | Toboggan [wheeled] | 401734 |
| 411255 | 9/1889 | Newburg | Coaster [shoot-the-chutes] | 411255 |
| 428977 | 5/1890 | Thompson | Pleasure railway, &c [mechanism for operating scene in tunnel] | 428977 |
| 429601 | 6/1890 | Bormann | Sinuous pleasure railway | 429601 |
| 430587 | 6/1890 | Merrill/ Haverhill Roller Toboggan | Roller toboggan slide and toboggan car [guide wheels] | 430587 |
| 432271 | 7/1890 | Harman | Trolley toboggan | 432271 |
| 434554 | 8/1890 | Bormann | Sinuous pleasure railway | 434554 |
| 438414 | 10/1890 | Guerra | Artificial toboggan slide | 438414 |
| 450609 | 4/1891 | Bormann | Sinuous pleasure railway and toboggan slide [racing] | 450609 |
| 450658 | 4/1891 | Bormann | Pleasure railway | 450658 |
| 450659 | 4/1891 | Bormann | Car or vehicle for pleasure railways, toboggan slides, &c. | 450659 |
| 450660 | 4/1891 | Bormann | Sinuous pleasure railway | 450660 |
| 450661 | 4/1891 | Bormann | Gripping mechanism for cars or vehicles, &c | 450661 |
| 452791 | 5/1891 | Jackman | Power and gravity railway [suspended] | 452791 |
| 456438 | 7/1891 | Shaw | Sliding hill and carriage to be used therewith [wheel and track arrangement; elevator] | 456438 |
| 468553 | 2/1892 | Shaw | Sliding hill or chute for carriages | 468553 |
| 470220 | 3/1892 | Thompson | Pleasure railway and car therefor | 470220 |
| 474351 | 5/1892 | Smith | Coasting railway | 474351 |
| 475081 | 5/1892 | Guerra | Toboggan slide | 475081 |
| 477059 | 6/1892 | Maxwell | Gravity railway | 477059 |
| 513570 | 1/1894 | Grant | Roller toboggan | 513570 |
| 518224 | 4/1894 | Cawdery | Gravity railway [steeplechase] | 518224 |
| 520248 | 5/1894 | Thompson | Toboggan slide [coaster with ice track] | 520248 |
| 522025 | 6/1894 | Morris | Toboggan slide | 522025 |
| 527990 | 10/1894 | Idler | Electric and gravity pleasure railway | 527990 |
| 528224 | 10/1894 | Grant | Roller toboggan | 528224 |
| 535938 | 3/1895 | Boyton | Coaster [shoot-the-chutes] | 535938 |
| 548159 | 10/1895 | Griffiths/ Landis | Car shifting appliance for pleasure railways | 548159 |
| 549635 | 12/1895 | Griffiths/ Landis | Pleasure coasting course | 549635 |
| 561169 | 6/1896 | Murray & Cole | Clutch for toboggan cars [roller toboggan] | 561169 |
| 571812 | 11/1896 | Vogt/ Landis | Gripping mechanism for cars | 571812 |
| 572111 | 12/1896 | Griffiths | Combined electric and gravity pleasure railway | 572111 |
| 577152 | 2/1897 | Vogt/ Landis | Truck and gripping mechanism for railway cars | 577152 |
| 577549 | 2/1887 | Griffiths | Gravity and cable pleasure railway | 577549 |
| 577550 | 2/1897 | Griffiths | Electric and gravity pleasure railway | |
| 592648 | 10/1897 | Downey | Pleasure railway [suspended] | 592648 |
| 593413 | 11/1897 | Cawdery | Carriage for gravity railways [steeplechase improvement] | |
| 594700 | 11/1897 | Lilley | Electric pleasure railway [Tower Railway] | 594700 |
| 602442 | 4/1898 | Grant | Roller toboggan [automatic cable grip] | 602442 |
| 608787 | 8/1898 | Murrey | Gravity railroad | 608787 |
| 609164 | 8/1898 | Prescott | Roller coaster [vertical loop] | 609164 |
| 620321 | 2/1899 | Holcomb | Pleasure railway | 620321 |
| 620415 | 2/1899 | Campbell | Pleasure car for gravity railways, &c. [rolling barrel] | 620415 |
| 634669 | 10/1899 | Moritz & Moritz | Gravity coaster [suspended] | 634669 |
| 637775 | 11/1899 | Funk | Pleasure railway [suspended] | |
| 638720 | 12/1899 | Hutchinson | Racing trolley track | 638720 |
| 665763 | 1/1901 | Thompson | Pleasure railway | 665763 |
| 665764 | 1/1901 | Thompson | Gravity or pleasure railway [third rail: Auto Spectacular Railway] | 665764 |
| 667455 | 2/1901 | Prescott | Centrifugal railway | 667455 |
| D34219 | 3/1901 | Morris | Track or way for amusement railways | D34219 |
| D34293 | 3/1901 | Morris | Track or way for amusement railways | D34293 |
| 674750 | 5/1901 | Walter | Pleasure railway [suspended] | 674750 |
| D34633 | 6/1901 | Morris | Track or way for amusement railways | D34633 |
| D34634 | 6/1901 | Morris | Track or way for amusement railways | D34634 |
| D34635 | 6/1901 | Morris | Track or way for amusement railways | D34635 |
| 676190 | 7/1901 | Hutchinson | Racing trolley track | 676190 |
| 678243 | 7/1901 | Green/ American Construction | Amusement railway [noncircular vertical loop] | 678243 |
| 687370 | 11/1901 | Douglass | Scenic railway [suspended] | 687370 |
| 699960 | 5/1902 | Lachase | Pleasure railway [suspended steeplechase] | 699960 |
| 702982 | 6/1902 | Merrill | Toboggan slide [racing] | 702982 |
| 706467 | 6/1902 | Wegner | Sack race structure [gravity] | 706467 |
| 709764 | 9/1902 | Hall | Illusion apparatus [aerial scenic railway] | 709764 |
| 712570 | 11/1902 | Myers/ Myers Amusement | Pleasure railway [cannon coaster] | 712570 |
| 712587 | 11/1902 | Pfuntner & Cole/ American Scenic Railway and Amusement Company | Scenic railway [single track coaster] | 712587 |
| 712707 | 11/1902 | Myers | Pleasure railway [cannon illusion] | 712707 |
| 712708 | 11/1902 | Myers/ Myers Amusement | Pleasure railway | 712708 |
| 713737 | 11/1902 | Boyce | Amusement apparatus [scenic coal mine] | 713737 |
| 715959 | 12/1902 | Booraem & Howard | Illusion apparatus [for pleasure railway] | 715959 |
| 716285 | 12/1902 | St. Clair/ Elevated Whirling Scenic | Amusement apparatus [suspended, rotating seat] | 716285 |
| 716427 | 12/1902 | Jontz & Gault | Roller coaster | 716427 |
| 721094 | 2/1903 | Robinson | Amusement apparatus | |
| 721631 | 2/1903 | Brown | Amusement apparatus [steeplechase improvement] | 721631 |
| 723525 | 3/1903 | Hagen | Centrifugal amusement way [planar vertical loop] | 723525 |
| 723559 | 3/1903 | Truitt | Pleasure railway | 723559 |
| 726282 | 4/1903 | Gilman | Race track amusement apparatus | 726282 |
| 728246 | 5/1903 | Kremer | Exhibition apparatus [vehicle in form of rolling ball] | 728246 |
| 733359 | 7/1903 | Welsh/ United States Celestrial Paradise | Illusion device [for gravity scenic railway] | 733359 |
| 737409 | 8/1903 | Jackman | Inclined railway | 737409 |
| 737410 | 8/1903 | Jackman | Car [for inclined railway] | 737410 |
| 737753 | 9/1903 | Maguire | Amusement apparatus | 737753 |
| 739789 | 9/1903 | Myers/ Myers Amusement | Pleasure railway [cannon with gap] | 739789 |
| 743168 | 11/1903 | Jackman | Railway | 743168 |
| 743169 | 11/1903 | Jackman | Car coupling | 743169 |
| 743170 | 11/1903 | Jackman | Railway | 743170 |
| 745854 | 12/1903 | Jackman | Locking device for seat guards | 745854 |
| 745855 | 12/1903 | Jackman | Track and car | 745855 |
| 745962 | 12/1903 | Jackman | Safety device for inclined railways [anti-rollback levers on lift hill] | 745962 |
| 746467 | 12/1903 | Crane | Pleasure railway [dueling] | 746467 |
| 749130 | 1/1904 | Floyd | Toboggan slide | 749130 |
| 749676 | 1/1904 | Jackman | Inclined railway [racing] | 749676 |
| 749677 | 1/1904 | Jackman | Inclined railway [racing] | 749677 |
| 749691 | 1/1904 | Jackman | Brake mechanism for inclined railways | 749691 |
| 750242 | 1/1904 | Jackman | Railway | 750242 |
| 750246 | 1/1904 | Beecher/ Beecher Construction | Pleasure railway | 750246 |
| 752450 | 2/1904 | Hamell/ Hammell Amusement | Amusement device | 752450 |
| 755158 | 3/1904 | Morgan | Scenic pleasure railway | 755158 |
| 757487 | 4/1904 | McLaughlin | Roller coaster | 757487 |
| 759053 | 5/1904 | Whittemore | Carriage for roller coasters | 759053 |
| 762022 | 6/1904 | Brown | Pleasure railway [Backety-Back] | 762022 |
| 766105 | 7/1904 | Floyd | Gravity railway | 766105 |
| 769490 | 9/1904 | Rosenberger | Car for scenic railways | 769490 |
| 771322 | 10/1904 | Pattee/ Planets | Ball coaster | 771322 |
| 774348 | 11/1904 | Campbell | Coaster | 774348 |
| 776807 | 12/1904 | Shaules | Amusement apparatus [slide] | 776807 |
| 777309 | 12/1904 | Riddle & Shuck | Pleasure railway | 777309 |
| 777497 | 12/1904 | Cooper | Scenic railway | 777497 |
| 780049 | 1/1905 | Maguire | Amusement apparatus [slide] | 780049 |
| 780345 | 1/1905 | Jackman | Brake mechanism for inclined railways | 780345 |
| 780346 | 1/1905 | Jackman | Railway track and car | 780346 |
| 780347 | 1/1905 | Jackman | Car-stopping device for inclined railways | 780347 |
| 780348 | 1/1905 | Jackman | Inclined railway [lift improvement] | 780348 |
| 783368 | 2/1905 | Day | Gravity railway [racing] | 783368 |
| 784329 | 2/1905 | Jackman | Inclined railway | 784329 |
| 788980 | 5/1905 | Wilmouth | Spiral railway | 788980 |
| 789946 | 5/1905 | Turpin | Amusement apparatus | 789946 |
| 793333 | 6/1905 | Weaver | Chain dog | 793333 |
| 793471 | 6/1905 | Thomas & Kirkpatrick | Amusement device [moving scenery] | 793471 |
| 795483 | 7/1905 | Christensen & Christensen | Amusement device [suspended] | 795483 |
| 803465 | 10/1905 | Bernheisel | Amusement device | 803465 |
| 803679 | 11/1905 | Ensign | Pleasure railway [suspended] | 803679 |
| 807933 | 12/1905 | Jackman | Car coupling | 807933 |
| 811998 | 2/1906 | Benedict | Amusement apparatus | 811998 |
| 814939 | 3/1906 | Cerruti | Amusement railway | 814939 |
| 815210 | 3/1906 | Pattee | Spherical amusement vehicle | 815210 |
| 815986 | 3/1906 | Taylor & Hoard | Pleasure railway | 815986 |
| 817699 | 4/1906 | Fageol | Inclined suspended railway | 817699 |
| 817940 | 4/1906 | Strickler/ Federal | Inclined railway [chain dog variant] | 817940 |
| 819808 | 5/1906 | Sands/ Thompson Scenic | Electric block signal for railways | 819808 |
| 825431 | 7/1906 | Thompson | Pleasure railway [Dragon's Gorge] | 825431 |
| 827313 | 7/1906 | Lauster & Pounds | Pleasure railway [underwater tunnel] | 827313 |
| 833762 | 10/1906 | J. Thompson | Gravitation railroad | 833762 |
| 833835 | 10/1906 | Huntley | Gravity railway [suspended] | 833835 |
| 835662 | 11/1906 | Bruen | Inclined railway [ice track] | 835662 |
| 838071 | 11/1906 | Beisel | Amusement apparatus | 838071 |
| 839024 | 12/1906 | Nelson | Aerial tramway [gravity descent] | 839024 |
| 843420 | 2/1907 | Strickler/ Federal Construction | Running gear for vehicles | 843420 |
| 844116 | 2/1907 | Francovich | Amusement device [passenger-powered & gravity ride] | 844116 |
| 845967 | 3/1907 | Moskovitz | Amusement device | 845967 |
| 846207 | 3/1907 | Jackman | Railway | 846207 |
| 846208 | 3/1907 | Jackman | Railway | 846208 |
| 846209 | 3/1907 | Jackman | Railway | 846209 |
| 846210 | 3/1907 | Jackman | Brake mechanism for inclined railways | 846210 |
| 847304 | 3/1907 | Allen | Toboggan slide [portable; rollers on track] | 847304 |
| 850136 | 4/1907 | Cole/ Altro Park | Amusement riding device [suspended] | 850136 |
| 858624 | 7/1907 | Reckweg | Pleasure railway [oscillating motion imparted by guide rail] | 858624 |
| 862607 | 8/1907 | Bragg | Pleasure railway | 862607 |
| 866680 | 9/1907 | Plotner | Amusement apparatus [castered car] | 866680 |
| 867765 | 10/1907 | Strickler | Automatic steering mechanism for vehicles [gravity or other] | 867765 |
| 869083 | 10/1907 | Hebig | Amusement device [spherical vehicle] | 869083 |
| 869846 | 10/1907 | Jackman | Brake mechanism for inclined railways | 869846 |
| 869847 | 10/1907 | Jackman | Safety device for inclined railways [anti-rollback improvement] | 869847 |
| 869848 | 10/1907 | Jackman | Locking device for seat guards | 869848 |
| 869849 | 10/1907 | Jackman | Brake mechanism for inclined railways | 869849 |
| 870089 | 11/1907 | Ellis | Railway | 870089 |
| 870489 | 11/1907 | Bourke | Amusement device [auto-whirl] | 870489 |
| 871643 | 11/1907 | Shaw | Pleasure railway [water brake] | 871643 |
| 872253 | 11/1907 | Riehl | Amusement apparatus [Virginia Reel] | 872253 |
| 873570 | 12/1907 | Mangels & Brewster | Amusement apparatus [Tickler] | 873570 |
| 877100 | 1/1908 | Lockwood | Pleasure railway | 877100 |
| 879615 | 2/1908 | Enochs | Amusement device [scenic railway] | 879615 |
| 881000 | 3/1908 | Jackman | Switch for pleasure railways | 881000 |
| 881788 | 3/1908 | Garner & Schmidt | Pleasure railway [suspended] | 881788 |
| 884594 | 4/1908 | Lacomme | Scenic railway [tilting track illusion] | 884594 |
| 886958 | 5/1908 | Dewey | Amusement railway [tilt controlled by additional rail] | 886958 |
| 888111 | 5/1908 | Morrissey | Pleasure railway [rollers on track] | 888111 |
| 888881 | 5/1908 | Geores | Pleasure railway [castered tub] | 888881 |
| 895256 | 8/1908 | Goudron | Amusement coaster [with undulating surface] | 895256 |
| 895427 | 8/1908 | Church | Pleasure railway | 895427 |
| 895428 | 8/1908 | Church | Pleasure railway car | 895428 |
| 895946 | 8/1908 | Biavati | Device for handling amusement cars [car elevator] | 895946 |
| 896430 | 8/1908 | Bishop & Down/ Auto-Conveyors | Amusement apparatus of the gravity railway type [with car-leveling lift] | 896430 |
| 898739 | 9/1908 | Hooker | Aerial railway | 898739 |
| 904953 | 11/1908 | Hamilton & Mellre | Amusement device | 904953 |
| 906732 | 12/1908 | McDonagh & Reynolds | Amusement apparatus | 906732 |
| 909953 | 1/1909 | Smith | Amusement device [lift for toboggans] | 909953 |
| 913046 | 2/1909 | Paul | Pleasure railway | 913046 |
| 914058 | 2/1909 | Martyne | Railway or track for purposes of amusement [racing] | 914058 |
| 915382 | 3/1909 | Rehling | Pleasure railway [variable rail gauge] | 915382 |
| 916157 | 3/1909 | Jackman | Locking device for seat guards | 916157 |
| 919352 | 4/1909 | &n |