Cecil,
I’m almost certain that, regardless of who owns the patent today, it was NCR Corporation that invented both carbonless paper and the subsequent technological breakthrough, the Scratch & Sniff.
Dayton Resident
tarheels, welcome to the boards. On what, other than your near certainty, do you base your deduction? It is customary to present some sort of citation, proofs, or line of reasoning when making such a statement.
The column in question is How do “scratch-‘n’-sniff” cards work?
A Google search turned up only one useful hit, but it’s a doozy (and may crash Windows):
Searching for 3M rather than NCR does yield a couple of hits - but they reference back to the Dope. Oops. :eek:
With reference to Cecil’s comment on foul reeks, our gas company periodically includes a scratch ‘n’ sniff card with the gas bill. Scratching it and sniffing familiarises the homeowner and his family with the smell of natural gas so that they can recognize it if there is a gas leak and can get out before the coming big boom.
What does natural gas smell like, you ask? Well, on its own it’s pretty much odourless, so the gas company helpfully adds mercaptins to create a noticable odour. What are mercaptins, you ask again? Well, they’re the chemical compounds which give skunk spray its delightful fresh spring scent. Scratching and sniffing one of these cards is a whole different experience from the usual perfume samples! 