The products that Mary Kenner invented continued to be used — in modified and evolved forms — after her patents expired.

The specific designs she patented were not always the designs that went on to define their product categories, but the problems she addressed were real and the design solutions she developed contributed to the broader conversation about how to solve them.

The walker attachment concept — a carrier or tray that allows people using walkers to transport objects without using their hands — is a product category that continues to exist and to be sold.

The specific designs available today differ from Kenner’s 1966 patent in their details but address the same fundamental problem.