Thomas Edison was an inventor and businessman holding 1,093 U.S. patents to his name. Among his notable inventions are the incandescent light bulb, the motion picture camera, the phonograph, the nickel-iron battery, and mining technology. He also made significant improvements to the telegraph and the telephone. Edison applied the methodology of mass production to his inventions, which allowed for the creation of the first industrial research laboratory and a successful career as a manufacturer and entrepreneur.