 The first patent registered altogether was in 1584 by Simon Stevin for an unspecified form of water mill (probably to pump water out of a polder).Stevin's later patents were all based on mill technology, and he described his requests with mathematical explanations.He was granted nine patents in 1589, including one for the ""molengang"", which enabled the use of a stepped series of water mills to be used for creating polders.