USPTO Monthly Review -- July 2018

Over the course of six months in 1893, more than 27 million people from around the world came to Chicago when it hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition, a display of mechanical and cultural innovations to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' crossing of the Atlantic in 1492. 

Spread over 600 acres, the fair was a paradise in many respects, with pristine streets, well-mannered crowds, and the most advanced sanitary and transportation systems available at the time. Indeed, according to Erik Larson in The Devil in the White City, the exposition “was like getting a sudden vision of Heaven."

To learn more, read the remarks from USPTO Director Andrei Iancu.

Imagine yourselves in a small rural town in post-Civil War America. There are only dirt roads in this town, and only a handful of buildings. One building in particular is the focus of town. It holds the town’s main business. It is, in fact, a large woodshed—basically a long rectangle.

Inside, the wooden walls are lined with shelves full of tools and contraptions and bottles with various chemicals. In the middle, there are many workbenches with technicians tinkering busily on all sorts of devices, mostly new experiments. And in one corner, the main engineer is working by himself, hunched over at his desk poking and prodding at a complex mass of components.

To learn more, read the remarks from USPTO Director Andrei Iancu.

I was born in Romania in the late 1960s. I came to America in 1981 with my family, at the height of the Cold War. We arrived with very few personal possessions, and I spoke virtually no English. I attended public high school in California, and then public university for all of my degrees.

In the mid-1980s, I attended a ceremony just like this one, where I became a naturalized American citizen. That was a day I will never forget, just like you will not forget today.

In September 2017, President Trump nominated me to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In February 2018, the United States Senate voted unanimously to confirm my nomination.

My story is a testament to the true promise of this country, and the fundamental goodness of its people.

To learn more, read the remarks from USPTO Director Andrei Iancu.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced that 20 new law schools have joined the USPTO’s Law School Clinic Certification Program, and five currently participating law schools have added a second clinic program, during the 2016-2018 expansion. Eight law schools have joined both the patent and trademark portions of the program, five law schools have joined the patent portion of the program, and 12 law schools have joined the trademark portion of the program. The new law schools join the 43 law schools that were participating in the program, bringing the total number of participating law schools to 63.

To learn more, read the press release.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today issued U.S. patent number 10 million. More than just a number, patent 10 million celebrates the rich history and strength of the American intellectual property system dating back to the first U.S. patent, signed 228 years ago by George Washington on July 31, 1790, and issued to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash, an ingredient used in fertilizer.

(Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

To learn more, read the press release.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosted the annual meeting of the heads of the world’s five largest intellectual property offices, commonly referred to as the IP5. In addition to the USPTO, the members of the IP5 include the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO). Together, the five offices handle approximately 80 percent of the world’s patent applications.

To learn more, read the press release.

On June 19, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will issue patent number 10 million—a remarkable achievement for the United States of America and our agency. More than just a number, this patent represents one of ten million steps on a continuum of human accomplishment launched when our Founding Fathers provided for intellectual property protection in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of our Constitution.

Appropriately, patent number 10 million will be the first issued with a new patent cover design, which we unveiled in March at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. It was created by a team of USPTO graphic designers including Rick Heddlesten, Teresa Verigan, and led by Jeff Isaacs. Like the numerical milestone, the new cover design celebrates both how far we have come and the new frontiers we have yet to explore.

Read the blog by Director Andrei Iancu.

I recently joined several of the USPTO’s intellectual property (IP) attachés and the regional director of the USPTO’s Silicon Valley office, John Cabeca, in Seattle. We were there to meet with IP stakeholders, visit several leading companies in the region, and attend a series of meetings, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s 2018 Spring Meeting.

Certainly a highlight of our time in Seattle was the opportunity to tour the facilities of several Washington-based companies that have an acute awareness of the growing importance of protecting and enforcing their IP, both at home and abroad.

Read the blog by Director Andrei Iancu.

On June 19, the USPTO issued U.S. patent no. 10,000,000. These 10 million utility patents represent two centuries of breakthroughs that transformed the United States into the world’s innovation leader even as inventors from around the world have sought U.S. patent protection.

This special event at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History was a chance to hear from inventors, gain insights on the patent system, see rare original materials from the national collections, and join the USPTO as we celebrated 10 million U.S. patents,

Panelists discussed the importance of patents to the work of inventors and explore how, over the past 200 years, inventions have moved from basements, garages, and university, government, and industrial labs to everyday use. Yet, women and minorities have been dramatically underrepresented in the invention and innovation ecosystems. The panel discussed what is changing about who invents and what is needed to unleash greater creativity across the United States and world.

To learn more, watch the archived event stream.

On June 12, Deputy Commissioner for Patent Quality Valencia Martin Wallace held the sixth Patent Quality Chat in the 2018 webinar series titled “Best Practices Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board”

Long time PTAB Judges Kalyan Deshpande, Susan Mitchell, and Michael Zecher provided an explanation of Board jurisdiction, rules, and proceedings. The PTAB Judges then lead a discussion regarding practice tips for successful oral and written advocacy in the PTAB forum. 

Patent Quality Chat is a monthly, lunchtime webinar series designed to provide information on patent quality topics and to gather public input.

To learn more about the May Patent Quality Chat, watch the archived event stream or view the presentation slides. 

“Trump signs 10,000,000th patent for Raytheon employee”
Associated Press 

“US Patent and Trademark Office Issues 10-Millionth Patent”
Candace Williams, Voice of America

“The US Patent Office has issued 10 million patents”
Nilay Patel, The Verge

“Patents: A history of innovation”
CNN Tech

“An inventor himself, new PTO director prepares to sign nation's 10 millionth patent”
Tom Temin, Federal News Radio

“Alexandria museums get involved in PTO’s 10-millionth patent”
Jeff Clabaugh, WTOP

“10 million patents: Is this a great nation or what?”
Tom Temin, Federal News Radio

“New, stately design for U.S. patents reflects country’s history and spirit”
Reid Creager, Inventors Digest

“Jeff Isaacs: USPTO issues its 10 millionth patent”
Tom Temin, Federal News Radio

“Ten Million Patents...and Counting”
Smithsonian American Art Museum

“Camp Invention lets local students explore science and more”
Chelsea Katz, The Eagle