| This is an incomplete draft of a digital version of The Story of the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office, with significant additions. Special thanks
is given to The Office of Public Affairs, USPTO. This chronological listing
of the history of the Patent and Trademark Office has been out of print
since the printing done for the Bicentennial in 1990, and that was the 1988
version.
One of the major deficiencies of the paper copy was that there was no index. The digital version needs no index. The digital version is word searchable by going to "edit" and using the "find" function. For example, go to edit and search on "african" and one can quickly review every entry on this subject. Refinement of the document will include a review to ensure that key words are included in the text. I have amended the entry for "woman" to read-woman (women, female)-- to make the search feature user friendly. The intent of this effort is to make this handy reference guide available by bringing it up to date and having it reprinted. I have been very frustrated at the amount of time that it has taken me to get to this point with a rough incomplete draft. If you would like an update, please advise me. I am not at all settled on the form and layout of the document, if you have suggestions please share them. Perhaps you would like to contribute to the entry of the history for the past 10 years? Now for the part that makes this effort worthwhile! As a digital document it can be greatly expanded to include detail that we may never want to take the time to read but that we would greatly appreciate being able to retrieve information therefrom with a few keystrokes! Move this document to a personal folder in Outlook and perhaps also place it on your button bar or on your desktop. The document will always be ready and can be opened with only a few keystrokes. As this document is incomplete I would prefer that it not be widely disseminated at this time. (Now I need to get back to work on my time machine; it must be malfunctioning because my days always run out before I get finished.) Jim
The Story
"The Patent System added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius." Abraham Lincoln
On April 10, 1790, President George Washington signed the bill that laid the foundation of the modern American patent system. Three years earlier, at Philadelphia, the Constitutional Convention had given Congress the power… "to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." For over 200 years the patent system has encouraged the genius of hundreds
of thousands of inventors. It has protected inventors by giving them an
opportunity to profit from their labors, and it has benefited society
by systematically recording new inventions and releasing them to the public
after the inventors' limited rights have expired. In addition to issuing patents (including, since 1842, design patents; and since 1930, plant patents), the Office has, since 1870, been in charge of registering trademarks, of which more than 2,000,000 have been registered. The importance of trademarks in building up industrial recognition and goodwill cannot be overestimated. In its earlier days, the USPTO had on various occasions the responsibility for administering copyright matters, collecting and publishing agricultural information, and even collecting meteorological data. For some years, it was the custodian not only of the famous old Patent Office models-the delight of every visitor to Washington for many years-but also of the Declaration of Independence and other historical documents and relics. The patent system is the best, most workable method yet devised for protecting inventions, fostering industrial and technical progress, and ultimately giving to the world the benefits of the individual inventor's genius. By publishing and distributing copies of every U.S. patent, the USPTO has made available to the public the world's greatest scientific and mechanical library. The American patent system was the first to recognize by law the inherent right of an inventor to limited protection and to provide for the systematic examination of applications. It has become the model for the patent systems of numerous foreign countries. Truly, as Abraham Lincoln said, the patent system has added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius. Patents in the United States Before 1790 Before the Constitution of the United States was adopted, many of the
American colonies and states granted patents. The Massachusetts General
Court granted the first patent on this continent to Samuel Winslow in
1641 for a novel method of making salt. The same court granted the first
patent on machinery to Joseph Jenkes in 1646 for a mill for manufacturing
scythes.
On May 14, 1787, delegates from the various states met in Philadelphia to frame the Constitution of the United States. On August 18, 1787, both James Madison of Virginia and Charles Pinckney of South Carolina submitted proposals regarding the protection of inventors by means of patents. On September 5, 1787, the Convention adopted the clause concerning patents and copyrights. On September 11, 1787, the delegates signed the Constitution. Included in article 1, section 8, was the following provision: "Congress shall have power… to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." On March 4, 1789, government under the new Constitution began operations. On January 8, 1790, President Washington addressed the second session of the First Congress, meeting in New York City, urging the representatives to give "effectual encouragement… to the exertion of skill and genius at home." A week later a committee consisting of Edanus Burke of South Carolina, Benjamin Huntington of Connecticut, and Lambert Cadwalader of New Jersey was instructed to bring in separate bills on patents and copyrights. On February 16, 1790, this committee presented the patent bill, and after debate in the House and in the Senate it was passed. The Story of the Patent and Trademark Office 1790 Act of April 10, 1790 George Washington signs the first patent bill. For the first time in history, the intrinsic right of an inventor to profit from his or her invention is recognized by law. Previously, privileges granted to an inventor were dependent upon the prerogative of a monarch or upon a special act of a legislature. Now, if an inventor produces a patentable invention, his or her right to certain privileges is established. Among the Provisions of the Act: · The subject matter of a U.S. patent is defined as "any
useful art, manufacture, engine, machine, or device, or any improvement
thereon not before known or used." To apply for a patent a specification
and drawing, and-if possible-a model, must be presented. · The Patent Board is abolished, and the duty of granting patents
is placed upon the Secretary of State. September 1810 The Patent Office is assigned four rooms in the west wing
of Blodgett's Hotel, on the north side of E Street between 7th and 8th
Streets, N.W. The building, purchased and repaired by the government in
1810, was never used as a hotel, but rather housed the first theater in
Washington. Henry L. Ellsworth, Superintendent of Patents, July 1, 1835 to July
11, 1836; first Commissioner of Patents, July 11, 1836 to May 6, 1845. Vital Changes are made in the Patent Laws For a great many years this display of models was one of the greatest
tourist attractions in Washington. After 1880, however, models were no
longer required. In later years the historically most interesting of these
models were used for exhibition purposes by the Smithsonian Institution,
where they may be seen today. · An annual report is to be sent to Congress each January. 1837 A committee is formed to help replace the records lost in the fire. With the help of U.S. court clerks and owners of patents, a partial restoration of the records is made in the next few years. Nearly 10,000 name-and-date patents had been issued but only about 2,845
were restored. The restored files available in the USPTO files number
about 1,900. These original restored records are now at the National Archives
in College Park Maryland. 1959 William Darius Bishop, seventh Commissioner of Patents, May 23,
1859 to February 15, 1860. At 31, he is the youngest man ever appointed
to this post. July 1, 1862 Agriculture section of Patent Office is separated into a
new bureau.
· The office of Assistant Commissioner is created. The office
of First Assistant Commissioner is created by the Act of March 4, 1909;
an additional Assistant Commissioner is authorized by the Act of April
11, 1930. 1883 Herman Hollerith, a former Census clerk and MIT instructor, becomes an assistant patent examiner. He resigns within a year and applies for patents. He had been working on a method of tabulating census results with punched cards. The patents are granted, and the Census Bureau uses the cards for the 1890 census. September 23, 1884 Judy W. Reed may not have been able to sign her name,
but she may be the first African American woman to receive a patent. Signed
with an "X," Patent No. 305,474 is for a dough kneader and roller. 1897 Benjamin Butterworth, Commissioner of Patents for a second term
April 13, 1897 to January 16, 1898. Prior to his first service as Commissioner
in 1883, he served in the 47th Congress. He returned to Congress for three
additional terms from 1885 to 1891, being named Chairman of the House
Patents Committee in the 51st Congress. 1901 Frederick Innes Allen, twenty?sixth Commissioner of Patents, April 1, 1901 to May 31, 1907. November 19, 1901 Granville T. Woods receives Patent No. 687,098 for
a third rail to operate electrified railways. This African American inventor
from Columbus, Ohio, dedicated his life to developing a variety of inventions
relating to the railroad industry and held more than 60 patents. [who?]One supporter of the act states that "the production of a new plant often requires more patience, skill, ingenuity, resourcefulness, knowledge and observation than the making of a mechanical invention." November 11, 1930 Albert Einstein of Berlin, Germany receives, with his co-inventor, Patent No. 1,781,541 for "An Apparatus for Producing Refrigeration." August 18, 1931 Plant Patent No. 1 is issued to Henry F. Bosenberg, of New Brunswick, N.J., for "a climbing rose...characterized by its everblooming habit." 1932 Application and issue fees for patents are increased to $30. The Patent Office moves to the Department of Commerce Building, taking up over eight acres of office space. The task of moving the Patent Office records requires four months' time. The old Patent Office building is taken over by the Civil Service Commission. 1933 Conway P. Coe, thirty?third Commissioner of Patents, June 26, 1933 to June 15, 1945. July 1933 The Secretary of Commerce appoints a Patent Office Advisory Committee to assist him in matters of general policy. Loyd H. Sutton of Washington is the first chairman. The committee members include representatives of industry, general law, and patent law. 1934 Florence E. Allen of Ohio is appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and becomes the first woman to sit as a judge in patent cases. April 30, 1935 Patent No. 2,000,000 is issued to Joseph Ledwinka, Philadelphia, Pa., for Vehicle Wheel Construction. June 16, 1936 Design Patent No. 100,000 is issued. The centennial of the Patent Act of 1836 is celebrated. The Patent Office Society presents the Patent Office with a bronze bust of Thomas Jefferson. December 7, 1937 Alfred E. Ischinger of Mount Penn, Pa., receives the largest patent heretofore granted by the Patent Office. The patent, on "Uninterrupted Knitting of Shaped Fabrics," includes 170 sheets of drawings and 146 pages of specifications.
August 1939 Following the hearings before the Temporary National Economic Committee, when the Commissioner of Patents made various recommendations for changes in the patent laws, five acts designed to expedite the issuance of patents and to simplify the patent laws in certain respects are passed. One act changed the two year priority period to one year effective August 5, 1940, one year after the date of enactment; one act created a board of interference examiners to decide priority contests; one act authorized the Commissioner of Patents optionally to reduce the time for response to an Office Action to not less than 30 days; and one act abolished renewals and authorized delayed payment of a final fee. 1940 April 10, 1940 President F. D. Roosevelt, pursuant to a Resolution of Congress, designated this day as "Inventors' and Patent Day" to commemorate the sesquicentennial anniversary of the signing of the first patent act. Addresses of commemoration are made in the Senate by Senator Homer T. Bone and in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Charles Kramer and Fred A. Hartley, Jr. Many special celebrations including radio programs, dinners, and the like, are held in different parts of the country at about this time. The National Association of Manufacturers sponsors a series of "Modern Pioneer" dinners at which some 500 living American inventors are honored for their contributions to the progress and high standard of living of this country and presented with Modern Pioneer Awards. Under a commission set up by Congress, a National Patent Law Sesquicentennial Committee is formed. Dr. Charles F. Kettering is general chairman and Thomas Midgley, inventor of Ethyl gasoline, head of the executive committee; famous inventors and scientists are among its members. It stages, through employees of the Patent Office, a "Parade of Progress," an exhibit of modern inventions, in the Department of Commerce auditorium. The celebration is climaxed by a gigantic banquet at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. July 1, 1940 Congress passes an act giving the Commissioner of Patents temporary authority to order defense inventions to be kept secret. Amended from time to time, this authority is now a permanent part of the patent law. December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attacked. United States enters World War II. December 12, 1941 President F. D. Roosevelt, by executive order, establishes a National Patent Planning Commission to study the American Patent System and make recommendations for its improvement. The members appointed are Charles F. Kettering, Owen D. Young, Chester C. Davis, Edward F. McGrady and Francis P. Gaines. Three reports are issued, one in 1943 and two in 1945, even though operating funds are denied by Congress. January 31, 1942 The bulk of the Patent Office begins to move to Richmond, Va. All the examining divisions and many of the associated service divisions are moved leaving only a minor portion of the Patent Office in Washington. The Richmond branch of the Patent Office is located at 900 North Lombardy Street for the next five years. The staff of the Patent Office declines during the year, the number of assistant examiners dropping from 516 at the beginning to 430 at the end. The decline continues and the number of assistant examiners remains at slightly over 400 for the next three years. Many employees enter the armed services, the number in service reaching 250. November 10, 1943 Dr. Charles R. Drew, a black physician from Washington, D.C., is listed as assignee for Patent No. 2,301,710, "Apparatus for Preserving Blood." This method of preserving blood aided in the treatment of thousands of soldiers during World War II. He later becomes the first director of The American Red Cross Blood Bank. 1943 A patent exceeding in size the Ischinger patent of 1937 is granted to John H. Voss for Telephone System, No. 2,320,548; containing 174 sheets of drawings, 220 pages of specification, totaling 394 pages. 1945 Casper W. Ooms, thirty?fourth Commissioner of Patents, July 20, 1945 to September 9, 1947. September 2, 1945 Hostilities ended in the Pacific area; in the European area on May 8. January 1945 Some examining divisions are moved back to Washington. July 5, 1945 Act of Congress changes fee for printed copies of patents from 10¢ to 35¢. TRADEMARK ACT OF JULY 5, 1946 A new trademark law, commonly known as the Lanham Act, is enacted. This law, which came into effect on July 5, 1947, repealed prior trade mark laws and made a number of significant changes. Some of the changes are: provisions for registering service marks and certification marks; incontestability of trademark registrations under certain conditions; cancellation of registrations after the sixth year if an affidavit of use is not filed during the six years; and many others. Registrations under this Act are numbered beginning with 500,001 dated December 30, 1947; the last registration under the Act of 1905 was numbered 444,811 and dated June 19,1946. August 1, 1946 The Atomic Energy Act, for the control of atomic energy, becomes law. Inventions for the production of fissionable material and the military utilization of atomic energy are excluded from the scope of the patent law. August 8, 1946 Congress passes war moratorium legislation with respect
to patents. This act provides for the extension of times for doing various
acts in connection with patent September 1946 All the units of the Patent Office remaining in Richmond, Va., begin moving to temporary quarters at Gravelly Point outside Washington. The postwar surge in the number of patent applications filed results in 91,972 applications filed this year. The Patent Office begins recruiting additional staff to build up force depleted during the war. February 1947 The parts of the Patent Office at Gravelly Point begin moving back to the Department of Commerce Building. The entire Patent Office is together again, although scattered about the building and in very cramped quarters. August 6, 1947 In view of the peace treaties signed with Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania, legislation is enacted resuming normal patent relations with these countries. Nationals of Germany and Japan are also permitted to obtain patents in this country, but qualified to exclude inventions made during the war period. 1947 Lawrence C. Kingsland, thirty?fifth Commissioner of Patents, September 10, 1947 to December 1, 1949. June 30, 1948 Total number of patent applications pending in the Patent Office reaches 233,000, of which 148,000 are awaiting action by the examiner. The Office is far behind in its work, many of the examining divisions being over two years behind in reaching an application for action. 1948 Recruitment of additional staff continues, the number of assistant examiners is brought up to 780 by the end of the year, and the total personnel to 1970. March 1, 1949 New Patent Office Rules of Practice take effect. For the first time in over 50 years the Rules of Practice of the Patent Office are completely revised. A committee of Patent Office employees produced a draft that is published and the comments and suggestions of the public invited. A public hearing is held in September 1948 and the new rules promulgated on December 31. Besides changing the arrangement and language of the rules to make them easier to understand, a number of changes in procedure are introduced. 1949 John A. Marzall, thirty?sixth Commissioner of Patents, December 2, 1949 to February 3, 1953. 1950 June 30, 1950 An act providing for the extension of the term of patents of veterans of World War II is passed.. Under this act, that allowed one year to apply for an extension, 107 patents are extended; under an amendatory act of July 1, 1952, which enlarges the definition of "sole owner" to include the interest of a spouse, six additional patents are extended, making a total of 113 patents extended under the Veterans Patent Extension Act. Great progress is made in reducing the number of cases on hand and making the Office more current. At the beginning of the year five of the examining divisions are still over two years behind and 44 of the 70 divisions are over 15 months behind. At the end of the year not one examining division is over 13 months behind. At the beginning of the year there are135,000 applications on hand waiting action by the examiners, which number was reduced to 121,000 by the end of the year. 1951 Progress in catching up on the work continues. No examining division is over 10 months behind in reaching cases for action. The number of applications awaiting action by the examiners is 105,000.
In January 1950, the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives published a preliminary draft of a proposed revision of the patent laws, requesting suggestions and comments. This was widely circulated, and a bill, formulated after consideration of the response by the public, was introduced July 17. This bill in turn was widely' circulated and reintroduced in revised form April 18, 1951. Public hearings were held in June as a result of which the bill was further revised before being enacted. The new law came into effect on January 1, 1953. Despite some loss of staff, gains on the backlog continue. The number of applications on hand awaiting action by the examiner at the end of the year is 95,000 and no division is over nine months behind. 1953 Robert C. Watson, thirty?seventh Commissioner of Patents, February 18, 1953 to March 1, 1961. August 1, 1953 Mrs. Robert W. (Daphne) Leeds takes oath of office as Assistant Commissioner, being the first woman appointed to that position. August 23, 1954 Congress extends to Japanese and German nationals rights of priority and other benefits of the war moratorium legislation of August 8, 1946. August 30, 1954 Enactment of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 revises and replaces the first comprehensive law enacted in 1946. The Act makes important changes in patent provisions. The prohibition of the patenting of inventions in the production of fissionable materials is removed, but the prohibition of the patenting of atomic energy weapons is retained. September 1954 Secretary of Commerce Weeks announces formation of an Advisory Committee on Application of Machines to Patent Office Operations. The report of the Committee, recommending initiation of research and development on the subject, is published in December. The Patent Office has commenced study of the problems involved. October 12 to November 5, 1954 Exhibit of Electronic Inventions, the first in a series of exhibits illustrating technological advances made by inventors and companies inspired by the American Patent System, is held in the main lobby of the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C. This exhibit inaugurated a continuing annual program of affording a media through which industry could participate in bringing to the attention of the public the many mutual benefits enjoyed under the patent system and to generate better understanding of the incentives this system affords and the opportunities still available. Exhibitors have shown their inspiring displays at sales shows and conventions throughout the United States and thereby contributed further to public education concerning an important function of their National Government. March 10?16, 1955 A plant patent exhibit is presented at the National Capital Flower and Garden Show, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Plant Patent Act. In addition to patent matters, numerous varieties of growing flowers, fruits, and plants covered by patents obtained under this act are exhibited. May 11, 1955 A subcommittee of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary is granted by Senate Resolution 92, 84th Congress, authority and funds "for an examination and review of the administration of the Patent Office and of the statutes relating to patents, trademarks, and copyrights." The subcommittee made a preliminary report on January 30, 1956, and has continued its work under yearly resolutions of the Senate since that time. Over 50 papers dealing with facets of the investigation and work of the subcommittee have been printed. May 17, 1955 Patent No. 2,708,656 for "Neutronic Reactor" is issued on an application filed December 19, 1944, by Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard. June 1955 Reductions in appropriations for fiscal years 1953, 1954, and 1955 below the amounts for each preceding year, coupled with increased printing and salary costs, and increased filing of applications, result in the office falling behind in its work. By the end of June the total number of patent applications pending in the Office exceeds 220,000, of which 139,000 are awaiting action by the examiner. The average length of time between the filing of an application and the issuance of a patent is three years and six months. June 30, 1955 Congress appropriates $14 million for operation of the Patent Office for the fiscal year July 1, 1955 to June 30, 1956, the largest appropriation in history. The allowance of this amount approves expansion of the examining staff to initiate a program extending over a number of years to reduce the backlog of pending applications to a reasonable figure, perfect the classification of patents, and effectuate other improvements in Patent Office operations. May 28 through June 2, 1956 The International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (A.I.P.P.I.) holds for the first time in this country its biennial Congress. In addition to business meetings, the program includes tours of the Patent Office arranged and conducted by Patent Office employees for the foreign delegates and visitors. July 29, 1958 The National Aeronautics and Space Act imposes new functions and responsibilities upon the Patent Office with respect to inventions made in connection with research into problems of flight within and outside the earth's atmosphere. August 8, 1958 Congress enacts law creating a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in the Patent Office, and revising the appeal procedure with respect to trademarks. September 6, 1958 Act of Congress authorizes enlargement of Patent Board of Appeals to a complement of not to exceed 15 members. October 6?31, 1958 Robert C. Watson heads U.S. delegation to Lisbon Diplomatic Conference for Revision of International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. 1960 February 23, 1960 Patent exceeding in size the Voss patent of 1943, granted to Amos E. Joel, Jr., for Accounting System, No. 2,925,957; contains 354 sheets of drawings, 266 pages of specifications, 620 pages total (243 claims). 1961 David Lowell Ladd, thirty?eighth Commissioner of Patents, April
17,1961 to October 1, 1963. September 22, 1961 President Kennedy signs into law a resolution authorizing a celebration of the American Patent System. On the same day, he issues Proclamation No. 3434 relating to American Patent System Week (October 15, 1961). October 18 through 20, 1961 Celebration of the 125th anniversary of the July 4, 1836 Patent Act takes place. Program includes an industrial exhibit, seminars on the patent system and the modern economy, meetings on information retrieval with guests from foreign patent offices, tours of the Patent Office, luncheon meetings, and a gala dinner and reception. October 23 through 25, 1961 The International Patent Office Workshop on Information Retrieval is held in Washington and the continuing ICIREPAT (International Cooperation in Information Retrieval Among Examining Patent Offices) organization is created. January 4, 1962 The Lisbon 1958 Revision of the International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property comes into force in the United States. March 12, 1962 The Final Report of the Management Survey of the Patent Office, 1961?62, conducted under the auspices of the Civil Service Commission and under the direction of Earl W. Kintner, former Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, is submitted. One hundred seventy?nine formal recommendations are made. May 21, 1962 In line with the management survey report, an official responsible for research and development has for the first time been appointed to fill one of the three statutory assistant commissioner positions. Ezra Glaser, of Virginia, is sworn in on this date. October 10, 1962 The Drug Amendments Act authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, upon request from the Commissioner of Patents, to furnish information with respect to such questions relating to drugs as the Commissioner may submit concerning any patent application. November 1962 The Patent Office Academy, an advanced training program for new examiners, is inaugurated. The program aims to develop a well?trained examiner brought to maximum effectiveness in a minimum time; secure more uniform examining practice throughout the Office; and create close control of the quality of work done in the examining operation. Two classes of 60 examiners each, attending half?day sessions daily, completed the courses in May 1963. These groups included all examiners hired since September 1, 1961. March 1963 Automated Printing: Photocomposition of a new edition of the
roster of Attorneys and Agents Registered to Practice Before the U.S.
Patent Office, issued March 1963, is accomplished by using magnetic tape
storage and computer processing. This is the first pamphlet to be printed
by the Government Printing Office using this method, which by means of
electronic computers and automatic type setting equipment permits cheaper
and faster printing of certain public documents. October 12, 1963 President Kennedy's Memorandum and Statement of Government Patent Policy is issued (28 F. R. 10943). June 23, 1964 Jack S. Kilby received Patent No. 3,138,743 for "Miniaturized Electronic Circuits." Kilby's invention was the first of what we now call the integrated circuit. 1964 A private law was enacted authorizing the payment of $100,000 to
Frank B. Rowlett for cryptologic inventions that he had been unable to
patent because of their secret nature. July 1, 1964 New examining procedures designed ultimately to reduce the pendency period of patent applications and decrease the backlog of pending cases are instituted. Details of these procedures are set forth in Commissioner Brenner's address to the examining corps on June 8, 1964 (published June 23, 1964, 803 O. G. 896). 1965 Pursuant to item 9 of subsection (a) of section 41 of Public Law 89-83, the Office begins furnishing applicants free of charge, copies of the references cited by the examiner in Office actions. The automatic supplying of cited references to the applicant and the examiner enables the patent practitioner to begin work on a response promptly and obviates the need for the examiner to retrieve cited references for a second time. January 5, 1965 Design Patent No. 200,000 issues to Howard A. Richards and Jack L. Williams, Waukegan, III, assignors to Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, III., for Dispensing Container for Tablets. April?October, 1965 Commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of the Patent System. Meetings, conferences, and seminars are held with industry and bar representatives, foreign visitors, government officials participating; luncheons, receptions, and distinguished speakers address dinners. [check dates] April 8, 1965 By Executive Order 11215, a President's Commission
on the Patent System is established to make the first basic study of the
System since its creation in its present form in 1836. (30 F. R. 4661,
April 10, 1965). July 24, 1965 An Act of Congress effective October 25, 1965, increases substantially the fees chargeable by the Patent Office. 1965 The backlog is reduced, but pendency remains at slightly over three years. December 2, 1966 President Johnson releases the report of the President's Commission on the Patent System, which had been established April 8, 1965. The report considers the patent system as a whole and contemplates revision by means of a coordinated plan of interrelated recommendations. April 7, 1967 Movement of the Electrical Examining Operation from the Department of Commerce Building to quarters rented by the General Services Administration at Crystal Plaza (a new apartment?office shopping complex on U.S. Highway 1 in Arlington County, Virginia, between Washington and Alexandria) is commenced. Movement of other units and employees continues as construction of the facility advances. June 30, 1967 The largest number of invention patents in history, 70,028, are granted in fiscal year 1967. November 1967 Additional units of the Patent Office, including all the remainder of the patent examining operation, are moved to Crystal Plaza. The Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners, Solicitor, and other related units and their staffs occupy quarters November 13. June?July, 1968 Patent Office units are moved to Building 2 of Crystal Plaza, leaving only the patent files, record room, numerical set of foreign patents, and bindery shop still to be moved from the Commerce Building. 1968 At the end of the fiscal year, the backlog of pending patent applications is 189,909, the lowest since May 1954. 1969 William E. Schuyler, Jr., fortieth Commissioner of Patents, May 7, 1969 to August 25, 1971. September 3, 1969 Patent No. 3,400,371 issued with 495 sheets of drawings and 469 pages of specification, a larger number of total pages than any preceding patent. There are 16 joint inventors, Gene M. Amdahl, et al., assignors to International Business Machines Corp., New York, N.Y. 1970 1970 At the direction of President Nixon, a program of priority processing of applications relating to improvement of the environment is initiated on February 17, 1970. February 28, 1970 The Senate ratifies Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), signed at Stockholm on July 14, 1967; and Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of March 20, 1883, as revised at Stockholm on July 14, 1967. March 10, 1970 Patent No. 3,500,000, for Self?Adaptive Echo Canceller, is issued to John L. Kelly, Jr., deceased by Myldred P. Kelly, executrix, Berkeley Heights, N.J., and Benjamin F. Logan, Jr., Madison, N. J., assignors to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. May 25?June 17, 1970 Diplomatic Conference on the Patent Cooperation Treaty is held in Washington with 77 nations and 22 international organizations represented. The final draft of the treaty is signed on June 19 by 20 nations. The treaty remains open for signature until December 31, 1970. 1970 A record number of patent applications are received in fiscal year 1970. For the first time, the Patent Office receives over 100,000 applications for patents (100,573), and examination of 103,692 patent applications are completed. The average pendency is reduced by one month to 29 months. 1971 The Office of Technology Assessment and Forecast (OTAF) is established within the Patent Office. The mission of OTAF is to stimulate and enhance the useability of the U.S. patent file, and to assemble, analyze, and make available meaningful data about the file. January 4, 1971 The Patent Office establishes the Disclosure Document Program which permits inventors to deposit with the Office papers disclosing their inventions. The papers can be used as evidence in establishing dates of conception of the inventions. August 1971 The Patent Office installs an electronic security system in its public search facilities to avoid losses and to improve the integrity of its search files and patented files. December 28, 1971 Plant Patent No. 4,000 is granted to James C. Mikkelsen of Ashtabula, Ohio for a Poinsettia. 1972 Robert Gottschalk, forty?first Commissioner of Patents, January 7, 1972 to June 20, 1973. February 23, 1972 The United States ratifies the Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs. The agreement enters into force with respect to the United States on May 25, 1972. September 12, 1972 President Nixon forwards The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to the U.S. Senate for its advice and consent to ratification. October The Patent Office installs a computer?controlled data system to facilitate immediate public access to U.S. patent classification data. 1972 The average pendency time of a patent application was reduced from
29 to 25 months in February 11, 1973 The National Inventors Hall of Fame is founded to honor the Nation's inventors. Located in the Patent Office, it is co?sponsored by the National Council of Patent Law Associations. Thomas A. Edison is the first inductee into the Inventors Hall of Fame. May 17?June 12, 1973 The Diplomatic Conference on the Trademark Registration Treaty is convened in Vienna, Austria, where 56 nations, including the United States, sign the final text on June 12, 1973. May 22, 1973 The United States ratifies the substantive provisions of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of March 30, 1883, as revised at Stockholm on July 14, 1967. The substantive provisions enter into force with respect to the United States on August 25, 1973. The administrative provisions had been ratified in 1970. September 1, 1973 The Patent Office adopts the International Classification of Goods and Services, established under the Nice Agreement, as the primary system of trademark classification. December 21, 1973 The United States ratifies the Strasburg Agreement concerning the International Patent Classification System. The International Classification has been printed on U.S. patents as a secondary classification since the beginning of 1969. January 1974 The Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure is first published. 1974 C. Marshall Dann, the forty?second Commissioner of Patents, February 11, 1974?August 31, 1977. 1974 During fiscal year 1974, two new programs are instituted for the purpose of maintaining and improving the quality of the examination. First, a quality review program is established for evaluating the quality of a selected sample of patent applications prior to their issuance. Second, an experimental program is developed under which a sample of 2,000 applicants are invited to expose their patent applications to public protest proceedings prior to issuance. Average pendency time is reduced from 24 months in fiscal year 1973 to 22.4 months in fiscal year 1974. February 1974 Alexander Graham Bell, Eli Whitney, John Bardeen, William Bradford Shockley, and Walter H. Brattain are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Bell is inducted, posthumously, for his telegraphy (Patent No. 174,465); Whitney is inducted posthumously, for his cotton gin (Patent No. X ); Bardeen, Shockley, and Brattain are inducted for their semiconductor amplifier: three-electrode circuit element utilizing semiconductive materials (Patent Nos. 2,502,488 and 2,524,035). December 17. 1974 The one?millionth U.S. trademark is registered to Cumberland Packing Corporation of Brooklyn, New York for a simple G clef and staff design used on "Sweet'n Low." January 2, 1975 Public Law 93?596 changes the name of the "Patent Office" to the "Patent and Trademark Office" and the title "Commissioner of Patents" to the "Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks". January 2, 1975 Public Law 93?601 gives the Secretary of Commerce the authority to appoint Examiners?in?Chief. Positions of Examiners-in?Chief were previously presidential appointments. February 1975 William D. Coolidge, Guglielmo Marconi, Samuel F.B. Morse, Orville and Wilbur Wright, and Nikola Tesla are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Collidge is inducted for his vacuum tube (Patent No. 1,203,495); Marconi is inducted, posthumously, for transmitting electrical signals (Patent No. 586,193); Morse is inducted, posthumously, for improvement in the mode of communication by signals by the application of electro-magnetism (Patent No. 1,647); the Wright brothers are inducted, posthumously, for their flying machine (Patent No. 821,393); and Tesla is inducted, posthumously, for an electro-magnetic motor (Patent No. 381,968). November 26, 1975 Following enactment of legislation for implementing the Patent Cooperation Treaty on November 14, 1975 (Public Law 94?131), the treaty is ratified by the United States, and its instrument of ratification is deposited with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland. February 1976 Rudolf Diesel, Enrico Fermi, Charles Goodyear, Charles Martin Hall, Cyrus Hall McCormick, and Charles Hard Townes are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Diesel is inducted, posthumously, for his internal-combustion engine (Patent No. 608,845); Fermi is inducted posthumously, for the neutronic reactor (Patent No. 2,708,656); Goodyear is inducted, posthumously, for improvements in india-rubber fabrics (Patent No. 3,633); Hall is inducted, posthumously, for the manufacture of aluminum (Patent No. 400,665); McCormick is inducted, posthumously, for improvement in machines for reaping small grain (Patent No. X ); and Townes is inducted for the production of electromagnetic energy masers and maser communications system (Patent Nos. 2,879,439 and 2,929,922). December 28, 1976 Patent No. 4,000,000 is issued to Robert L. Mendenhall of Las Vegas, Nevada, for a "Process for Recycling Asphalt Aggregate Compositions." January 19, 1977 The Patent and Trademark Office adopts major changes in its regulations for examining patent applications. Patent owners are able to have the Office reexamine the patentability of their inventions by filing reissue applications when their original claims might be invalid. The regulations also require patent applicants to tell examiners information they know about which affects patentability, and make other changes to strengthen the reliability of issued patents. February 1977 The Patent and Trademark Office provides a new microflm center in the Public Search Room, with equipment to read and reproduce U.S. patent copies from microfilm in numerical sequence. February 1977 George Eastman, Lee DeForest, Edwin Herbert Land, Charles Proteus Steinmetz, and Vladimir Kisma Zworykin are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Eastman is inducted, posthumously, for a method and apparatus for coating plates for use in photography (Patent No. 226,503); DeForest is inducted, posthumously, for space telegraphy (Patent No. 879,532); Land is inducted, posthumously, for photographic product comprising a rupturable container carrying a photographic processing liquid (Patent No. 2,543,181); Steinmetz is inducted, posthumously, for a system of distribution by alternating curents (Patent No. 533,244); and Zworykin is inducted, posthumously, for the cathode-ray tube (Patent No. 2,139,296). March 1977 A computer system is installed for updating records in the Trademark Search Room. The system replaces a cumbersome procedure of hand stamping update information on paper copies of trademark registrations. Also, the computer provides information concerning the status and location of pending trademark applications. April 14, 1977 The Diplomatic Conference on a treaty concerning deposits of microorganisms in connection with patent applications is convened in Budapest, Hungary. Thirteen nations, including the United States, sign the final text on April 28, 1977. May 4, 1977 The Diplomatic Conference for the revision of the Nice Agreement concerning trademark classification is convened in Geneva, Switzerland. Fourteen nations, including the United States, sign the final text on May 13, 1978. May 1977 The First Annual Patent Depository Library Conference is held. Representatives from the 22 Depositories across the nation attend. Later in the year, new libraries are added in: Houston, Texas; Birmingham, Alabama; Seattle, Washington; Raleigh, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; and Dallas, Texas-bringing the total to 28. July 1977 The Patent and Trademark Office institutes a unique, high-speed system to reproduce patent copies from microfilm. The average pendency time of patent applications is reduced to the lowest level in many years-18.9 months. January 5, 1978 The number of Patent Depository Libraries across the nation is brought to 29 with the designation of a depository library in Lincoln, Nebraska. January 24, 1978 The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) enters into force. On the same date, Public Law 94?131, the PCT implementing legislation comes into force. This law also provides for the filing of multiple dependent claims in regular U.S. national applications. January 1978 The Patent and Trademark Office installs a new computer generated microfiche index of patentees and assignees. February 1978 Luis Walter Alvarez, Leo Hendrik Baekeland, Carl Djerassi, and Louis Pasteur are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Alvarez is inducted for a radio distance and direction indicator (Patent No. 2,480,208); Baekeland is inducted, posthumously, for a method of making insoluble products of phenol and formaldehyde (Patent No. 942,699); Djerassi is inducted for D4-19-NOR-17a-Ethinylandrosten-17b-OL-3-One and process (Patent No. 2,744,122); and Pasteur is inducted, posthumousely, for the improvement in brewing beer and ale (Patent No. 135,245). April 11, 1978 The Patent and Trademark Office signs an agreement to become an International Searching Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and is appointed as such by the PCT Assembly on April 14. June 1, 1978 The first international application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty is received in the United States Receiving Office. The Application was for "A Digital Time Division Switching Agreement" invented by William L. Arangwren, Sayreville, New Jersey, assignor to Western Electric Company, Inc. 1978 Donald W. Banner, forty?third Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, June 5, 1978 to June 30, 1979 October 9, 1978 The Diplomatic Conference for the revision of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants is convened in Geneva. Ten nations, including the United States, sign the final text on October 23, 1978. A large and unexpected increase occurs in the rate of trademark filings; filings are up 50 percent since 1975. December 1978 A Presidential Advisory Committee recommends the reliability of patent grants be improved by providing an adequate examining staff with modern search tools at the PTO, and a reexamination process to insure patentability of inventions has been considered in light of all prior printed publications 1979 Three more Patent Depository Libraries are added: Memphis, Tennessee; Sacramento, California; and University Park, Pennsylvania-bringing the total to 32. January 1979 A new computer system is installed. One of the most extensive on?line terminal networks in the federal government outside the Department of Defense is being designed to provide better information about the status and location of pending patent applications. February 11, 1979 The National Inventors Hall of Fame is dedicated at the 7th Annual Inventors Day celebration. Twenty?seven inventors have been inducted since 1973 with Dr. Robert Goddard (posthumously), Jay W. Forrester, Dr. Charles J. Plank, and Edward J. Rosinski added in 1979 bringing the total to 31. Goddard is inducted for a control mechanism for rocket apparatus (Patent No. 2,397,657); Forrester is inducted for a multicoordinate digital information storage device (Patent No. 2,736,880); and Plank and Rosinsky are inducted for a catalytic cracking or dydrocarbons with a crystalline zeolite catalyst composite (Patent No. 3,240,249). October 20, 1979 An Energy Fair to Commemorate Thomas A. Edison on the 100th Anniversary of the invention of the light bulb is held in the Patent and Trademark Office. Chief Judge Howard T. Markey, U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, delivers the keynote address. October 31, 1979 President Carter recommends legislation to strengthen and modernize the American patent system in order to encourage industrial innovation. 1979 Sidney A. Diamond, forty?fourth Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, November 29, 1979 to January 17, 1981. 1980 1980 The position of Assistant Commissioner for Finance and Planning is established. The incumbent is responsible for all planning and management in the areas of budget and finance. February 1980 Edwin Howard Armstrong, James Hillier, Charles Franklin Kettering, and Lewis Hastings Sarett are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Armstrong is inducted, posthumously, for a method of receiving high-frequency oscillations (Patent No. 1,342,885); Hillier is inducted for an electron lens correction device (Patent No. 2,455,676); Kettering is inducted, posthumously, for a device, engine starting: lighting and ignition system (Patent Nos. 1,150,523 and 1,171,055); and Sarett is inducted for a process of treating pregnene compounds (Patent No. 2,462,133). May 17?18, 1980 The 50th Anniversary of Plant Patents is celebrated. A seminar sponsored by the Bureau of National Affairs leads off the celebration. Kathleen K. Meserve is honored for her outstanding work as a hybridizer at the formal opening of the floral exhibition. June 16, 1980 The number of Patent Depository Libraries is brought to 33 with the designation of the University of New Hampshire Library as a depository. June 16, 1980 The United States Supreme Court in the landmark decision of Diamond v. Chakrabarty rules that a living microorganism is patentable. The decision makes life forms patentable for the first time except under the plant patent laws. 1981 Public Law 96?511, enacted in fiscal year 1981, allows a patent owner or competitor to request the PTO to "reexamine" an issued U.S. patent and rule whether it should be amended or canceled because of evidence of earlier work. February 8, 1981 The 9th Annual National Inventors Day celebration is held with the induction of Harold S. Black, Chester F. Carlson (posthumously), Charles Stark Draper, and Nicolaus August Otto (posthumously) bringing the total of inductees to 39. Black is inducted for a wave translation system (Patent No. 2,102,671); Carlson is inducted for electrophotography (Patent No. 2,297,691); Draper is inducted for a gyroscopic apparatus (Patent No. 2,752,790); and Otto is inducted for a gas-motor engine (Patent No. 365,701). 1981 Gerald J. Mossinghoff, forty?fifth Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, July 8, 1981 to January 21, 1985. July 24, 1981 Troy H. Middleton Library of Louisiana State University becomes the 37th Patent Depository. November 1981 California inventors for the 17th straight year lead the nation with 6,038 patents granted. A total of 71,010 patents issue with U.S. inventors receiving 43,194 and residents of foreign countries 27,816. December 2, 1981 A new computer search device is installed in the public search room of the Patent and Trademark Office to enable the public, for the first time, to automatically retrieve words and designs from the first page of any of 750,000 patents issued since 1971. January 19, 1982 The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston becomes the 38th Patent Depository Library. February 7, 1982 The 10th Annual National Inventors Exposition is held with the induction of Henry Ford (posthumously), Jack S. Kilby, Ernest O. Lawrence (posthumously), Ottmar Mergenthaler (posthumously,) and Max Tishler into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. This brings the total of inductees to 44. Ford is inducted for his transmission mechanism (Patent No. 1,005,186); Kilby is inducted for miniaturized electronic circuits (Patent No. 3,138,743); Lawrence is inducted for a method and apparatus for the acceleration of ions (Patent No. 1,938,384); Mergenthaler is inducted for a machine for producing printing bars (Patent No. 317,828); and Tishler is inducted for Alloxazines and Isolalloxazines and processes for their productions: 2-sulphanilamido-quinoxaline (Patent Nos. 2,261,608 and 2,404,199).
April 9, 1982 The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is established, combining the U.S. Court of Claims with the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. It has jurisdiction over all patent appeals from various district courts as well as appeals from boards of the Patent and Trademark Office. April 12, 1982 Word processors are now in use at the Patent and Trademark Office, and inventors will no longer receive handwritten letters from examiners processing their patent applications. This will eliminate more than 80,000 handwritten pieces of mail annually. April 23, 1982 Under a new system, the Classification and Search Support Information System (CASSIS), 36 patent depository libraries now have direct access to the Patent and Trademark Office. Previously, this information could only be obtained by searching bound volumes. October 1, 1982 Major increases in fees charged for PTO services go into effect. The increases are the first since 1965, and are designed to have users pay more of the cost of processing patent and trademark applications. The new filing fee for patent applications is $300, reduced one?half for independent inventors, small businesses and nonprofit organizations. The trademark filing fee is increased to $175 per class. Legislation provides for periodic review of the fee level by the Commissioner. October 1, 1982 Trademark operations are reorganized into "law offices." October 1, 1982 The Examiner Education Program formally begins, sponsored by the PTO and Intellectual Property Owners, Inc. (IPO). The program is designed to give professionals an opportunity to visit a number of commercial and industrial installations to increase their knowledge and awareness of advances in technology. October 25, 1982 Public Law 97?366 elevates the status of the Commissioner to that of Assistant Secretary of Commerce. November 16, 1982 Applications for patents and trademarks are filed at a record pace in fiscal year 1982, climbing to all?time highs in September due to the increase in filing fees going into effect October 1. This includes 124,800 patent applications and 73,621 applications for the registration of trademarks. December 13, 1982 A master plan is submitted to Congress calling for complete automation of the Office's operations by 1990. January 6, 1983 The Patent and Trademark Office is singled out as one of the best?managed agencies in Washington. Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige presents the Distinguished Public Service Award to agency employees at a special ceremony. January 21, 1983 United States and Japanese patent officials enter into an agreement for greater cooperation in automating their operations and disseminating patented technology. Each office will exchange technical experts in the fields of automation and patent documentation. February 13, 1983 The 11th Annual National Inventors Expo included the induction of five inventors into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Ernest Alexanderson (posthumously), Andrew Alford, Herbert Henry Dow (posthumously), Robert N. Noyce, and George R. Stibitz were inducted, joining 44 others previously inducted. Alexanderson is inducted for the high-frequency alternator (Patent No. 1,008,577); Alford is inducted for a localizer antenna system (Patent No. 2,682,050); Dow is inducted for the process of extracting Bromine (Patent No. Re. 11,232); Noyce is inducted for a semiconductor device and lead structure (Patent No. 2,981,877); and Stibitz is inducted for a complex computer (Patent No. 2,668,661). May 19, 1983 A computer system that provides up?to?the minute information about 500,000 active trademarks and over 120,000 pending applications is in operation at the Patent and Trademark Office. July 9, 1983 A National Trademark Exposition, featuring displays from 30 major corporations, is held in the Commerce Department's Great Hall. It draws large numbers of visitors and becomes an annual summer event. October 17, 1983 The Patent and Trademark Office hosts the first Trilateral meeting with the European and Japanese Patent Offices. The meeting was an important step toward achieving the Office's goal of making possible the international exchange of computerized data by 1990. December 22, 1983 Texas A & M University Library becomes the 47th patent depository, the third designated in Texas. During the year patent depositories are also established at the University of Nevada (Reno), University of Texas at Austin, Indianapolis Marion County Library, Auburn University, University of Idaho, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. 1983 In 1983, Japanese inventors receive 9,212 patents, the most of any foreign country, and Californians receive 5,112. Out of 61,985 patents issued in 1983, 36,561 went to U.S. individuals, corporations, and institutions. February 12, 1984 The 12th Annual National Inventors Expo is held. William Meriam Burton (posthumously), Wallace Hume Carothers (posthumously), Philo Taylor Farnsworth (posthumously), and Theodore Harold Maiman are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Burton is inducted for the manufacture of gasolene (Patent No. 1,049,67); Carothers is inducted for the Diamine-Dicarboxylic Acid Salts and process of preparing same: synthetic fiber (Patent Nos. 2,130,947 and 2,130,948); Farnsworth is inducted for a television system (Patent No. 1,773,980); and Maiman is inducted for ruby laser systems (Patent No. 3,353,115). February 12, 1984 Marina Kazragis of Chevy Chase, Maryland wins the national contest for a new patent grant design. April 12, 1984 Planning Research Corp., of McLean, Virginia is selected as the contractor to develop and install the automated patent system. April 20, 1984 The Patent and Trademark Office establishes a special cash award program for clerical employees. Cash awards of $100 will be presented to a maximum of five recipients of the Clerical Employee of the Quarter Award. The Clerical Employee of the Year will receive $1,000. May 16, 1984 The Patent and Trademark Office and the Food and Drug Administration are cooperating to encourage development of drugs and other products used in the treatment of patients with rare diseases or unusual physical problems. Under the terms of the agreement, the PTO will expedite applications for patents on orphan drugs or other orphan products designated by the FDA. Orphan products include special foods and medical devices for rare conditions. July 7, 1984 The second annual National Trademark Exposition is held in the National Tourist Information Center (Great Hall) of the Commerce Department's Herbert C. Hoover Building. August 21, 1984 The Office undertakes procedures to provide better protection for the thousands of pending patent and trademark applications. The measures include close monitoring of the guard service, tightening security in the file repositories, and construction of a secure area for patented files. August 28, 1984 A major initiative aimed at assisting Latin American industrial property offices in the automation of their trademark operations is proposed by the U.S. delegation at a meeting sponsored by the Colombian Government, the UN Development Program, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, in Bogota, Colombia. October 16, 1984 A new memorandum of understanding is jointly entered into by the European Patent Office, the Japanese Patent Office, and the United States to extend their cooperation in the field of intellectual property. The memorandum stresses the importance of industrial property as a basic system supporting the progress of technology. November 2, 1984 P.L. 98?622 was signed, providing for a number of amendments to patent laws, including provision for a Statutory Invention Registration System (SIRS) and setting up a combined Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. December 4, 1984 The Anchorage Municipal Libraries at Anchorage, Alaska becomes the 56th patent depository. Others added in 1984 are the San Diego Public Library, Illinois State Library, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Library of the University of Maryland, the Montana College of Mineral Science in Butte, the University of Utah Marriott Library in Salt Lake City, Miami?Dade Public Library in Florida, Broward County (Florida) Main Library in Fort Lauderdale, and University of Massachusetts Library at Amherst. December 19, 1984 The Patent and Trademark Office inaugurates two on?line computer services for patent examiners and other staff. The services are part of the agency's program to automate its operations. February 9, 1985 The 13th Annual National Inventors Expo is held, featuring demonstrations and displays by inventors and companies. Marvin Camras, Willis H. Carrier (posthumously), Willem J. Kolff, Louis M. Moyroud, Rene A. Higonnet (posthumously), and Roy J. Plunkett are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Cameras is inducted for a method and means of magnetic recording (Patent No. 2,351,004); Carrier is inducted for an apparatus for treating air (Patent No. 808,897); Kolff is inducted for a soft shell mushroom shaped heart (Patent No. 3,641,591); Plunkett is inducted for Tetraefluoroethylene polymers (Patent No. 2,230,654); and Moyroud and Higonnet are inducted for their photo composing machine (Patent No. 2,790,362). July 27, 1985 The Third Annual Trademark Exposition attracts thousands of visitors to the Great Hall of the Commerce Department's Herbert C. Hoover Building. September 26, 1985 Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond is designated a patent depository. Other new depositories named in 1985 are the Arkansas State Library at Little Rock, Oregon State Library at Salem, and Vanderbilt University Library at Nashville, Tennessee. 1985 Donald J. Quigg, forty?sixth Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, October 13, 1985 to October 31, 1989 (Served as Deputy Commissioner from 1981 before becoming Commissioner.) October 17, 1985 The Trademark Examining Operation achieves its goal of expediting trademark applications and registrations within three months of filing and final action within 13 months. In 1984 it took an average of 24 months to register a trademark. October 18, 1985 The first National Creative and Inventive Thinking Skills Conference is held in Washington, D. C. to teach teachers to teach creative thinking in the Nation's school systems across the United States. The conference is co?sponsored by the Patent and Trademark Office and the Intellectual Property Owners, Inc. (IPO). 1985 Japanese inventors lead foreigners receiving U.S. patents. Of the 75,302 patents issued in 1985, a total of 32,539 or 43.9 percent, went to foreign residents. Of the 42,763 issued to U.S. residents, Californians received 5,942 patents. February 8, 1986 The 14th Annual National Inventors Expo is held featuring energy?saving devices, communication systems, computers and games. Luther Burbank, (posthumously), Harold E. Edgerton, Wilson Greatbatch, Ernest H. Volwiler, and Donalee L. Tabern (posthumously) are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Burbank is inducted for a peach (Plant Patent No. 15); Edgerton is inducted for a stroboscope (Patent No. 2,478,903); Volwiler and Tabern are inducted for Thiobarbituric Acid derivatives (Patent No. 2,153,729); and Greatbatch is inducted for a medical cardiac pacemaker (Patent No. 3,057,356). Two school children are also honored for their winning entries in a national invention contest sponsored by the Weekly Reader news paper. April 18, 1986 Terms of eight pharmaceutical company patents are extended. A 1984 law allows extension of the patent term for up to five years for pharmaceuticals and other products subject to regulatory review by the Food and Drug Administration to compensate for marketing delays resulting from testing. July 1, 1986 The first stage of an automated patent search system, that will revolutionize the patent examination process started by Thomas Jefferson, is inaugurated at the Patent and Trademark Office. Under the new system, patent examiners will use electronic work stations to determine which of the more than 120,000 applications filed annually should be granted. July 26, 1986 The fourth annual Trademark Exposition is held in the Great Hal1 of the Commerce Department's Herbert C. Hoover Building. September 23, 1986 A historic milestone was reached with the issuance of the one millionth patent produced by electronic photocomposition methods. September 1986 A film "From Dreams to Reality: A Tribute to Minority Inventors" is produced by the Office with the help of the Economic Development Administration and Office of Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce. It later wins a number of prestigious awards and is incorporated into a traveling exhibit. December 8, 1986 Howard University Libraries in Washington, D.C. receives patent depository library status. Other depositories named this year are the Free Library of Philadelphia, University of California Library at Irvine, and The Science Park Library in New Haven, Connecticut. 1986 Foreign residents receive 45 percent of the patents issued in 1986. Of the 76,993 patents issued, a total of 34,606 went to foreign residents. Since 1965 the percentage of U.S. patents obtained by foreigners has increased from 20 percent to about 45 percent. Japan again accounted for the largest number-13,644 up from 12,783 obtained in 1985. February 7, 1987 Inventions ranging from advances in electronic technology to labor saving devices for everyday use are on display during the 15th Annual National Inventors Expo. Two school children are honored for their winning entries in the 1987 Weekly Reader contest. They are honored along with Arnold O. Beckman, William S. Burroughs (posthumously), Andrew J. Moyer (posthumously), and Igor I. Sikorsky (posthumously) who were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Beckman is inducted for an apparatus for testing acidity (Patent No. 2,058,761); Burroughs is inducted for a calculating machine (Patent No. 388,116); Moyer is inducted for a method for production of Penicillin (Patent Nos. 2,442,141 and 2,443,989); and Sikorsky is inducted for a direct-lift aircraft: helicopter and controls therefor (Patent Nos. 2,318,259 and 2,318,260). April 17, 1987 The Patent and Trademark Office announces that it will consider applications for patents on new types of animals produced by human intervention. The announcement came after an agency appellate board ruled in an application for a patent on a method of inducing "polyploidy" (sterility) in oysters by applying hydrostatic pressure. Products found in nature will not be considered patentable subject matter. June 5, 1987 The second National Creative and Inventive Thinking Skills Conference is held in Buffalo, New York. Several hundred teachers from school systems throughout the United States attend the conference. June 27, 1987 The fifth annual National Trademark Exposition is held in the Great Hall of the Commerce Department's Herbert C. Hoover Building. July 1, 1987 Chapter II of the Patent Cooperation Treaty enters into effect for the United States. U.S. patent applicants may now request an international preliminary examination of their inventions filed under PCT. August 8, 1987 Project XL is officially launched to help restore the country's technological leadership through encouraging analytical thinking by the nation's school children. The PTO will serve as a coordinator of the project. 1987 Foreign residents receive 46.6 percent of the record number of patents issued in 1987. A total of 41,674 patents were issued to foreign residents with Japan accounting for the largest number-17,288. Of the total 47,711 patents issued to U.S. residents, Californians received 7,083. January 8, 1988 A Patent Advisory Committee to advise the Office on a broad range of policy matters holds its first meeting at PTO headquarters. The committee is made up of 17 members, appointed for a two-year term to serve without compensation. March 27, 1988 Four inventors are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Frank B. Colton for oral contraceptives (Patent No. 2,725,389), Elisha Graves Otis (honored posthumously) for his safety device for the elevator (Patent No. 31,128), Louis W. Parker for the television receiver (Patent No. 2,448,908), and An Wang for his invention of the magnetic pulse controlling device Patent No. 2,708,722). The induction highlights a three-day event that begins with a conference on Innovation and Creativity. April 12, 1988 The first animal patent issues to Harvard University covering a mouse that is designed to radically improve the process of detecting cancer reproducing substances. Patent No. 4,736,866 entitled "Transgenic Non?Human Mammal" covers the mouse produced by a novel technique developed by Dr. Philip Leder and Dr. Timothy Stewart. The invention resulted from research conducted at Harvard University and covers a mouse produced through recombinant genetic techniques to be especially sensitive to carcinogenic substances. It is the first patent covering an animal issued by the PTO, which announced in 1987 that it considers nonnaturally occurring, multicellular living organisms, including animals, to be patentable subject matter. 1988 Increased public attention is directed to the work of the Patent and Trademark Office in fiscal year 1988 because of developments in the fields of biotechnology and high-temperature superconducting materials. 1988 The PTO takes steps to improve service to patent applicants, responding to increased patent filing activity and the resulting backlog in the biotechnology field. To focus better on technical and legal issues in the field, the PTO creates a new examining group, consolidating applications previously handled in other groups. Also, a comprehensive 13-point plan is initiated to control the backlog. 1989 More than 166,000 utility, reissue, plant, and design patent applications are received in fiscal year 1989. Nearly 103,000 patents are granted while the average pendency is reduced to 18.4 months. The achievement of pendency reduction caps an eight-year effort that involved overcoming a substantial increase in filings. In a celebration of the achievement, the Office is presented with a congratulatory message from President Bush and a Department of Commerce Gold Medal. 1989 Raymond V. Damadian, John Deere, Irving Langmuir, and George Westinghouse, Jr. are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Damadian is inducted for an apparatus and method for detecting cancer in tissue (Patent No. 3,789,832); Deer is inducted for an improvement in plows (Patent No. 46,454); Langmuir is inducted for an incandescent electric lamp (Patent No. 1,180,159); and Westinghouse is inducted for an improvement in steam-power brake devices (Patent No. RE. 5,504). 1990 1990 Harry Manbeck forty?seventh Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, March 12, 1990 to May 1, 1992. 1990 The Automated Patent Search System (APS) and the Trademark Search System (T-Search) are further enhanced and made available to users of the Public Search Rooms. The full-text, expanded patent database includes most U.S. patents issued since 1971. Information on registered trademarks and pending applications, assignments, and opposition proceedings is now available for sale on magnetic tape. The Electronic Voice Box dial-in-system, which gives. applicants and registrants computer-generated responses on the status of a trademark application or registration, is implemented and widely used. 1990 The national network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLS) expanded with four new libraries. The PTDLs provide direct access to patent and trademark information for residents in 44 states and the District of Columbia. The CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory) equipment and software distributed to the libraries has made patent and trademark information more accessible. May 7-13, 1990 The PTO joins the Copyright Office and the Foundation for a Creative America to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the patent and copyright systems with a week-long series of activities. The Secretary of Commerce opens the celebration at an outdoor festival that includes members of Congress, over 4,000 PTO employees, librarians from the Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries, heads of foreign patent offices, and Federal Judges. Later that week, the Secretary of Commerce hosts a diplomatic reception at the Department of State for intellectual property officials from other countries. Project XL, the PTO's educational outreach program, in cooperation with the Copyright Office and the Foundation for a Creative America, hosts the winners of 10 national problem-solving competitions and the winners of the Copyright Office's Young Creators Contest. The winners receive special Bicentennial medals, certificates, and savings bonds. May 12-13, 1990 Over 50 inventors and 15 small and large companies exhibit their inventions at the 18th Annual National Inventors Expo held May 12 and 13. The Expo, held as a part of the Bicentennial Celebration, highlights the patented inventions of a number of private and corporate inventors. 1990 George Washington Carver, Charles P. Ginsburg, Graham John Durnt, John Colin Emmett, Charon Robin Ganellin, Herman Hollerith, Eugene Houdry, Percy Lavon Julian, Robert S. Ledley, and Kenneth H. Olsen are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Carver is inducted, posthumously, for cosmetic and process or producing the same: paint and stain and process of producing the same (Patent Nos. 1,522,176 and 1,541,478); Ginsburg is inducted for broad band magnetic tape systems and method (Patent No. 2,956,114); Durant, Emmett, and Ganellini are inducted for pharmacologically active guanidine compounds (Patent Nos. 3,950,333 and 4,024,271); Hollerith is inducted for the art of compiling statistics: apparatus for compiling statistics (Patent Nos. 395,781; 395,782; and 395,783); Houdry is inducted for the process for the manufacture of liquid fuels (Patent No. 1,837,963); Julian is inducted for the preparation of cortisone (Patent No. 2,752,339); Ledley is inducted for a diagnostic X-ray system (Patent No. 3,922,552); and Olsen is inducted for the magnetic core memory (Patent No. 3,161,861). 1990 The offices under the Assistant Commissioner for Administration begin a major effort to instill a total quality philosophy similar to that pioneered by Japanese industries and now adopted by many successful U.S. companies, especially the winners of the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award. Called TEAMWORK (Together Employees And Managers Work), the goal is to continuously achieve customer satisfaction in carrying out the goals of the Office. 1990 A record 174,711 patent applications are filed in fiscal year 1990. This represents an increase of seven percent from the previous year's record. The PTO issues 96,727 patents in fiscal year 1990. The number of patents issued to U.S. residents is 51,526. The percentage of patents issued to Americans is 53.3 percent, which is the same as last year. This is the second consecutive year in which the share of patents awarded to U.S. inventors did not decrease, thus making a clear break with an 11-year trend. 1990 A record number of 127,294 trademark applications are filed, and 63,924 are registered. The total number of applications filed in fiscal year 1990 represents a 53 percent increase over the previous year. Because of this increase in filings, the average time for final disposal of trademark applications increases to 15.3 months from 13.8 months. 1990 In fiscal year 1990 the PTO begins operation under the Trademark Law Revision Act of 1988, which provides that applicants may file for a Federal trademark registration based on their intention to use a mark. Forty-one percent of applications filed in fiscal year 1990 are "intent-to-use" applications. To handle the increased workload, more examining attorneys are added to the existing staff. 1990 The PTO continues its support of the Administration's goal to strengthen intellectual property rights. It assists the U.S. Trade Representative in the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations in an effort to develop an agreement on protecting intellectual property rights. 1991 Willard H. Bennett, Gertrude Belle Elion, Gordon Gould, William Edward Hanford, Donald Fletcher Holmes, Leonard Michael Green, Elmer Ambrose Sperry, and Robert R. Williams are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Bennett is inducted for a radio frequency mass spectrometer (Patent No. 2,721,271); Elion is inducted for 2-Amino-6-Mercaptopurine (Patent No. 2,884,667); Gould is inducted for optically pumped laser amplifiers, light amplifiers employing collisions to produce a population inversion (Patent Nos. 4,053,845 and 4,704,583); Hanford and Holmers are inducted for a process for making polymeric products & for modifying polymeric products (Patent No. 2,284,896); Greene is inducted for a stall warning device for airplanes (Patent No. 2,478,967); Sperry is inducted for a ship's gyroscopic-compass set (Patent No. 1,242,065), and Williams is inducted for a process for obtaining vitamins (Patent No. 2,049,988). March 19, 1991 At a ceremony in March at the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Secretary awards the five millionth patent to the University of Florida for a genetically engineered bacteria that produces fuel grade ethanol from agricultural waste. June 8-9, 1991 The 19th annual National Inventors Expo is held at the USPTO. Over 60 inventors and 10 companies exhibit their latest patented devices. The exhibition is held to honor the Nation's inventors and their contributions to the Nation's welfare. June 29-30, 1991 At the Herbert C. Hoover Building, Trademark Expo '91, the ninth annual Trademark Exposition, attracts a record number of visitors. Some 25 companies featuring costumed characters representing trademarks participate in the event. July 9-12, 1991 The PTO, the European Patent Office, and the Japanese Patent Office, known as the Trilateral Partners, agree in principle to jointly develop common computer software for indexing and retrieving patent information on CD-ROM. 1991 The PTO continues the major Administration goal to complete processing of patent applications in an average of 18 months from the date of filing. October 1991 USPTO co-sponsors, with Copyright Office and the Foundation for a Creative America, the 1991 Young Inventors and Creators Competition for junior and senior high school students. National winners are honored in Washington, D.C. 1991 The USPTO begins preparations for deploying Classified Search and Image Retrieval (CSIR) capabilities by creating the electronic image data bases necessary to support the patent examiners. A significant milestone is reached in fiscal year 1991 when digital electronic images of all U.S. patents are written onto low-speed optical disk storage devices. 1991 The national network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLS) expands with three new libraries. The 72 PTDLs provide direct access to patent and trademark information for residents in 45 states and the District of Columbia. On a pilot basis, free public access to the Automated Patent System Text Search is provided to 14 PTDLS, making patent and trademark information more accessible. 1992 The average time to complete processing of patent applications is 19 months this fiscal year, one month over the goal of an 18-month pendency period. 1992 A record 185,446 patent applications are filed in fiscal year 1992-4 percent more than the previous year. The PTO issues 109,728 patents in this fiscal year-54 percent of those patents go to U.S. inventors, the highest percentage of patents awarded to U.S. inventors in the last six years. 1992 In fiscal year 1992, the USPTO receives 125,237 trademark applications, a 3.8 percent increase from the previous year. The number of registrations issued rises from 48,036 in fiscal +year 1991, to 69,691. The average time to complete processing of trademark applications is 15.1 months compared to 16.7 months in fiscal year 1991. 1992 Lloyd H. Conover, Frederick G. Cottrell, William R. Hewlett, and Benjamin A. Rubin are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Conover is inducted for Tetracycline (Patent No. 2,699,054); Cottrell is inducted, posthumously, for the art of separating suspended particles from gaseous bodies (Patent No. 895,729); Hewlett is inducted for a variable frequency oscillation generator (Patent No. 2,268,872); and Rubin is inducted for a pronged vaccinating and testing needle (Patent No. 3,194,237). 1992 The USPTO proceeds with its plan to automate its operations. The task of loading images of all 5.2 million U.S. patents onto low speed optical disk drives is completed in 1992. This lays the groundwork for creation of a high-speed version for the same data base which can be used for electronic searching. Electronic patent image searching capabilities already have been completely implemented in two of the USPTO's 16 patent examining groups. They will be available to all patent examiners and the public in 1993. 1992 The Office of the Public Services and Administration is honored with the Government-wide 1992 Quality Improvement Prototype Award. The award, sponsored by the Federal Quality Institute, recognizes organizations that follow a total quality philosophy. The Prototypes serve as models of quality improvement for other government organizations. 1992 The nationwide network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLS) adds two new facilities: the Evansdale Library, West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV; and the R.M. Cooper Library, Clemson University in South Carolina. This brings the number of PTDLs to 74, located in 46 States and the District of Columbia. 1993 In fiscal year 1993, the PTO receives a record 188,099 utility, plant, and reissue patent applications and 139,735 trademark applications. The PTO issues 107,332 patents and registers 86,122 trademarks. IBM topped the list of non-government organizations awarded patents in 1993 with 1,085. This is the first time in eight years that a U.S. corporation has topped the list of U.S. patents awarded. 1993 John Ericsson, Baruch S. Blumberg, Irving Millman, Robert D. Maurer, Donald B. Keck, Peter C. Schultz, William P. Lear, and John T. Parsons are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Ericsson is inducted for propelling steam vessels (Patent No. 588); Blumberg and Millman are inducted for their vaccine against viral hepatitis and process: process of viral diagnosis and reagent (Patent Nos. 3,636,191 and 3,872,225); Maurer, Keck, and Schultz are inducted for fused silica optical waveguide: method of producing optical waveguide fibers (Patent Nos. 3,659,915 and 3,711,262); Lear is inducted for a radio apparatus (Patent No. 1,944,139); and Parsons is inducted for a motor controlled apparatus for positioning machine tool (Patent No. 2,820,187). 1993 Bruce Lehman forty?eighth Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, August 11, 1993 to Dec. 31, 1998. [check] December 16, 1993 Commissioner orders reexamination of Compton's Multi-media patent (Patent No. 5,241,671). On October 27, 1994, all claims are rejected on the grounds of lack of novelty or are obvious in view of prior art. This is the first software/business method patent reexamination. 1994 In fiscal year 1994, the PTO receives 201,554 utility, plant, and reissue patent applications and 155,376 trademark applications. The PTO issues 113,268 patents and registers 68,853 trademarks. 1994 For the second consecutive year, IBM makes first place in the top 10 list of companies receiving U.S. patents. With 1,298 patents, IBM surpasses the federal government's 1,251 patents, making it the first time in five years that a non-federal organization topped the list of those receiving patents. 1994 Emile Berliner, Elizabeth Lee Hazen, Rachel Fuller Brown, Heinrich Rohrer, Gerd Karl Binnig, Robert N. Hall, and Robert H. Rines are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Berliner is inducted for a gramophone: combined telegraph and telephone (Patent Nos. 372,786 and 463,569); Hazen and Brown are inducted for Nystatin and method of producing it (Patent No. 2,797,183); Rohrer and Binnig are inducted for a scanning tunneling microscope (Patent No. 4,343,993); Hall is inducted for a asymmetrically conductive device and method of making the same (Patent No. 2,994,018); and Rines is inducted for an electric system: microwave scanning system: sound ranging system (Patent nos. 2,711,534; 2,711,440; and 2,528,725). June 1994 PTO hires nine computer scientists to participate in a two-year apprenticeship program to assist patent examiners with the examination of computer software-related inventions. July 23 and 24, 1994 The 22nd Annual National Inventors Expo is held at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC. Cosponsored by PTO and Intellectual Property Owners, Inc., 80 exhibitors, including independent inventors and large, medium, and small companies display their latest inventions. August 1994 Nancy J. Linck is the first woman to be named Solicitor in the agency's 204-year history. The Solicitor represents the Commissioner in patent and trademark litigation in the various federal courts. October 8 and 9, 1994 The 12th Annual Trademark Expo is held in the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC, cosponsored by USPTO and Intellectual Property Owners, Inc. October 19-22, 1994 The 8th National Creative and Inventive Thinking Skills Conference is held in Houston, Texas, cosponsored by the PTO, the National Inventive Thinking Association, and the Houston Independent School District. December 22, 1994 PTO announces new biotechnology guidelines for the examination of biotech patent applications. The guidelines outline the agency's new policies regarding compliance with the utility requirement. 1995 During fiscal year 1995, the PTO receives 221,304 utility, plant, and reissue patent applications, 4,635 provisional patent applications, and 175,307 trademark applications. The PTO issues 102,579 patents and registers 75,372 trademarks. IBM tops the list of organizations that receive the greatest number of patents in 1995, marking the third consecutive year in which the U.S. computer giant occupies the top spot for receipt of U.S. patents. 1995 The PTO establishes its first business partnership with the Patent and Trademark Depository Libretto in Sunnyvale, California, that expands customer access to on-line resources and enhances the patent and trademark examination process with video conferencing capabilities. 1995 Public relations activities are expanded with the establishment of the Patent and Trademark Museum, the opening of the new National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio, and the Inventors' Expo at Walt Disney World's Epcot in Orlando, Florida. June 1, 1995 PTO releases proposed examination guidelines that will apply in the evaluation of computer-implemented inventions. July 23, 1995 Six inventors are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Forrest M. Bird is inducted for a fluid control device: respirator; pediatric ventilator (Patent Nos. 3,068,856; 3,191,596; and 3,842,828); Stephanie Louise Kwolek is inducted for an optically anisotropic aromatic polyamide dopes and oriented fibers therefrom (Patent No. 3,819,587; RE. 30,352); Joseph H. Burckhalter and Robert J. Seiwld are inducted for Isothiocyanate compounds and means of producing the same (Patent No. 2,937,186); Waldo L. Semon is inducted for synthetic rubber-like composition & method of making same; method of preparing polyvinyl halide products (Patent Nos. 1,929,453 and 2,188,396); John C. Sheehan is inducted, posthumously, for displacement of the Thiazolidine ring in Penicillin with the formation of a biologically active cephem system (Patent No. 2,939,151); and William Stanley, Jr., is inducted, posthumously, for an induction-coil (Patent No. 349,611). For the first time, the ceremony is held in the Hall of Fame's new location. It is broadcast live, via satellite, between Akron and Washington, DC. September 5, 1995 Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and Assistant Secretary and Commissioner Bruce Lehman release the Final Report on Intellectual Property and the National Information Infrastructure. The report, the result of over two years work by the Intellectual Property Working Group, assesses how existing intellectual property laws apply to the content that flows on the information superhighway and makes limited legislative recommendations. October 26, 1995 Secretary Brown presents the first annual American Innovator Awards to eight American inventors at a dinner at Blair House. The PTO established the award to recognize the enormous social and economic contributions made by individual inventors. October 28 and 29, 1995 The 13th Annual National Trademark Expo is held at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC. November 1, 1995 Public Law 104-41 (S. 1111), clarifies patent law regarding "obviousness" to make it easier to receive patents for biotechnological processes. November 9, 1995 PTO makes patent information available on the Internet via the PTO home page at no charge to the public. The service provides more than 20 years of searchable patent bibliographic text data. November 9, 1995 PTO enters into second PTDL partnership with the Detroit Public Library's Great Lakes Patent and Trademark Center to make patent and trademark information and services more accessible to the Midwest. 1995 At the close of fiscal year 1995, the PTO occupied a combined total of 1,540,234 square feet of space in 15 buildings in Arlington, Virginia, and three storage facilities located in Boyers, Pennsylvania, and Newington and Springfield, Virginia. The Office employed 5,007 full time equivalent (FTE) staff. 1996 In fiscal year 1996, the PTO receives 191,116 utility, plant, and reissue patent applications, 22,353 provisional patent applications, and 200,640 trademark applications. The PTO issues 105,529 patents and registers 91,339 trademarks. For the fourth consecutive year, IBM tops the list of patent recipients this year. 1996 Arthur Leonard Schawlow, Marcian E. (Ted) Hoff, Jr., Stanley Mazor, Federico Faggin, H.M. Edmund Germer, Leo Szilard, and Rev. Julius Arthur Nieuwland, C.S.C. are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Schawlow is inducted for his masers and maser communications system (Patent No. 2,929,922); Hoff, Mazor, and Faggin are inducted for a memory system for a multi-chip digital computer (Patent No. 3,821,715); Germer is inducted, posthumously, for a discharge device: metal vapor lamp (Patent Nos. 2,202,199 and 2,182,732); Szilard is inducted, posthumously, for a neutronic reactor (Patent No. 2,708,656), and Nieuwland is inducted for vinyl derivatives of Acetylene and method of preparing the same (Patent No. 1,811,959). June 25, 1996 "The Bicycle: A Century of Technology" exhibit opens in the Patent and Trademark Museum. July 15-17, 1996 PTO sponsors Intellectual Property Conference of the Americas in Los Angeles, CA with cosponsors Intellectual Property Owners, Inc. and International Intellectual Property Alliance. Over 500 business and government leaders from 32 nations in the Western Hemisphere explore economic opportunities and the enhancement of patent, trademark, and copyright protection in the Americas. October 15, 1996 American Innovator Award is changed to the Ronald H. Brown American Innovator Award in memory of the late Secretary of Commerce who fought to ensure the integrity of intellectual property rights for all inventors. This year's recipients are Arthur Schawlow, Gertruce Elion, Luis Alvarez, Percy Julian, Stan Mazor, Ted Hoff, and Federico Faggin. October 18-20, 1996 14th Annual Trademark Expo celebrates 50th anniversary of the Lanham Act that established the modern trademark system. November 15-17, 1996 24th Annual Inventors Expo held at Walt Disney World's Epcot. November 19, 1996 Bailey Howe Library at the University of Vermont in Burlington is designated a patent and trademark depository. For the first time, there is a PTDL in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. December 11, 1996 "The Art of the Toy" opens in the Patent and Trademark Museum. 1997 The PTO integrates its internal e-mail, enabling employees to communicate electronically from their desktop computers with customers and business partners. 1997 In fiscal year 1997, the PTO receives 237,045 patent applications and 224,355 trademark applications. The PTO issues 122,977 patents and registers 112,509 trademarks. For the fifth straight year, IBM receives more utility patents (1,724) than any other non-federal patenting organization. 1997 The PTO designates its third Partnership Library in Houston, Texas. February 12, 1997 PTO awards its largest contract in history to Lockheed Martin Corp. and Computer Science Corp. to modernize PTO's business systems. July 9, 1997 "Three Part Harmony: Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights in a Musical World" opens in the Patent and Trademark Museum. August 26, 1997 U.S. plant patent No. 10,000 is granted to plant breeder David Lemon for a new geranium called "Lois." September 1997 George H. Babcock, Stephen Wilcox, Jr., Robert H. Dennard, Robert W. Bower, Edward Goodrich Acheson, Seymour Cray, Mark Dean, and Dennis Moeller are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Babcock and Wilcox are inducted, posthumously, for an improvement in steam generators (Patent No. 65,042); Dennard and Bower are inducted for their field-effect transistor memory (Patent No. 3,387,286); Acheson is inducted, posthumously, for production of artificial crystalline carbonaceous materials; article of carborundum and process of the manufacture thereof (Patent Nos. 492,767 and 615,648); Cray is inducted, posthumously, for computer vector register processing (Patent No. 4,128,880); and Dean and Moeller are inducted for their microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices (Patent No. 4,528,626). October 9-10, 1997 Second Annual Independent Inventors conference "Celebrating America's Heroes" is held in Chicago, cosponsored by the Chicago Public Library's PTDL. The conference gives participants an opportunity tog et direct answers to questions ranging from how to file a patent application to how new legislation will affect them. October 16, 1997 Ronald H. Brown American Innovator Awards are presented to Dennis Moeller, Mark Dean, Robert W. Bower, and Robert Dennard. October 17-19, 1997 Mind Matters '97 exhibit is held at the Commerce Department's Hoover Building to highlight the latest American technology. Cosponsored by the Intellectual Property Owners, Inc. and the U.S. Copyright Office, the event gives people of all ages a better understanding and appreciation of the vital role intellectual property plays in our economy and culture. November 30, 1997 The first trademark application is filed over the Internet. The Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) begins 60-day pilot program with over 50 participants representing a wide range of corporations and law firms. A year later, on October 1, 1998, TEAS will be available to all trademark applicants. 1998 In fiscal year 1998, the PTO receives 256,666 utility, plant, and reissue patent applications and 193,034 trademark applications. The PTO issues 154,579 patents and registers 89,634 trademarks. IBM, for the sixth straight year, receives more utility patents (2,657) than any other private sector organization. February 24, 1998 "A Moment in Time: The Art of Photography" opens in the Patent and Trademark Museum. Also on exhibit is Abraham Lincoln's original patent model (on loan from the Smithsonian Institution) and drawing for Patent No. 6,469, "A Device for Buoying Vessels Over Shoals," which are displayed together for the first time since the 19th Century. March 12-15, 1998 PTO and Intellectual Property Owners, Inc. cosponsor the 25th Annual National Inventors Expo at Walt Disney World's Epcot. August 11, 1998 "The House that Innovation Built" opens in the Patent and Trademark Museum. The exhibit pays tribute to individual inventors during National Inventors Month. September 1998 Semi Joseph Begun, Kary B. Mullis, Alfred Nobel, Douglas Engelbart, James L. Fergason, and Henry Timken are inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Begun is inducted, posthumously, for an electromagnetic talking device: electromagnetic talking machine (Patent Nos. 2,048,487 and 2,048,488); Mullis is inducted for a process for amplifying nucleic acid sequences (Patent No. 4,683,202); Nobel is inducted, posthumously, for improved explosive compounds (Patent No. 78,317); Engelbart is inducted for his X-Y position indicator for a display system (Patent No. 3,541,541); Fergason is inducted for display devices utilizing liquid crystal light modulation (Patent No. 3,731,986); and Timken is inducted, posthumously, for a roller bearing for vehicles: roller bearing (Patent Nos. 606,635 and 606,636). October 14, 1998 Ron Brown American Innovator Awards are presented to Douglas Engelbart, James Fergason, and Kary Mullis. October 23-24, 1998 PTO holds 3rd Annual Independent Inventors Conference in San Francisco in cooperation with the San Francisco PTDL and the Patent and Trademark Office Society. October 27, 1998 PTO issues 400,000th design patent for Nike Corporation's Air Jordan athletic shoe design. November 19, 1998 PTO and the Fondren Library at Rice University open the South Central Intellectual Property Partnership at Rice. Its state-of-the-art technology offers many patent and trademark services previously available only at PTO headquarters, e.g. face-to-face links to patent and trademark examiners by videoconference, electronic patent image searching, and other services. 1999 IBM repeats at top of annual list of organizations receiving most patents (2,756) for the 7th straight year. February 3, 1999 "Colors of Innovation: Celebrating the Diversity of America's Creativity" opens in the Patent and Trademark Museum. The first phase of this exhibit honors African American inventors. March 1999 Twenty million pages of images are added to the searchable text of the 2 million patents that date back to 1976. This electronic library of late 20th century science and technology is available free on PTO's Web page. All pending and registered trademarks are also available online. The agency is well on its way toward making all 6 million plus patents and one million plus trademarks available free on the Internet by 2001. Acting Assistant Secretary and Commissioner Dickinson launches the Quality Council, a cross functional group of PTO employees that will be instrumental in providing guidance in aligning PTO with established quality criteria. Dickinson also establishes the Office of Independent Inventor Programs. This initiative is aimed at meeting the special needs of an important PTO constituency -- inventors working for themselves or for small business. March 11-14, 1999 PTO and Intellectual Property Owners, Inc. hold 26th Annual Inventors Expo and Conference at Walt Disney World's Epcot. May 1999 Patent and trademark images are now available on the Internet. Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley unveils a new Internet database containing text and images of more than 2 million patents and over 1 million registered and pending trademarks. This fully searchable database is now available on the PTO's Web site. "Advancements in science and technology form the backbone of the American economy. Patents are a crucial early step in stimulating the economy. PTO's new database, which is updated weekly with the latest in patented technology, will spur American creativity and invention, helping this nation remain in the forefront of researching, developing and marketing new products," said Secretary Daley. The patent database contains the text and images of all patents dating back to 1976. The trademark data represents all pending and registered trademarks, and dates back to 1870. The more than 20 million pages in the database comprise 2 terabytes of modern-day science and technology, and more than 100 years of marketing creativity. June 14, 1999 The General Services Administration (GSA) announces its selection for the Patent and Trademark Office's new consolidated facility. PTO will move to Alexandria, Virginia, to the Carlyle site, located on currently undeveloped land at Dulaney Street and Eisenhower Avenue between Elizabeth Lane and Carlyle Street. The campus will comprise approximately 2 million square feet of occupiable space within five connected office buildings. Four buildings, 10 stories each, will line both sides of Dulaney Street. The campus is highlighted by an 18-story tower at the end of Dulaney |