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The foundations of the patent system
"An act of Congress authorising (sic) the issuing patents for new discoveries has given a spring to invention beyond my conception." — Thomas Jefferson, June 27, 1790
- 1790, April 10th - Patent Act Passed
- 1790, July 31st - George Washington signs The First U.S. Patent Issued - This Day of History
- Patent no. 1X assigned to Samuel Hopkins of Philadelphia for the improvement in making of potash and pearl ash — alkaline substances derived from wood ashes, essential for fertilizer, soap, and glass production
- It was also signed by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, & Attorney General Edmund Randolph.
- 1790 - 1836 -Patents continued to be signed by the President of the United States
- 1836 - Fire destroys the records of the first 40 years of patents issued.
- The United States Patent and Trademark Office has two patents in its archival collection, as well as several others in the digital archive.
- Explore five examples below, (The history of presidentially signed patents | USPTO) and visit the USPTO’s Public Search Facility to see the patents signed by Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams in person.
- The Patent Act of 1836, signed into law on July 4 of that year, transformed the patenting process and laid the foundation for the system still used today. The act required the thorough examination of patents, established a corps of professional patent examiners, and introduced a formal patent numbering system.
- 1976 - Patent no. 3,938,115 As part of America’s celebration of the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, President Gerald Ford signed a ceremonial patent granted to inventor Sidney Jacoby of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The inventor’s home was a nod to the location of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, which took place in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall
- 2018, June 19 Patent no. 10,000,000
The granting of U.S. Patent No. 10 million marked a major milestone in the history of patents in the United States. President Donald Trump signed the patent in a special ceremony at the White House, paying homage to the past tradition of presidential patent signings, beginning with the very first.
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