Author name: Inventors Digest

One year into my role as director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office—at the intersection of IP law, policy, and innovation—I am focused on impact.

In the 1880s, second assistant patent examiner Henry E. Baker took on a project that became his legacy: compiling the first list of African American patent holders. By studying and expanding on Baker’s work, we can get a much fuller picture of Black creators, trailblazers, and disruptors who helped invent modern America.

Pleasant Rowland’s Pleasant Company was a major risk: pricey toys and books for pre-teen girls that taught them about history. The 45-year-old former teacher and successful textbook author had gone with her husband to a conference.

A detailed specification, containing a description and other information illustrating the invention, is essential in the quest for a patent. When inventors submit a patent application, they must describe their invention in what is known as a specification. This contains a description and other information illustrating the invention.

With the support of Congress and President Biden—and the Sen. Patrick Leahy-led Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022, signed into law on December 29—now is the moment to make lasting, sustainable change.

Conrad’s Nov. 19, 1969, feat during the second Apollo moon mission, Apollo 12, marked the apex of an unlikely NASA career. He also was co-inventor of a significant satellite communications technology.

In the November 2022 Inventors Digest, the USPTO told readers about inventors’ options if a patent examiner rejects a patent application. If a patent applicant receives a second or final rejection of his or her application, the applicant again has options.

After your invention, your words in a patent application define the boundaries of your exclusive rights. You have just invented something. You believe it is new, useful, solves a problem, and most important: It is yours. You invested time, money, and energy into this invention.

Vaishali Udupa, an intellectual property attorney, engineer, and top executive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, joined the 13,000-person Department of Commerce agency as the new commissioner for patents on January 17. Before that, as an attorney in private practice, she participated in multiple IP trials and counseled clients with respect to their IP portfolios.

It’s a privilege to announce the five winners of the USPTO’s Patents for Humanity: COVID-19 category competition. The awards recognize these innovators for their rapid response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic through game-changing technologies.

Abraham Lincoln did not invent the stovepipe hat, but he may as well have. How an icon made his mark in fashion.