USPTO Issues 10 Millionth Patent

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

The USPTO discloses that “Innovation has been the lifeblood of this country since its founding,” and  “Our patent system’s importance to the daily lives of every American has never been greater. Given the rapid pace of change, we know that it will not take another 228 years to achieve the next 10-million-patent milestone.”

Patent 10 million is the first to receive a new patent cover design unveiled by the USPTO during a special ceremony on March, 11, 2018. This is only the second change in the patent cover over the last 100 years. The new cover is a forward-looking, contemporary take on the significance of what the document represents.

The federal agency further states that this milestone of human ingenuity perhaps exceeds even the Founding Fathers’ expectations when they called for a patent system in the Constitution to “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.” For a detailed, interactive timeline highlighting important moments, notable inventors, changing patent designs, and other interesting facts over more than two centuries of innovation in America.