The Patent Behind the LEGO “Toy Building Brick”
On October 24, 1961, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen was granted the patent for the LEGO TOY BUILDING BRICK, U.S. Patent No. 3,005,282. Sixty years ago,…
5 Spooky Patents to Celebrate Halloween
Whether you're snacking on candy that has a registered trademark, reading a scary book that has been copyrighted, or carving pumpkins with a…
The Patent Behind the Iconic Flex-Foot Prosthetic
On October 22, 1985, medical engineer Van Phillips was granted U.S. Patent No. 4547913, for the "composite prosthetic foot and leg," under the newly…
The Patent Behind Insulin
On October 9, 1923, Frederick Banting, Charles Best, and James Collip were granted the patent for “Extract Obtainable from the Mammalian Pancreas or…
Rake in the Fall Leaves with These Patents
It's officially the first day of fall! For many, this means decorating their home with bright pumpkins and gourds, bringing out their sweaters to…
A Brief Patent History of Velcro®
On September 13, 1955, George de Mestral was granted the patent for VELVET TYPE FABRIC AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME (Velcro®), U.S. Patent No.…
Kick Off the Football Season with These 5 Historic Patents
It’s that time of year again! The long-awaited football season is upon us. Teams are getting ready to storm the field, while fans are making plans to…
The Best Patent History Post Since Sliced Bread
On August 28, 1928, Iowa native, Otto Frederick Rohwedder was granted U.S. Patent No. 1,682,581 for his “Bread Fastening Machine." Rohwedder's began…
Have a Seat– A Brief History of School Desk Patents
New wardrobe has been purchased, school supplies have been stocked, lunch is packed, now it's time for your first patent history lesson of the new…
Rudolf Diesel’s “Internal Combustion Engine”
On August 9, 1898, Rudolf Diesel was granted U.S. Patent No. 608,845A, for his "INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE." Rudolf Diesel, who is best known for the…
The Patent Behind Prince’s Keytar
On July 26, 1994, Prince R. Nelson was granted a design patent for his infamous keytar: PORTABLE, ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, U.S. Patent…
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lunar Mission
July 20, 2019, marks the 50th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first…
Independence Day Innovations
To celebrate America turning another year older, we are highlighting a few American innovations that make celebrating Independence Day so enjoyable.…
5 Baseball Patents You Won’t Find at the Men’s College World Series
As the NCAA Men’s College World Series comes to an end, fans from around the country are gathering in Omaha, Nebraska to root for their favorite…
The Patent that Led to the Creation of Morse Code
On June 20, 1840, Samuel F. B. Morse was granted U.S. Patent No. 1,647A, "IMPROVEMENT IN THE MODE OF COMMUNICATING INFORMATION BY SIGNALS BY THE…
Intellectual Property and the 4th of July
Independence Day, or Fourth of July, has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but has been observed since 1777, the first…
The Youngest Person to Receive a U.S. Patent
On June 4, 1963, Robert W. Patch became the youngest person to receive a U.S. patent. Patch’s “Toy Truck” (U.S. Patent No. 3,091,888) allowed for a…
Can you find this IP at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge?
Since the release of the first film in the Star Wars saga in 1977, Lucasfilm has been attached to over 188 registered patents, 51 published patent…
World IP Day 2019: IP and Sports
Today, April 26th, 2019 marks the 19th annual World Intellectual Property (IP) Day. Each year, IP offices, inventors, enterprises, and students are…
Celebrating Black History Month: Iconic Inventors Throughout History
As Black History Month comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to shine a light on 10 iconic African American inventors and scientists who…