USPTO Issues 1 Millionth Patent
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Sept. 26 officially issued U.S. design patent 1 million, an important milestone in American innovation and creativity.
Agustina Huckaby received her patent for an ornamental design for a dispensing comb, which categorizes it as a design patent, as opposed to a utility patent. The first design patent was granted to printer George Bruce in the United States for a new typeface, or font, in 1842. For many small businesses, protecting the way something looks is an equally vital step as protecting the way a product works, as demonstrated in the utility patents for the lightbulb or the Slinky.
With so much ingenuity that can be now amplified, more inventors are applying for design patent protection than ever before. The USPTO received over 50,000 applications for design patent protection in 2022, while experiencing a 20% increase in applications over the last five years. This means the USPTO’s examiners certainly have their hands full - applications are now expected to process over the course of around two years. Because these patents play a critical role in the economy through consumer demand and the creation of businesses and jobs, the USPTO recently worked with Congress to approve a re-organization package that elevates the Designs team within the Patents organization to its own division, with a new Deputy Commissioner for Designs.
“Protecting their unique products can help entrepreneurs find funding and succeed in a competitive marketplace,” said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “From the original Coca Cola bottle to the Statue of Liberty to the Medal of Honor and beyond, design patents protect iconic and unique designs, and help businesses grow and prosper.”
As for Huckaby, the legacy of her patent lasting beyond her lifetime was a primary motivation. "Being able to own that design and having something for my kids to look up to and pass on, that’s groundbreaking to me,” she said of the importance of her intellectual property protection. “I want to keep growing, keep building, keep creating as much as I can.” It is in this detailed documentation, tedious as it may be, that gives credit where it is due to people who are finding ways to improve our day to day lives, and provides opportunities to build generational wealth, one invention at a time.