{"id":1481,"date":"2018-04-10T07:30:32","date_gmt":"2018-04-10T11:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=1481"},"modified":"2019-04-05T11:05:56","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T15:05:56","slug":"discover-the-u-s-patent-office-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2018\/04\/discover-the-u-s-patent-office-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the U.S. Patent Office for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Did you know that many of the very first government departments, established by our first President, George Washington, remain in place today? On April 10, 1790, just under a year after his inauguration, President Washington signed a bill placing the foundation for our current patent system. This law, for the first time, gave the rights to inventors to their creations. This year the patent office celebrates 228 years of operation and oversight of the patent process.<\/span><\/p>\n

In its first year, the new patent office issued three patents. The first was for processing potash and pearl ash given to Samuel Hopkins. This process offered new solutions for making glass, soap, and fertilizer. Joseph Samuelson from Boston received the next patent for the continuous wick, an innovation to creating long lasting candles. The third patent issued in 1790 was for an automated flour mill designed by Oliver Evans. Since that time, the annual number of patent applications and granted patents has increased every year; in fact, this summer the patent office expects to issue its 10 millionth utility patent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. Patent and Trade Office<\/span><\/a> offers a website just for kids and teens. This site features a large variety of resources including videos, activities, and biographies of young inventors. Here are some of the highlights:<\/span><\/p>\n