The Flickr Unitedstatespatentandtrademarkoffice Image Generatr

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:
www.gao.gov/products/GAO-25-107218

Intellectual Property: Patent Office Should Strengthen Its Efforts to Address Persistent Examination and Quality Challenges

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:
www.gao.gov/products/GAO-25-107218

Intellectual Property: Patent Office Should Strengthen Its Efforts to Address Persistent Examination and Quality Challenges

“Patent Office, Washington, D.C. – Examiners at work – sketched by Theo R. Davis. From Harper’s Weekly, July 10, 1869.” [Top image caption]

“The Exterior and Interior of the Patent Office – Drawn by E.J. Meeker, after photographs by Bell, Washington, D.C. The United States Patent Office 1840-1932. From Harper’s Weekly, c. 1890.” [Bottom image caption]

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has a rich history that spans over two centuries. Established shortly after the American Revolution, the USPTO was formed under the intellectual property clause of the United States Constitution, which was ratified in 1788. The first patent statute was passed by Congress on April 10, 1790, and the first U.S. patent was granted to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash on July 31, 1790. The Patent Office itself was officially established in 1802, with William Thornton appointed as the first full-time official to administer the patent act.

Since its inception, the USPTO has been at the forefront of innovation and intellectual property rights, granting millions of patents. As of the fiscal year 2023, the USPTO had issued over 11 million patents. This milestone reflects the exponential growth in patent applications and the continuous effort to promote scientific progress and protect the rights of inventors. [Source: uspto.gov]

[Note: The Patent Office Building shown in the bottom sketch is now the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, at 8th and G streets, NW. The Patent Office has relocated to Alexandria, Virginia, where it occupies several buildings.]

USPTO

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:
www.gao.gov/products/GAO-23-105656

National Institutes of Health: Better Data Will Improve Understanding of Federal Contributions to Drug Development

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:
www.gao.gov/products/GAO-21-52

BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: NIH Should Publicly Report More Information about the Licensing of Its Intellectual Property

Notes: The effective periods of the 32 licenses ranged from 7 to 31 years. The figure does not reflect three licenses associated with drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before NIH granted those licenses.
ᵃA single license can be associated with multiple products and vice versa.

A full side-view of the Silicon Valley USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) building, showing the entire side of the building, standing below on the sidewalk, with trees surrounding it and showing the balcony on a high floor. Located at 26 South Fourth Street in San Jose, California, next to City Hall in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Silicon Valley offices of the United States Patent and Trademark (USPTO) at 26 South Fourth Street in San Jose, California, surrounded by trees. Located at the corner of South 4th Street and East Santa Clara Street in San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A partial side-view of the Silicon Valley USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) building, showing the street-facing side of the building, standing below on the sidewalk, with the San Jose City Hall sign in the lower left, and showing the balcony on a high floor. Located at 26 South Fourth Street in San Jose, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, next to City Hall.

The front entrance to the Silicon Valley USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), on a tree-lined sidewalk with cars on the street. Orange chairs are visible in the windows. "THE EPICENTER OF INNOVATION" appears on the window. Located at 26 South Fourth Street in San Jose, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Looking up at the logo of the Silicon Valley USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), showing the full height of the street-facing side of the building, standing below on the sidewalk that passes under the building, with trees surrounding it and the balcony at the upper left of the photo. Located at 26 South Fourth Street in San Jose, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Looking up at the logo of the Silicon Valley USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), standing below on the sidewalk that passes under the building, with trees surrounding it. Located at 26 South Fourth Street in San Jose, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.