US Patent and Trademark Office Issues 10-Millionth Patent

 

The United States has issued its 10 millionth patent. President George Washington signed the first almost 228 years ago.

A patent is an official document that gives an individual or company the right to be the only one that makes or sells a product.

The United States Patent and Trademark¹ Office, or USPTO, issued the newest patent Tuesday to the defense² services company, Raytheon. The patent is for a system known as LADAR, which improves laser detection and ranging. The inventor, Joseph Marron, is an engineer for the Raytheon Company.

Patent officials say LADAR can be used in connection with self-driving vehicles, medical imaging devices, military defense systems and space and undersea exploration. Raytheon says the system uses a laser radar³ to send real-time data to a receiver.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross released a statement in honor of the issuance of the 10 millionth patent. He said the importance of the U.S. patent system “has never been greater.”

He added, “We know that it will not take another 228 years to achieve the next 10-million-patent milestone⁴.”

The real deal

USPTO spokesman Paul Fucito told VOA that issuing the 10 millionth patent is a very important event in U.S. history.

He said, "It is a timely and relevant opportunity to promote the importance of innovation… as well as the history of America’s patent system.”

Inventor Marron compared winning the 10 millionth patent to a person who plays the lottery⁵ every month.

"Eventually, it hits," he said.

Back in March, at the South by Southwest Interactive⁶ Festival, patent officials presented a new cover design to mark the issuance of the new patent.

Among the 10 million patents are inventions by Thomas Edison, Henry Ford⁷ and Apple founder⁸ Steve Jobs. For every well-known inventor, however, there are many other, less recognizable people whose inventions have greatly influenced our world.

Fifteen of those men and women recently were honored for their important contributions, in a special ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia.

On July 31, 1790, President Washington signed the first patent. The patent office said the document was issued for "a process of making potash, an ingredient used in fertilizer."

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

achieve - v. to get or reach (something) by working hard?

detect - v. to discover or notice the presence of something?

ingredient - n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc.?

promote - v. to change the rank or position of (someone) to a higher or more important one?

range - v. to include everything between specified⁹ limits?

relevant - adj. relating to a subject in an appropriate way?

opportunity - n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done?

innovation - n. a new idea, device, or method?

eventually - adv. at some later time

1 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

4 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

5 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

6 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

7 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

9 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。