MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Kim Byars 703-305-8341 kim.byars@uspto.gov February 08, 2002 #02-09 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Unveils Latest Museum Exhibit: "Patent Models: Icons of Innovation" U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Museum 2121 Crystal Drive, Suite 0100 Arlington, VA Monday, February 11, 2002 5:30 p.m. The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will unveil its newest periodic exhibit, "Patent Models: Icons of Innovation," on Monday, February 11, 2002 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Museum, located at 2121 Crystal Drive, Suite 0100 in Arlington, Virginia. In the 19th Century, the United States was the world’s only industrializing nation at the time to require patent applicants to submit a model along with a description and detailed drawing of their invention. This resulted in thousands of crafted miniature machines. Those that survive today compose a national treasure chest that captures a very specific chapter of American history - a treasure chest the USPTO is committed to preserving. The exhibition will showcase patent models from the Rothschild Petersen Patent Model Museum, including models of Thomas Edison's light bulb and Elisha Gray's telegraph. The exhibit will run through May 2002. # # #