January 13, 2000
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PTO Announces First Patent and Trademark of New Millennium

PTO ANNOUNCES FIRST PATENT AND TRADEMARK OF NEW MILLENNIUM

PRESS RELEASE

--SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS TO BENEFIT FROM NEW MILLENNIUM'S FIRST PATENT--

The first patent and trademark issued in the year 2000 reflect dramatic differences from those awarded at the beginning of the last century, the Commerce Department's Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) announced today.

The first patent for the new millennium was issued on January 4, 2000, to Leonard Siprut from San Diego for a multiple component headgear system. Patent No. 6,009,555 is a sun visor/eye shield for surfers, kayakers, bikers, and athletes in other extreme sports. In contrast, the first patent issued in 1900 was to Louis Allard, of Utah, for an early version of the washing machine.

The first trademark for 2000 (No. 2,305,025) was also registered on January 4 to Origins Natural Resources Inc., a cosmetics company, and its design. The first trademark issued in 1900 that is still in use is for Cream of Wheat and its design, registered January 23, 1900.

"The science, technology and creativity found in 20 century patents and trademarks mirrors not only an era in U.S. commerce, but also portrays the culture, the values, the dreams and the aspirations of the American people over the past 100 years," noted Q. Todd Dickinson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks.

The PTO is the Commerce Department's user fee-funded bureau that administers laws relevant to granting patents and registering trademarks; advises the Secretary of Commerce, the President of the United States, and the Administration on patent, trademark and copyright protection; and advises the Secretary of Commerce, the President of the United States, and the Administration on the trade-related aspects of intellectual property. Over 6 million patents have been issued since the first patent in 1790. Last year PTO issued 161,000 patents and registered 104,000 trademarks.

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