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Blog Category: National Inventors Hall of Fame

Commerce's USPTO Honors Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees

Submitted on May 3, 2012 - 7:30am
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Under Secretary Kappos, inductee Barbara Liskov (mentioned in blog post) and Deputy Director General of the Innovation and Technology Sector of the World Intellectual Property Organization Jim Pooley.

Our everyday lives are bettered by visionary inventors, and we were reminded of that on May 2, 2012, when ten new inductees to the National Inventors Hall of Fame were honored by David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The 40th annual induction ceremony took place at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, the site of the historic Patent Office where the Hall of Fame’s first inductee, Thomas Edison, received his patents.

Most of the 2012 honorees were on hand, including Barbara Liskov, whose innovations in the organization of computer programming can be found in almost all modern programming languages; C. Kumar N. Patel, whose carbon dioxide laser developed while at Bell Labs is an essential component in the medical, industrial and military arenas; and Gary Starkweather, who while with the Xerox PARC facility invented the laser printer. They were joined on stage by 21 previous inductees.

Three honorees were inducted posthumously, including Mária Telkes, known as the “Sun Queen” for her pioneering work in solar energy; and Steve Jobs, whose influence spanned personal computing, film animation, consumer technology, and digital publishing.

A list of all ten honorees and their accomplishments can be found on the USPTO web site.

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Commerce Department's USPTO to Kick Off Independent Inventors Conference

Submitted on November 3, 2010 - 11:30am
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Logo for USPTO Independent Inventors ConferenceThe United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will kick off its annual Independent Inventors Conference tomorrow at its headquarters in Alexandria, Va.  Co-sponsored by the USPTO and the National Inventors Hall of Fame®, the conference is one of many outreach programs offered by the USPTO to assist independent inventors. Art Fry, co-inventor of Post-It® Notes and a 2010 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee, and USPTO Director David Kappos will be keynote speakers.

The conference will feature numerous experts and employees from the USPTO who will discuss topics such as the fundamentals of searching and filing trademark applications and the interplay between patents, trademarks and copyrights. Conference attendees will receive practical tips along with information on marketing and licensing, patent application preparation, patent and trademark searching, local resources, and lessons learned from successes and failures. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network one-on-one with experts and provide feedback on how the USPTO can better serve them.

Thousands of independent inventors and small businesses do critical research and development every day and produce innovative goods and services that benefit the public. These innovations continue to play a central role in the future of the American economy and job creation. 

The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday with a pre-conference workshop for beginning inventors today. Learn more about the Annual Independent Inventors Conference on the PTO website, including how to register.

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USPTO: New Exhibit on Food Opens at National Inventors Hall of Fame

Submitted on June 8, 2010 - 1:18pm
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Mr. Peanut® character costumeUnder Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) David Kappos and Alexandria, Va.,  Mayor Bill Euille presided at the opening ceremony of this unique, new exhibit today at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria. This is the first major exhibit installation to come to the National Inventors Hall of Fame since it was relocated to Alexandria from Akron, Ohio, in March 2009.

Inventive Eats: Incredible Food Innovations highlights how our breakfast cereals, sandwiches, dinner entrees and more have been transformed by significant events, discoveries and inventions. It features the important role many of the National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees have played in the array of appetizing innovations that have made the food we eat safer, healthier and more economical.

Image of walk-in kitchen from 1950sVisuals include:

  • A full-size Mr. Peanut® character costume from the 1960s, used for Planters marketing, and additional Mr. Peanut artifacts
  • A 1950s fully stocked walk-in kitchen
  • 19th century patent models, including models of a refrigerator, an egg beater, a flour sifter and the original Mason jar
  • Displays of other well-known trademark food characters, such as the Pillsbury Doughboy® and the Green Giant®
  • A Tappan vintage microwave from 1955, the first for home use 
  • A 19th century patented beehive