Tuesday Open Lines


The U.S. Patent Office opened for business on this date in 1790, established to protect the work of young America’s inventors. The first patent granted was to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont, for a new method of making fertilizer. The office has been busy ever since. Annually, more than 244,000 patents are granted. The Patent and Trademark Office also is a partner in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Alexandria, Virginia. Among those inducted last year were Bob Silver and Joe Woodland, who invented the optically scanned bar code. Individuals receive 6 percent of patents — the remainder are granted to U.S. and foreign corporations, with slightly more granted to foreign companies. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.


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