Patent

The world's first patent was granted in 1421 to architect Filippo Brunelleschi in Florence to make a barge crane to transport marble.

The Venetian Patent Statute, issued by the Senate of Venice in 1474, was one of the world's earliest known laws to grant and protect patents. These were mostly in the field of glass making.

The Venetian Patent Statute, issued by the Senate of Venice in 1474,

As Venetians emigrated, they sought similar patent protection. This resulted in such privileged grants to inventors spreading from Italy to other European countries over the next two centuries.

The first English patent, in 1618, was not for an invention at all but for the right to engrave maps of London and other cities.

In 1639 Amye Everard became the first Englishwoman to be granted a patent. It was for her "tincture of saffron and essence of roses."

On July 31, 1790, self-taught chemist and inventor Samuel Hopkins was issued the first U.S. patent. The patent was granted for an improvement "in the making of Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and Process." Potash and pearl ash were important commodities at the time, used in the production of soap, glass, and fertilizer. Hopkins's invention was a more efficient way to produce these substances, and it quickly became popular.

Hopkins's patent was the first issued under the new U.S. patent law, which was signed into law by President George Washington on April 10, 1790. The law created the first patent office in the United States, and it set the terms for how patents would be granted.

U.S. patent X1

Mary Dixon Kies was the first woman to be issued a U.S. patent. She was granted a patent on May 5, 1809 for a new method of weaving straw with silk, which was a significant innovation in the millinery industry at the time. Kies was a self-taught inventor who lived in Connecticut. A mother of 10 children and a widow, Kies used her invention to make hats and other items.

During the War of 1812, Superintendent Dr. William Thornton convinced members of the British expeditionary force to spare the US Patent Office standing while they burned the rest of Washington D.C. He argued that knowledge benefits the entire world.

Thomas Jennings became in 1821 the first African-American to hold a patent. He invented 'dry scouring', a method for removing dirt and grease from clothing that would lead to today's dry cleaning.

The first 10,280 patents issued by the US Patent Office between 1790 and 1836 were destroyed by a fire on December 15 1836; fewer than 3,000 of those have been recovered and re-issued with numbers that include an "X".

John Ruggles received the first U.S. patent following the US Patent Office fire or locomotive wheels.

The Patent Office, c. 1855. By Cliff - Flickr: The Patent Office, Wikipedia

Abraham Lincoln received a patent for his invention of a flotation device for the movement of boats in shallow water on May 22, 1849. The idea was never commercialized, but Lincoln is the only American president to hold a patent.

Japan's first patent was issued to Zuisho Hotta, a lacquerware craftsman on August 14, 1885. The patent was for his formulation of an anticorrosive paint for ship hulls. Hotta's paint was made from a mixture of tung oil, linseed oil, and lead oxide. It was a significant improvement over the previous methods of protecting ship hulls from rust, which were often ineffective. Hotta's paint helped to make Japanese ships more durable and seaworthy, and it played a role in the country's growing maritime power in the late 19th century.

In 1899, Charles H. Duell, commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office called for the abolition of his office. His reason being, "Everything that can be invented has been invented."

Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil received a patent for their "Secret Communications System" on August 11, 1942. An early technique of frequency-hopping spread spectrum, it later became the basis for many forms of today's wireless communication systems.

Copy of U.S. patent for "Secret Communication System"

Thomas Edison accumulated 2,332 patents worldwide for his inventions.

King Hussein of Jordan registered a patent for a heart monitor in 1969. This is the only patent known to have been registered by a reigning monarch.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international patent law treaty that facilitates the process of filing and seeking patent protection for inventions in multiple countries. It was created to simplify and streamline the patent application process, but its signing and entry into force occurred on a different date.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty was signed on June 19, 1970, in Washington, D.C. and has been in force since January 24, 1978. Since then, the PCT has provided a framework for cooperation among multiple countries, allowing inventors to seek patent protection internationally through a centralized application process.

The musical fly swatter was patented in the US in 1994. It played one tune when turned on and another when it hit something.

US patent number 5528943, issued in 1996, was for a pregnant female crash test dummy.

Source Daily Express