Trademark Soundex made available in the Kids' Pages on August 10, 2005. Eighty-five sound files for existing and pending trademarks posted to the site for the first time.

On April 10, 1790, President George Washington signed the bill that laid the foundation of the modern American patent system. This date marks the first time in American history that the law gave inventors rights to their creations.

The 1790 law gave the Patent Board members the power to grant a patent. Their authority was absolute and could not be appealed. The first board members included Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, who was considered the first administrator of the American patent system and the first patent examiner; Henry Knox, Secretary of War; and Edmund Randolph, Attorney General. The Department of State had the responsibility for administering the patent laws, and fees for a patent were between $4 and $5, with the board deciding on the duration of each patent, not to exceed 14 years.

The Act of April 10, 1790 also defined the subject matter of a U.S. patent as "any useful art, manufacture, engine, machine, or device, or any improvement thereon not before known or used." Applicants were to provide a patent specification and drawing and, if possible, a model. After examining the application, the board members would issue a patent if they deemed "the invention or discovery sufficiently useful and important."

On July 31, 1790, Samuel Hopkins of Philadelphia, PA, received the first U.S. patent for an improvement in "the making of Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and Process." President George Washington signed the patent, as did Attorney General Edmund Randolph and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. The original document is still in existence in the collections of the Chicago Historical Society.

Walter Hunt, of New York, NY, received patent #6,281 for the safety pin on April 10, 1849. Hunt's pin was made from one piece of wire, which was coiled into a spring at one end and a separate clasp and point at the other end, allowing the point of the wire to be forced by the spring into the clasp. Walter Hunt was extremely creative, and in 1834 he built America's first sewing machine, which also used the first eye-pointed needle. Hunt did not patent his invention because he thought it would put hand sewers out of work. Nearly 20 years later, Elias Howe reinvented and patented an eye-pointed needle sewing machine.

In celebration of Women's History Month, held each year during the month of March, the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is recognizing some very special women whose inventions have made a great contribution in making this country the most technologically advanced nation in the world.

In 1809, Mary Dixon Kies, a native of Killingly, Conn., received the first U.S. patent awarded to a woman for a process of weaving straw with silk or thread. Unfortunately, all records of this patent were destroyed in the Patent Office fire of 1836. First Lady Dolly Madison praised Kies for helping the hat industry and boosting the economy because, at the time, the U.S. government had put an embargo on all European goods.

Mary Anderson, of Birmingham, Ala., was granted patent no. 743,801 on November 10, 1903, for a window-cleaning device, essentially windshield wipers. Before the manufacture of the Model A, Anderson noticed that streetcar drivers were forced to open their windows in rainy conditions in order to see. The invention could clean snow, rain, or sleet by using a handle inside the car improving vision during inclement weather. By 1916, these wipers were standard equipment in American cars.

Patsy O. Sherman, born in Minneapolis, along with Samuel Smith, received patent no. 3,574,791 on April 13, 1971, for their invention of block and graft copolymers containing water-solvatable polar groups and fluoroaliphatic groups, otherwise known as Scotchgard®. Sherman and Smith were employees at 3M Company when they collaborated on what became the most famous and widely used stain repellent and soil removal product. What prompted this innovative product was an accidental spill of a flurochemical rubber on a tennis shoe. The shoes showed resistance to water and oily liquids. This accident in the lab led to the Scotchgard® family of products that repel stains and also allow for the removal of oily stains from synthetic fabrics. Sherman holds 13 patents with Smith in flurochemical polymers and polymerization processes. Sherman and Smith were inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2001.

Judy W. Reed, of Washington, D.C., and Sarah E. Goode, of Chicago, were the first African American women inventors to receive patents. Reed may not have been able to sign her name, but she may be the first African American woman to receive a patent. Signed with an "X," patent no. 305,474, granted September 23, 1884, is for a dough kneader and roller. Goode's patent for a cabinet bed, patent no. 322,177, was issued on July 14, 1885. Goode, the owner of a Chicago furniture store at the time of her invention, invented a folding bed that could be formed into a desk when not in use. It was a great space-saving idea!

Thomas A. Edison, one of the outstanding geniuses in the history of technology, received patent no. 200,521 for a phonograph on February 19, 1878. This patent is just one of the more than one thousand Edison was granted for his inventions.

Edison was exceptionally inquisitive, and while tinkering with the telegraph transmitter he discovered that when played back at high speeds, the tape sounded like spoken words. He figured out that the human voice, and other sounds, could cause a light material plate to vibrate. And, when properly placed, a needle could indent the plate, recording the vibrations, and found that yet another needle could play them back. He eventually rigged a tinfoil cylinder and a stylus with which he recorded, "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Edison's inventions have been a mainstay of our economy for over 100 years. At the turn of the 20th century, Edison's New Jersey laboratory (now a national monument), was the hub around which factories employing 5,000 people produced new products, including the mimeograph, the fluoroscope, the alkaline storage battery, dictating machines, and motion picture cameras and projectors. The electric light bulb, his most famous invention, was the foundation for today's General Electric Company.

Patents and trademarks may not be synonymous with Valentine's Day. However, the Department of Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted patents and trademarks to many types of candies, flowers, and jewelry associated with the celebration.

Roses are a huge business on Valentine's Day. Coincidentally, the first plant patent issued by the USPTO was for a rose (PP1). Henry F. Bosenberg, of New Brunswick, N.J., received the patent for a climbing rose on August 18, 1931. Red roses are the flower most often sent on Valentine's Day and Fred H. Howard, of Montebello, Calif., received Plant Patent No. 953, for an early hybrid tea rose, on June 20, 1950. Its flower is described as rose red, very appropriate for Valentine's Day. A more recent patent for a red rose (plant patent no. 11,834), was granted on April 3, 2001 to J. Benjamin Williams, of Silver Spring, Md., for a climbing rose named "Scarlet Star."

Florists' Transworld Delivery, Inc.®, more commonly known as FTD, offers a service closely associated with Valentine's Day flowers, and holds trademarks for its symbol depicting a flower deliverer (registration no. 0821318) and for its toll-free number, 1-800-SEND-FTD® (registration no. 1848732). According to the Greeting Card Association, one billion Valentine cards are sent each year. One famous purveyor of greeting cards is Hallmark®, who holds a trademark for its gold crown symbol (registration no. 0525798). Candy is another Valentine's Day tradition and some well-known brands are Godiva® (registration no. 0836376), Russell Stover® (registration no. 0739454), and Sweethearts® conversation heart candy (registration no. 2172266). Jewelry is another popular Valentine gift. Zales®, a well-known jewelry store chain, markets itself specifically for Valentine's Day with the slogan, "Zales the Diamond and Valentine Store®" (trademark registration no. 2112448).

Black History Month, held each year during the month of February, celebrates African American cultures and heritage and recognizes the many contributions African Americans have made to this nation.

In conjunction with Black History Month, the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is recognizing some very special African Americans whose inventions have made a great contribution in making this country the most technologically advanced nation in the world.

Granville T. Woods, born in Columbus, Ohio in 1856, was known as the "Black Edison." During his lifetime he received over 30 patents and successfully fought suits brought against him by Thomas Edison for the rights to certain electrical inventions, including railway telegraphy (patent no. 388,803), which allowed dispatchers to communicate by telegraph and warn train engineers of oncoming trains. Another of Wood's better-known inventions is the air brake (patent no. 701,981).

Ivan Yaeger, who was born and still resides in Miami, received patent no. 4,685,928 for an artificial arm and hand assembly in 1987. This revolutionary prosthetic arm is designed to move drive motors to a level that improves range, variety, and speed of motion, and allows for better toleration by the wearer.

Dr. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist from New York, but living in Los Angeles when she received her patent, became the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention. Dr. Bath's patent (no. 4,744,360), a method for removing cataract lenses, transformed eye surgery, using a laser device making the procedure more accurate.

Dr. James West, born in 1931 in Prince Edward County, Va., received patent no. 3,118,022 in 1964 (while an employee at Bell Laboratories), along with Gerhard Sessler, for the electroacoustic transducer, an electret microphone, which offered greater reliability, higher precision, lower cost and smaller size. The electret microphone revolutionized the microphone industry, with almost one billion manufactured each year. West and Sessler were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999.

Noah W. and Joseph S. McVicker, while living in Cincinnati, received patent #3,167,440 for a soft, pliable plastic modeling composition, today better known as Play-Doh®.

Play-Doh® was originally designed as a wallpaper cleaner. Its similarity to regular modeling clay, without the toxicity or mess, makes Play-Doh® a great toy. Over 700 million pounds of Play-Doh® have been sold to date.

In 1960, the first rendition of Play-Doh® Pete, a boy with a beret, was introduced. Pete, as well as the Play-Doh® logo, have changed over the years. Registration # 1221942, one example of the famous Play-Doh® trademarks, illustrates a classic rendition of Pete with his beret. A more modern Play-Doh® Pete, looking a little older and donning a baseball cap, can be found in Registration #2504268.

Josephine Garis Cochran invented the first useful dishwasher in Shelbyville, Illinois and received patent # 355,139 on December 28, 1886.

Cochrane, a wealthy woman who entertained often, wanted a machine that could wash dishes faster than her servants, and without breaking them. When she couldn't find one, she built it herself.

She measured the dishes first, then she made wire compartments, each designed to fit plates, cups, or saucers. The compartments were placed inside a wheel that lay flat within a copper boiler. A motor turned the wheel while hot soapy water squirted from the bottom of the boiler and rained down on the dishes. Her invention worked! She showed the dishwasher at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, but only restaurants and hotels showed interest in it. Cochrane founded a company to manufacture her dishwashers, which eventually became KitchenAid®. It wasn't until the 1950s, however, that dishwashers started to become a standard household kitchen appliance.

Samuel L. Clemens, born in Florida, Mo., received patent #121,992 on December 19, 1871 for an Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments.

Clemens, better known as Mark Twain and famous for stories such as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, also was an inventor and received a total of three patents. While living in Hartford, Conn., Twain, received his first patent for an adjustable strap that could be used to tighten shirts at the waist. This strap attached to the back of a shirt and fastened with buttons to keep it in place and was easy to remove. Twain's invention was not only used for shirts, but for underpants and women's corsets as well. His purpose was to do away with suspenders, which he considered uncomfortable. Twain also received patents for a self-pasting scrapbook in 1873, that was very popular and sold over 25,000 copies, and in 1885 for a history trivia game.

Twain also believed strongly in the value of the patent system. In his book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Hank Morgan, the Connecticut Yankee, said "…the very first official thing I did in my administration-and it was on the very first day of it too-was to start a patent office; for I knew that a country without a patent office and good patent laws was just a crab and couldn't travel anyway but sideways and backwards."

Leo Hendrick Baekeland was living in Yonkers, N.Y. when he received patent #942,699 for the first synthetic plastic, known as Bakelite, an invention that revolutionized the manufacture of everything from buttons to car parts.

Baekeland, a successful innovator, used money from the sale of his first invention to Eastman Kodak, photographic paper, to develop phenolic resin or Bakelite, a non-flammable plastic that was less expensive and more versatile than other plastics of the day. It was first used to make electrical and automobile insulators, but is now best known for beautifully colored novelty and jewelry items, first popular during the Depression era and highly collectible today.

Baekeland was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1978.

Robert S. Ledley, born in 1926 in New York City, received patent # 3,922,552 on November 25, 1975 for the diagnostic X-ray system, also known as the CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) scan.

Ledley's invention, the ACTA (Automatic Computerized Transverse Axial) diagnostic X-ray scanner, was the first whole-body computerized tomography (CT) machine, and provided views of the body and brain not seen with traditional X-rays. This was achieved using computers to generate three-dimensional images from flat X-ray pictures of cross-sections of the body, called slices. Ledley's technology allowed early diagnoses of illness and disease, thus saving lives.

Ledley also used computerized tomography in radiation therapy and in the diagnosis of bone disease. He was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1990.

The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office joins in the celebration of Thanksgiving by recognizing some patents and trademarks associated with this festive holiday.

Food often takes center stage at Thanksgiving, and there are many well-known Thanksgiving-related products protected by patents and trademarks. One way to spend more time with family and less in the kitchen cleaning up is by using a disposable cooking pan (patent #5,628,427) or a cooking jacket (patent #4,942,809) for the turkey, ham or roast. One non-traditional, but increasingly popular, way to cook a turkey is deep-frying, and one type of equipment used in this preparation is protected by patent # 5,758,569.

Some well-known trademarks associated with turkey and dressing, must-haves at many Thanksgiving tables, are Butterball (registration #1151836) for turkey products and Stove Top (registration #0949459) for stuffing. What holiday feast would be complete without cranberry sauce such as Ocean Spray (registration #2150919)? Desserts are always the final complement to a Thanksgiving feast. For those that do not bake their own, Sara Lee's slogan for its pies and cakes, "Nobody Doesn't Like Sara Lee," is protected by trademark registration #1885156.

Garrett Morgan, the son of former slaves, was born in Paris, Kentucky, and was living in Cleveland, Ohio when he received patent # 1,475,024 on November 20, 1923 for the three-way traffic signal. Dependence on the automobile grew rapidly after World War I, and Morgan saw that existing mechanical "stop" and "go" signals were dangerous because they had no caution indicator to buffer traffic flow. So he patented a three-armed signal mounted on a T-shaped pole that indicated "stop" and "go" for traffic in two directions, and also had another signal for stopping traffic in all directions before the stop and go signals changed -- the forerunner of today's yellow light.

General Electric bought Morgan's patent for $40,000, and his traffic management device was used throughout North America until it was replaced by the red, yellow and green-light traffic signals currently used around the world.

Garrett Morgan received wide recognition for his outstanding contributions to public safety. The gas mask he invented in 1912 (U.S. 1,113,675 issued in 1914) was used during World War I to protect soldiers from chlorine gas fumes. In 1916, Morgan wore his own mask design to rescue men trapped by a gas explosion in a tunnel being constructed under Lake Erie. The City of Cleveland, Ohio honored Garrett Morgan with a gold medal for his heroic efforts in 1916.

King C. Gillette was born in Fon du Lac,Wisconsin, and while residing in Boston, received patent #775,134 for the disposable safety razor on November 15, 1904. Prior to the disposable razor, shaving was done with a straight-edge razor which had a thick, sharp blade, making it dangerous. The blade also needed continuous sharpening, making it expensive because the blade soon became worn and could no longer be used. Gillette wanted to create a razor blade that would not need sharpening and could be disposed of once it became dull. He invented a razor blade made out of very thin sheet-steel that was placed in a holder to secure the blade for shaving. Once the blade became dull, it was discarded and replaced by a new one, using the same holder.

In 1901, Gillette formed the American Safety Razor Company (soon thereafter renamed for Gillette himself). For the first time, using his portrait and signature on the packaging (trademark registration #0056921), razor blades were sold in multiples, with the razor handle a one-time purchase. The Gillette Safety Razor Company has thrived for 100 years, and over the decades expanded its line to such well-known products as Foamy® shaving cream (trademark registration #1015038), Right Guard® antiperspirant (trademark registration #0692546), and Duracell batteries (trademark registration #0793273). Today, Gillette has over $10 billion in sales, in over 200 countries.

Dr. Charles Drew, who was born in Washington, D.C., received patent #2,301,710 on November 10, 1942 for a method of preserving human blood. Prior to Dr. Drew's invention, transfusions required a nearly simultaneous exchange of blood from the donor to the patient before the blood became tainted. Dr. Drew discovered that plasma, which has a longer shelf life than blood and is less prone to contamination, could be separated from whole blood and used in transfusions, thus paving the way for the blood bank.

The pioneering blood work done by Dr. Drew saved the lives of thousands of allied service men and women during the Second World War. After the war, Dr. Drew became the founding medical director of the Red Cross Blood Bank in the United States, and was head of blood collection for the U.S. Army and Navy.

The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office joins in the commemoration of Veterans Day by recognizing some patriotic trademarks.

Veterans Day has its roots in a 1921 ceremony first held at Arlington National Cemetery to honor an unnamed soldier, "known but to God." Patriotic symbolism abounds on Veterans Day and many of these symbols have trademark registrations.

The American flag, for example, is closely associated with Veterans Day. The flag has taken on added significance for Americans since the terrorist attacks of September 11, reminding us of the original story behind our national anthem. Francis Scott Key was inspired to write, "The Star Spangled Banner," during the British attack on Baltimore's Fort McHenry. The flag that inspired Key is now at the Smithsonian Institution, and the group working to preserve it has registered its name, the "Star Spangled Preservation Project" as a trademark (#2450336).

Veterans Day 2001 gives us the opportunity to offer renewed appreciation for the men and women of the United States armed forces, particularly those associated with Operation Enduring Freedom. Our armed forces have many trademarks associated with their mottos and symbols. One well-known mark is the Army's motto, "Be All You Can Be" (registration# 2063499). The nation's oldest major veteran's organization, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), was established in 1899 and has been a major voice for our nation's veterans. "VFW" a symbol of volunteerism and community service, is a registered trademark (#1686881).

The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office joins in the celebration of this year's World Series by recognizing some patents and trademarks relative to baseball.

Baseball is America's pastime. The thousands of patented inventions associated with the sport are testament to that. Most recently patents have been issued on a way to improve a batter's swing (patent #6,306,050); a swing speed indicator (patent #6,173,610) that measures the batter's swing using a digital readout that can be slipped onto any bat; a baseball trainer, which helps pitchers practice by indicating a "strike" or "ball" as well as the speed of the pitch by using a microcomputer (patent # 5,566,964); and a glove (patent #5,113,530) with inflatable chambers which softens the impact of an incoming baseball or softball. There are also numerous patents for softball and t-ball. Design patent # 418,569 is for a t-ball matt, which helps children position themselves to hit the ball. Patent #4,993,708 covers a batting tee. Design patent #402,414 is for a helmet that can be used for a player to pull their ponytail through while playing softball, t-ball or little league baseball.

Trademarks also play an important role in baseball and are seen on and off the field. Most professional team logos, equipment and even mascots, have trademark registrations. The New York Yankees, which have won the most World Series Championships, have a very well known and recognized logo, which has trademark registration #1898998 for use on baseball shirts. The Arizona Diamondbacks, a relatively new team, has several trademark applications pending, including serial #76161641 for baseball uniforms and other sport-related clothing. Trademarks for baseball equipment include Rawlings (registration #1149932) and Wilson (registration #1553005) for sporting good equipment such as baseballs, gloves, and bases.

Donald Campbell, Homer Martin, Charles Tyson and Eger Murphree, four inventors working for Exxon, revolutionized the petroleum industry when they created the first efficient and continuous way to refine crude oil. Their invention, known as fluid cat cracking, was granted patent #2,451,804, and came on the heels of America's entry into World War II, meeting the military's need to increase the yield of high-octane aviation fuel. This invention is considered one of the most important chemical engineering achievements of the 20th century. In addition to producing gasoline, their invention is used to manufacture heating oil, propane, butane, and chemicals that are instrumental in products such as plastics and synthetic rubbers.

Campbell, from Clinton, Iowa, had patents on 30 inventions. Martin, who came from Chicago, Illinois, was one of Exxon's most prolific inventors with 82 patents. Murphree, who was from Bayonne, New Jersey, went on to become President of Standard Oil of New Jersey, and Tyson, also from Chicago, Illinois, held over 50 patents, mainly in the petroleum processing area.

Charles P. Strite, born in Minneapolis, MN, received patent #1,394,450 on October 18, 1921 for the bread-toaster. During World War I, Strite worked in a manufacturing plant in Stillwater, MN, where he became frustrated with the burned toast served in the cafeteria. Strite, determined to find a way of toasting bread that did not depend on human attention, invented the pop-up toaster with a variable timer. In 1925, using a redesigned version of Strite's toaster, the Toastmaster Company began to market the first household toaster that could brown bread on both sides simultaneously, set the heating element on a timer, and eject the toast when finished. By 1926, Charles Strite's Toastmaster was available to the public and was a huge success.

George Eastman, who was born in Waterville, New York, received patent #306,594 on October 14, 1884 for photographic film. Eastman’s invention revolutionized photography by using coated paper and rollers, rather than heavy glass dry plates, to reproduce images. Eastman began looking for ways to “make the camera as convenient as the pencil,” after amassing the heavy, complicated, and expensive equipment he needed to keep a picture record of his vacation. This invention allowed him to mass produce a small hand-held box camera filled with rolls of film with 100 exposures. Millions of Americans recorded the first snap shots of their everyday lives using the Kodak camera, which was introduced in 1888. In 1977, George Eastman was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

In addition to an inventive spirit, Eastman also had a strong belief in the power of advertising. He first registered “KODAK®,” a term he created, as a trademark in 1888. Today the word “Kodak,” and the Eastman Kodak Company’s distinctive yellow trade dress, are well-known around the world.

Chester F. Carlson, considered the father of xerographic printing, received patent #2,297,691 on October 6, 1942 for electrophotography. Carlson's invention, the first method of making images by dry copying, evolved from his desire to eliminate hand reproduction of patent specifications and drawings at the electronics firm where he worked as a physicist. In 1947, he assigned the commercial rights to his invention to the Haloid Company, later renamed the Xerox Corporation. Carlson, who was born in Seattle, Washington, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1981.

On October 9, 1962, Wilson Greatbatch received patent #3,057,356 for the cardiac pacemaker. Born in Buffalo, New York, Greatbatch's innovation was selected in 1983 by the National Society of Professional Engineers as one of the two major engineering contributions to society during the previous 50 years. Greatbatch established a series of companies to manufacture or license his inventions, including Greatbach Enterprises, which produces most of the world's pacemaker batteries. In 1986, Greatbatch was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

National Hispanic Heritage Month, held each year from September 15 - October 15, celebrates Hispanic cultures and heritage and recognizes the many contributions Hispanic Americans have made to this nation.

In conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office is recognizing some very special Hispanic Americans whose inventions contributed a great deal to making this country the most technologically advanced nation in the world.

Luis Alvarez received patent #2,480,208 in 1949 for a radio distance and direction indicator, essentially radar systems used during World War II to locate and land aircraft. He also developed, with others, the hydrogen bubble chamber, which was used to detect subatomic particles. This resulted in a major rethinking of nuclear theories. Alvarez was born in San Francisco and was living in Santa Fe when he received his patent. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1968, and in 1978 was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame.

Victor Ochoa, was born in 1850 in Ojinaga, Mexico and resided in El Paso, Texas, New York and Peekskill, N.Y. when he received several patents, including two for adjustable wrenches (patents #1,417,196 and #1,454,333); others for the rail magnetic brake for street cars (patent #873,587) which he sold to the American Brake Company; the reversible motor (patent #718,508); and an improvement for the windmill that was to be constructed cylindrically (patent #1,319,174). Ochoa also received numerous patents from other countries.

Ellen Ochoa, who became the first Hispanic female astronaut in 1990, was a co-inventor on three patents in the field of optical information processing, using an optical system or laser light to extract information from an image rather than using an electronic or computer system. Her patents are for an optical inspection system (patent #4,674,824) in 1987, an optical object recognition method (patent# 4,838,644) in 1989, as well as a method for noise removal in images (patent #4,949,389) in 1990. Ochoa was born in Los Angeles in 1958 and listed her residences on her patents as Stanford and Pleasanton, Calif.

A number of well-known U.S. trademarks protect products and services with roots in the Hispanic culture. Trademark registration #2444627, for example, protects the word Selena when used to sell dolls named after Selena, the late Tejano singing sensation. Registration #1980712 ensures that the term MSM/Miami Sound Machine is protected for the use in compact discs, videotapes and records for the group founded by Gloria and Emilio Estefan. The word Goya is synonymous with Latin American food products and its use in association with such items as Vienna sausage, canned fruit juices, soups, and spices, among others, is protected by registration #0962193. Corona and Tecate, two Mexican beers popular in the U.S., are protected by registration #1727969 and registration #1666892.

On August 26, 1930, Philo Taylor Farnsworth received patent #1,773,980 for the first television system. Farnsworth, who was born in Beaver, Utah, produced the first all-electric television image at the age of 20. Farnsworth’s television patents covered scanning, focusing, synchronizing, contrast, control, and power. Farnsworth also invented the first cold cathode ray tubes and the first simple electronic microscope. In 1984, Farnsworth was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

On July 31, 1790 Samuel Hopkins was issued the first patent for a process of making potash, an ingredient used in fertilizer. The patent was signed by President George Washington. Hopkins was born in Vermont, but was living in Philadelphia, PA when the patent was granted.

The first patent, as well as the more than 6 million patents issued since then, can be seen on the Department of Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website at www.uspto.gov. The original document is in the collections of the Chicago Historical Society.

Not much has spanned the last century. Less has lasted the past 100 years without change. That is why the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is proud to announce that 15 trademarks are celebrating their centennials this year.

The picture of a chef holding a bowl of hot cereal, Nabisco's CREAM OF WHEAT logo, and General Electric's "GE medallion" are two widely identifiable registered trademarks that have been part of the American culture for the past 100 years. Other well-known registrations celebrating 100 years in 2000 are Carnation Brand condensed milk and Pabst Milwaukee Blue Ribbon Beer.

Since the first trademark was registered in 1870, words, phrases, symbols, designs, shapes, and colors have established the identities of countless sources of goods and services for consumers worldwide. Nearly 1 million registered trademarks are in use today, including the oldest U.S. trademark still in use, SAMSON, with the design of a man and a lion, registered on May 27, 1884, for use on cords, line and rope.

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.