The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Following is a brief history and description of the role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a federal agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
History and Development
Congress established the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to issue patents on behalf of the government. The Patent Office as a distinct bureau dates from the year 1802, when a separate official in the Department of State who became known as “Superintendent of Patents” was placed in charge of patents. The revision of the patent laws, enacted in 1836, reorganized the Patent Office and designated the official in charge as Commissioner of Patents. The Patent Office remained in the Department of State until 1849 when it was transferred to the Department of Interior. In 1925 it was transferred to the Department of Commerce where it is today. The name of the Patent Office was changed to the Patent and Trademark Office in 1975 and changed to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2000.
Role of the USPTO
For over 200 years, the basic role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has remained the same: To promote the progress of science and the useful arts
by securing to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office administers the patent laws as they relate to the granting of patents for inventions, and performs other duties relating to patents. The USPTO:
- Examines applications for patents to determine if the applicants are entitled to patents under the law
- Grants the patents when they are so entitled
- Publishes issued patents, most patent applications filed on or after November 29, 2000, at 18 months from the earliest filing date, and various publications concerning patents;
- Records assignments of patents;
- Maintains a search room for the use of the public to examine issued patents and records; and
- Supplies copies of records and other papers.
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From the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
