National Inventors Month 2021

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    Every year, May is celebrated as National Inventors Month. According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), this month can be used as an “opportunity to ignite an interest in learning and preserving intellectual property history.” The USPTO has contributed to this celebration by recognizing inventors through the U.S. patent system and the first patent law in 1970. National Inventors Month came to be in 1988 by the United Inventors Association of the USA, the Academy of Applied Science, and Inventors' Digest magazine.

The Invention Process


      The path to having the end results of any invention is long and involves multiple steps and collaborations across multiple organizations. The Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) in the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) works hard at discovering inventions and patents, including the ones that can be "transferred to the private sector." On a larger level, the Federal Labs Consortium (FTC) works on collaborating and commercializing inventions from federal researchers. FTC sets forward goals to create "partnerships within the public and private sectors." FTC also works on the following:

  • "Promote inventions arising from federally supported research or development
  • Encourage participation of small business in federally supported research and development efforts
  • Promote collaboration between commercial and nonprofit organizations
  • Ensure that inventions are used in a manner to promote free competition and enterprise
  • Promote the commercialization and public availability of inventions made in the United States by United States industry and labor..."
The U.S. Small Business Administration can assist researchers at the local level and the USPTO has a page dedicated to Inventor and Entrepreneur resources.

The Role of Patents

    Patents are one way to protect an invention and are grants to have property rights for an invention. They are issued by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office who "serves the interests of inventors and businesses with respect to their inventions and corporate products, and service identifications." There are three types of patents for inventors: utility, design, and plant. Inventors need these grants to be able to fulfill their inventions to the max and make sure that they have rights from them for a period of time, usually 20 years from date of filing. The USPTO offers "Seven Steps in a Preliminary Search of U.S. Patents and Published Patent Applications" to assist with preliminary patent research and the USPTO has a "Patent Basics" series with videos that explain how patents work and the application process.




The Role of Trademarks


    Trademarks are for anything that can be identified with a specific good or service. They help the product or company standout. They help "establish rights in the trademarks by using it, but those rights are limited, and...only apply to [a specific] geographic area." These trademarks contribute to a successful invention and future of said invention.
USPTO offers videos that demonstrate the process of filing a trademark application. 



Trademark applications vary from TEAS Plus, TEAS Standard and other forms that may be appropriate. To know the differences on all three and knowing which is right for you, UPSTO has a helpful video explaining them below. There are also timelines for trademark applications that provide a simple way to see what works best. 




The Role of Inventors & Their Importance


    Without a doubt, inventors have allowed imaginations to become reality.National Inventors Month's promotion of these committed people and products communicate information and importance to the general public Inventions, and everything involved with them including patents and trademarks, are valuable in capital and business development, science and engineering, and much more. This shared knowledge is only a stepping stone in a growing inventors' mind and future.

The OSU Library is one of 70+ Patent and Trademark Resource Centers in the U.S. that can assist with preliminary patent and trademark research and information and forms at the USPTO and nationwide.



More Resources

For more information on trademarks, this page offers a variety of details and answers questions regarding them. 

To get a patent, the following page offers applications, appeals, and other forms.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame's blog offers more details and history about the month and inventors as a whole.

NIST discusses and educates about Rabinow, who was "one of the most creative and prolific inventors ever to work for the United States government."

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