Great site to review submitted trademarks, obtain forms and fee schedule to file trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Through Internet research, patent research, standards and codes research, user interviews (if possible) and other techniques (idea web, reverse engineering), students further develop the context for their design challenge. In subsequent...

The first person to make the storage battery practical, with 147 patents, Edison's life is a testimony to invention. This biography, in outline form, is in two parts; go to 1879 site after this.

This instructional activity focuses on the concept of Biomimicry and young scholars learn how engineers have incorporated structures and methods from the living world in products and solutions for all industries. Students then work in...

The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) recognizes the enduring legacies of exceptional U.S. patent holders. Inventors not only create new inventions, but they can create new industries that employ millions of people. Their...

From the Smithsonian Institution comes this wooden model of the Gatling gun patented in 1862.

Patent drawing submitted by Jan Matzeliger for his shoe-lasting machine.

Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...

This site describes the process of taking a product idea from design to production.

This site from the Library of Congress provides the homepage of the United States Copyright Office. The information provided on this page is very helpful on the subject with many links to frequently asked questions, as well as laws and...

ChemCenter, available from the American Chemical Society, provides chemistry news, reference sources and other public services.

A truly complete biography of the great man. Some adequate discussion of his theoretical and scientific work, but the accent here is on his personal life. Many anecdotes, many quotes from him, many references and hotlinks to other...

Even if you aren't a stamp collector, this is a fascinating stop in your search for US postal service history. Be sure to click on their special selections like "Inverted Jenny, A famous stamp error." Excellent exhibits explain the...

This collection uses primary sources to explore the invention of the telephone.

Students will learn about female inventors and their contributions to American technology.

Edison's genius was improving on others' technologies and making them more practical for the general public. Thomas Edison applied for his first patent in 1868, when he was just 21 years old. The famous inventor's first brainchild was...

Imagine something small enough to float on a particle of dust that holds the keys to understanding cancer, virology, and genetics. Luckily for us, such a thing exists in the form of trillions upon trillions of human, lab-grown cells...

A very complete biography of African-American inventor, Jan Matzeliger, who developed the shoe-lasting machine. Read about the development of his invention, and see pictures of the machine and the patent drawing.

Crack open a present day television today and it may not be as apparent, but every television designer is aware of the name Philo Farnsworth. Find out about the man behind the first all electric television among the 299 other patents...

Charlotte Cramer Sachs held the patents on many inventions. She invented quick baking products such as Joy muffin mixes, as well as accessories for dogs and musical games. One invention was a precursor to the retractable dog leash. A...

American inventor Lee De Forest was a pioneer of radio and motion pictures. He received more than 300 patents over the course of his lifetime, the most important of which was for a three-electrode vacuum tube, or triode, that he called...

Awarded more than 100 patents over the course of his lifetime, Nikola Tesla was a man of considerable genius and vision. He was reportedly born at exactly midnight during an electrical storm, an intriguing beginning for a man who would...

Find out about the life and work of Alexander Bain, the Scottish inventor and engineer who was first to invent and patent the electric clock.

The museum of Joseph Armand Bombardier(1907-1964), the Canadian inventor of the snowmobile. The museum offers its visitors a look into the personal and professional life of Bombardier as it outlines his achievements, patent information,...