This is helpful for anyone looking up patent dates. With a known patent number you can look up the original patent documents at the United States Patent Office.
| 1836…………..1 | ||||||||
| 1837…………110 | ||||||||
| 1838…………546 | ||||||||
| 1839……….1,106 | ||||||||
| 1840……….1,465 | 1880………223,211 | 1920……..1,326,899 | 1960……..2,919,443 | 2000……..6,009,555 | ||||
| 1841……….1,923 | 1881………236,137 | 1921……..1,364,063 | 1961……..2,966,681 | 2001……..6,167,569 | ||||
| 1842……….2,413 | 1882………251,685 | 1922……..1,401,948 | 1962……..3,015,103 | 2002……..6,334,220 | ||||
| 1843……….2,901 | 1883………269,820 | 1923……..1,440,362 | 1963……..3,070,801 | 2003……..6,502,244 | ||||
| 1844……….3,395 | 1884………291,016 | 1924……..1,478,996 | 1964……..3,116,487 | 2004……..6,671,884 | ||||
| 1845……….3,873 | 1885………310,163 | 1925……..1,521,590 | 1965……..3,163,865 | 2005……..6,836,899 | ||||
| 1846……….4,348 | 1886………333,494 | 1926……..1,568,040 | 1966……..3,226,729 | 2006……..6,981,282 | ||||
| 1847……….4,914 | 1887………355,291 | 1927……..1,612,700 | 1967……..3,295,143 | 2007……..7,155,746 | ||||
| 1848……….5,409 | 1888………375,720 | 1928……..1,654,521 | 1968……..3,360,800 | 2008……..7,313,829 | ||||
| 1849……….5,993 | 1889………395,305 | 1929……..1,696,897 | 1969……..3,419,907 | 2009……..7,472,428 | ||||
| 1850……….6,981 | 1890………418,665 | 1930……..1,742,181 | 1970……..3,487,470 | 2010……..7,640,598 | ||||
| 1851……….7,865 | 1891………443,987 | 1931……..l,787,424 | 1971……..3,551,909 | 2011……..7,861,317 | ||||
| 1852……….8,622 | 1892………466,315 | 1932……..1,839,190 | 1972……..3,631,539 | 2012……..8,087,094 | ||||
| 1853……….9,512 | 1893………488,976 | 1933……..1,892,663 | 1973……..3,707,729 | 2013……..8,341,762 | ||||
| 1854………10,358 | 1894………511,744 | 1934……..1,941,449 | 1974……..3,781,914 | 2014……..8,621,662 | ||||
| 1855………12,117 | 1895………531,619 | 1935……..1,985,878 | 1975……..3,858,241 | 2015……..8,925,112 | ||||
| 1856………14,009 | 1896………552,502 | 1936……..2,026,516 | 1976……..3,930,271 | 2016……..9,226,437 | ||||
| 1857………16,324 | 1897………574,369 | 1937……..2,066,309 | 1977……..4,000,520 | 2017……..9,532,496 | ||||
| 1858………19,010 | 1898………596,467 | 1938……..2,104,004 | 1978……..4,065,812 | |||||
| 1859………22,477 | 1899………616,871 | 1939……..2,142,080 | 1979……..4,131,952 | |||||
| 1860………26,642 | 1900………640,167 | 1940……..2,185,170 | 1980……..4,180,867 | |||||
| 1861………31,005 | 1901………664,827 | 1941……..2,227,418 | 1981……..4,242,757 | |||||
| 1862………34,045 | 1902………690,385 | 1942……..2,268,540 | 1982……..4,308,622 | |||||
| 1863………37,266 | 1903………717,521 | 1943……..2,307,007 | 1983……..4,366,579 | |||||
| 1864………41,047 | 1904………748,567 | 1944……..2,338,081 | 1984……..4,423,523 | |||||
| 1865………45,685 | 1905………778,834 | 1945……..2,366,154 | 1985……..4,490,855 | |||||
| 1866………51,784 | 1906………808,618 | 1946……..2,391,856 | 1986……..4,562,596 | |||||
| 1867………60,658 | 1907………839,799 | 1947……..2,413,675 | 1987……..4,633,526 | |||||
| 1868………72,959 | 1908………875,679 | 1948……..2,433,824 | 1988……..4,716,594 | |||||
| 1869………85,503 | 1909………908,436 | 1949……..2,457,797 | 1989……..4,794.652 | |||||
| 1870………98,460 | 1910………945,010 | 1950……..2,492,944 | 1990……..4,890,335 | |||||
| 1871……..110,617 | 1911………980,178 | 1951……..2,536,016 | 1991……..4,980,927 | |||||
| 1872……..122,304 | 1912…….1,013,095 | 1952……..2,580,379 | 1992……..5,077,836 | |||||
| 1873……..134,504 | 1913…….1,049,326 | 1953……..2,624,046 | 1993……..5,175,886 | |||||
| 1874……..146,120 | 1914…….1,083,267 | 1954……..2,664,562 | 1994……..5,274,846 | |||||
| 1875……..158,350 | 1915…….1,123,212 | 1955……..2,698,434 | 1995……..5,377,359 | |||||
| 1876……..171,641 | 1916…….1,166,419 | 1956……..2,728,913 | 1996……..5,479,658 | |||||
| 1877……..185,813 | 1917…….1,210,389 | 1957……..2,775,762 | 1997……..5,589,860 | |||||
| 1878……..198,733 | 1918…….1,251,458 | 1958……..2,818,567 | 1998……..5,704,062 | |||||
| 1879……..211,078 | 1919…….1,290,027 | 1959……..2,866,973 | 1999……..5,855,021 |
This section is to provide information about United States patents that would be useful to people interested in antiques. It is not the purpose of this document to provide information about how to obtain a patent. If you want general information about obtaining a patent, check out the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office home page at: http://www.uspto.gov/index.html, or call the Patent and Trademark general information line at (800) 786-9199.
BACKGROUND: Patents have been granted in some European countries (principally England and Italy) since about the 1600s. The United States began granting patents in 1790. It is unlikely that you will find a reference to patent protection on anything made in the 1700’s or earlier. PATENT NUMBERS: As mentioned above, the United States started granting patents in 1790. However, no one saw fit to number the patents until 1836. Thus, there are 46 years of patents that fall outside the regular numbering system. This also means that patent number 1 was NOT the first U.S. patent. The vast majority of patents antique buffs are likely to encounter are in the regular numbering system that began in 1836. If there are no special letters before the number (or if the letters are only “US”), you have a normal “utility” patent and can order the patent by that number alone. If by chance your patent was granted before 1836 July 04, you will not likely be able to identify a patent number. If you do, it will be an “X-” number (e.g., X-4,963). However, copies of these patents can be ordered by citing the inventor’s name and the patent date (year, month, and day), without the need for the number. Design patents (patents granted for the appearance of an object, rather than its function) are in a separate numbered series and begin with the letter “D” (e.g., D 142,030). Design patents may sound similar to copyright registrations, but they are quite distinct (that is a story for another time and place). Plant patents (not likely to be found by an antique buff) are also in a separate numbered series and begin with “P.P.” (e.g., P.P. 392). An inventor’s improvement to his own invention was, for a short time from 1838 to 1861, given a separate numbered series beginning with “A.I.” (e.g., A.I. 278). If you happen to come across one of these numbers, you may also want to look up the original patent on which the improvement is based. Reissue patents (granted to correct defects in an original patent) are in a separate series beginning with “Re” (e.g., Re 1,611). Unlike some other countries, the U.S. gives patent numbers only for granted patents (applications have a different numbering system which becomes largely irrelevant once the patent is granted). Thus, when you see a U.S. patent number, it is for a granted patent.
GETTING COPIES OF PATENTS: If your antique has a patent number on it, you are in luck! The U.S. Patent Office has many patents available on line which you may retrieve directly from their site, you will find their site listed on our links page. Check out their site as to availability of hardcopies from them.