The Rise of the Tinkerer Class

I read this interesting article about how the Internet has made it easier for inventors to successfully create and market their products. It mentions resources such as message boards and video sites that teach would-be inventors how to design and create, 3-D printers that make it possible to produce prototypes, and crowdfunding and social media… Continue reading The Rise of the Tinkerer Class

2011 Collegiate Inventors Competition Winners

The nonprofit organization Invent Now recently announced the winners of the annual Collegiate Inventors Competition (co-sponsored by the USPTO). The competition inlcuded categories for graduate students and undergraduate students. The First Place award for graduate students went to Kyle Allison of Boston University for his invention, “Metabolite-Mediated Elimination of Bacterial Persisters.” According to Invent Now’s… Continue reading 2011 Collegiate Inventors Competition Winners

USPTO Steve Jobs Exhibit

Today is the opening of a new exhibit at the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum in Alexandria, Virginia titled The Patents and Trademarks of Steve Jobs: Art and Technology that Changed the World. According to the USPTO’s press release, the exhibit will feature more than 300 patents granted to Jobs as well as… Continue reading USPTO Steve Jobs Exhibit

National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum

As one who works with patents and trademarks on a daily basis, I enjoy learning about intellecual property that helped shape history. A current exhibit at the USPTO Museum called Exercising Ingenuity displays just that–“inventions, patents, and trademarks that have emerged from the fitness, nutrition, and exercise industries.” The Exercising Ingenuity exhibit allows museum patrons… Continue reading National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum

Small Business Innovation Research Pilot Program

The US Patent and Trademark Office recently announced a new pilot program it is sponsoring with the National Science Foundation. Through this pilot program, the USPTO provides educational services and its IP Awareness Assessment tool. The pilot program will “provide additional services” in the future. The pilot program is available to awardees of the Small… Continue reading Small Business Innovation Research Pilot Program

Organizations for Inventors

The USPTO publishes a newsletter geared toward independent inventors called the Inventors Eye. The most recent edition includes a list of organizations for inventors by state. If you are interested in meeting inventors near you, check it out! You can also subscribe to the Inventors Eye by following the foregoing links.