USPTO

IP pros, transform and roll out!  On this day in 1985, the USPTO issued a patent for "a reconfigurable toy assembly wherein a toy vehicle is reversibly reconfigured into a toy robotic humanoid and a play space." You know it as a Transformer. Hiroyuki Obara, a designer for Takara Co., Ltd., received U.S. Patent No. 4516948.  The origin of what we know now as Transformers is more than meets the eye. It started with Takara's Diaclone toy line, originally launched in Japan in 1980. The toy line included transforming vehicles and robots that were piloted by miniature figures from the "Microman" toy line. Hasbro purchased the rights to produce the toys from Takara, bringing the shapeshifting robots to North American markets.  In 1984, Hasbro re-branded the Diaclone toy line under the name “Transformers,” featuring recognizable characters such as Optimus Prime.  In the following years, Hasbro turned Transformers into a worldwide brand that includes comics, animated series, and action films based on the toys. The company owns trademarks for Transformers covering action figures, movies and shows, video games, and more!

We’ve canceled 50,000 unused goods and services from the Trademark Register since January – removing potential blocks so brand owners can pursue trademark registration faster and more efficiently. Through ex parte expungement and reexamination proceedings, our team has canceled the unused goods and services. Clearing the register reduces clutter, removes potential blocks for other trademark registrations, and is oftentimes more cost-effective and faster than proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The majority of cancellations have been linked to specimen farms, which are filing firms that attempt to obtain trademark registration by creating fake websites to display products with various trademarks for sale. The USPTO has found the specimens don’t support registration because they don’t show a bona fide use of the trademark in the ordinary course of trade, which is a requirement of the law. Do you know a trademark that isn’t being used as required? You can help us cancel the unused goods and services by submitting a petition for expungement or reexamination to challenge a registration due to nonuse at https://bit.ly/3VBcQXc

The USPTO is introducing an additional option for Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) customers to file a petition for cancellation in our new system, the TTAB Center. The new filing option is available beginning today, May 12. On July 12, the TTAB Center will replace the Electronic System for Trademark Trials and Appeals (ESTTA) as the central platform for parties doing business with the TTAB. After that date, petitions for cancellation can no longer be filed through ESTTA. TTAB Center offers more secure and resilient filing functionality, improved options for saving and sharing draft filings, and a centralized location to view all pending and completed TTAB filings. Notices of opposition now may only be filed using TTAB Center. Explore the new system, submit feedback, and find helpful resources to support the transition to the TTAB Center: https://bit.ly/43bNWkV

Can you name this well-known invention? - The apparatus dispenses and spreads just the right amount, not too much and not too little. People can be quite opinionated on this. - This invention allows users to rise to the occasion if they knead to complete different sized items (most commonly large and medium). 🔘 - Previous versions were found in factory environments, but this new version brought innovation to restaurants, ensuring patrons got a grate product. 😋 It’s not just a pie-in-the-sky dream! Is your (cheesy) invention ready to be protected by a patent? We've laid out the steps for you in our patent process overview: https://bit.ly/41A7Zb7

Long before radios and Kevlar vests, our country‘s law enforcement officers relied on call boxes and heart shields  while patrolling our communities to keep us safe and protect those in need.     We’re kicking off #NationalPoliceWeek by reflecting on the innovation that has supported law enforcement officers and our communities for more than 100 years.      👮♀️ In 1882, Carl Lehmann patented round police hats like this one that was waterproof and could resist violent blows without breaking. The exterior of this hat was most often made from muslin with a middle layer of cork and lining cemented inside. The covering and lining reinforce the cork body, giving enhancing the resiliency and strength so it would be capable of resisting blows to protect the head of the wearer, according to the patent.     ❤️  Today’s modern bullet-resistant vest can be traced back to 1888 when Harry Gross patented a heart shield designed for protecting police officers from bullets, according to the patent. The leather and metal covering strapped across the person’s chest and was designed to be worn underneath the vest and coat over the heart to protect the police officer from bullets aimed at his badge or shield, which was easily seen from a distance because it was so shiny.   📞 In 1916, Frank Cogill patented an ornamental design for a post that included a lamp, fire alarm box and police alarm box. Police call boxes pre-date radios, allowing officers on the street to communicate with headquarters.

Join us on Wednesday, May 14, from noon to 1 p.m. ET for our next USPTO Hour webinar for an inside look on the ways we are reaching the public and employees and recognizing groundbreaking innovators. You'll hear from: Janet Gongola, Acting Chief Communications Officer, USPTO Hannah Paulin, Chief Strategic Officer, National Inventors Hall of Fame Register and submit your questions: https://bit.ly/3F1eTQb

Watch this exhibit transform at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum! The museum's exhibits give people up-close views of prototypes that show how innovation evolves. In this new exhibit, people can see development of the inventions created by the newest class of the Hall of Fame inductees from pesticides to a coronary stent. The museum is located at the USPTO headquarters building in Alexandria, Va. and is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the first Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mothers have been saying so since 1867. Although fragile, our 1867 official gazette preserved this medal design patent by David Hitchcock. One face of the medal has words “My mother’s charm,” and the other face includes words “I will never do anything which my mother would not approve.” Happy Mother’s Day!

It's #SmallBusinessWeek, and we're proud to support the inventors, entrepreneurs, and startups who power our economy. Three ways the USPTO can help your small business: 1️⃣ You can receive a 60%–80 % discount on most patent-related fees if you qualify as a small or micro entity 2️⃣ Our Inventors Assistance Center is staffed by former patent examiners who can help guide you through the patent process 3️⃣ Through our Patent Pro Bono Program, qualified small businesses and inventors can receive free legal assistance from volunteer patent attorneys Whether your business just getting started or looking to grow, we're here to help you protect your inventions and bring them to market.

✨ What a magical time celebrating the newest class of inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame! Their inventions enable earlier detection of disease, enhanced vaccinations through structure-based design to stabilize and modify surface proteins of viruses, developed biological pest management, and more. Actress and mathematician Danica McKellar hosted the awards ceremony to recognize these incredible inventors who have made significant contributions to the world. Special thanks to our partners at National Inventors Hall of Fame for honoring the inventors, as well as U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO Director General Daren Tang for joining in the celebration! 2025 Living Inductees: • John R. Adler Jr., CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery • James Fujimoto, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) • Barney Graham, Structure-Based Vaccine Design • Kerrie Holley, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) • David Huang, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) • Pamela Marrone, Biological Pest Control • Jason McLellan, Structure-Based Vaccine Design • Richard Schatz, Palmaz-Schatz Coronary Stent • Eric Swanson, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) 2025 Historical Inductees: • Karl Bacon, Tubular Steel Track Roller Coaster • Tom Blake, Surfboard Design • Emil Freireich, Continuous-Flow Blood Cell Separator • Virginia Holsinger, Dairy Product Innovations • George Judson, Continuous-Flow Blood Cell Separator • Ed Morgan, Tubular Steel Track Roller Coaster • Virginia Norwood, Multispectral Scanner • Charles Richard (C.R.) Patterson, Carriages