The 2024 class of the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) literally ranges from A to Z—with a similarly broad scope of inventors and their accomplishments. Signature accomplishments in the fields of cancer-fighting therapy, DNA sequencing, wireless networking, automotive safety, and even theatrical special effects are among those highlighted with this year’s inductees.

The NMTI medal is awarded to individuals, teams (up to four individuals), and companies or divisions of companies for their outstanding contributions to the nation. The medal recognizes American innovators whose vision, intellect, creativity, and determination have strengthened America’s economy and improved our quality of life.

U.S. businesses operating in China regularly cite insufficient protection and enforcement of IP as a top concern, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has placed China on its “priority watch” list for over a decade, detailing a long list of IP concerns reported by U.S. businesses operating in China.

The USPTO’s Eastern Regional Outreach Office is based in the Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters of the USPTO. It serves Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Pelham was born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1859, but his family moved to Detroit shortly after his birth. His parents sought more educational opportunities for their children than allowed by the strict literacy laws for African Americans in pre-Civil War Virginia.

The folklore wisdom of the owl and the hardy but elegantly designed cactus plant represent the tapestry of her life and career. They are also the embodiment of two fundamental forces that have guided her life and career: her mother, Acrelia Alcantar, and her grandmother, Balbina Zamora.

America’s largest technology trade show, with more than 135,000 attendees, 4,300 exhibiting companies, and over 1,400 startups, also hosted a fireside chat, “Protecting America’s Best Ideas: A Conversation with USPTO Director Kathi Vidal,” on January 9 and an illuminating hour-long USPTO panel, “Empowering Women’s Entrepreneurship: Leading Women Leading Change,” on January 11.

The ’23 inductees—honored at a black-tie gala at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., on October 26—included four Nobel Prize winners and a National Medal of Technology and Innovation winner, the latter the nation’s highest award for technological achievement. But Dr. Rory Cooper, the NMTI honoree, said in his NIHF acceptance speech that all Hall members are interwoven by an uncommonly noble common thread.

The USPTO will open a new regional office in the Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan area serving innovators in the Southeast region, and a new community outreach office in Strafford County, New Hampshire, serving innovators in the New England region.

After eight months of input from stakeholders, the USPTO trademark search system launched on November 30. The new system provides a more stable search environment with a simplified search interface that also supports complex searching for advanced users.

Located in the Terminal Annex Federal Building downtown, the Texas Regional Office serves Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It opened on Nov. 9, 2015—the same year “The Lone Star State” was made the official state nickname for Texas.

In the early morning hours of July 25, 1916, Garrett Morgan awoke to the incessant ringing of the telephone. On the line was Cleveland’s police department. There had been a disaster at the new West Side waterworks, and they needed Morgan’s help.

Patented inventions are in every common device and product you use every day: your smartphone, car, or even your comb. Indeed, the USPTO just granted the 1 millionth design patent for a comb created by Agustina Huckaby, an inventor and licensed cosmetologist from Fort Worth, Texas.

A recently released Office of the Chief Economist report underscores the importance of innovation in the health field—in this case, during the unprecedented health crisis known as COVID-19.

Washington hosts recipients of the National Medals of Science, Technology and Innovation, along with National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees. Those honored by the president represented a diverse field from different walks of life throughout the world.

For the first time in its nearly 200 years of existence, the patent office had a major presence west of the Mississippi River. The RMRO serves nine states: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.