Celebrating 10 Million Utility Patents - Patent Drawings, Case Files, and Citizen Archivist Updates

Oct 24, 2026

Celebrates the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s issuance of the 10 millionth utility patent on June 19, 2018, highlighting the National Archives’ holdings of utility patent drawings and patent case files. Explains what utility patent drawings and case files include, and shares themed examples from Civil War-era patents. Adds calls to explore “Ten for 10 million,” join a #10MillionPatents campaign, and participate in the Citizen Archivist Road Trip and transcription initiatives, plus a July 4 celebration announcement and contact info.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

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Celebrating 10 Million Utility Patents

Utility Patent Drawings and Patent Case Files

Civil War-Era Patents and Notable Examples

Ten for 10 million Campaign

Citizen Archivist Road Trip Update

Get Started Tagging and Transcribing

Tackling Tricky Transcriptions

July 4 Celebration!

Questions or Comments

View email in your browser Share this email with a friend Celebrating 10 Million Utility Patents Our colleagues at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Oxice issued the 10 millionth utility patent on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. This is a historic milestone for the agency and for inventors in the United States. Did you know the National Archives holds 1,000,000 Utility Patent Drawings and 138,388 boxes of Patent Case Files? Utility Patent Drawings are 10” x 15” drawings with printed specifications that are sometimes in color, while the Patent Case Files include the jacket, printed specificationsand drawings of the issued patent. The Case Files also include a wealth of information, including: petitions, the applicant's initial specifications, oath of invention, reports by patent attorneys, applicant's drawings, amendments to the petition, powers of attorney, notices of allowances and fee payments, receipts for fees, and correspondence with inventor(s) and their attorneys. We love patent drawings. Some illustrate familiar objects and products, some may make us nostalgic, some are beautiful and incredibly detailed drawings, and sometimes they leave us scratching our heads. Weʼve gathered a few interesting (and a few odd!) patents for this newsletter, but you can browse many more utility patent drawings in the Catalog. The Civil War spawned many new patents to meet the demands of war. Patents were issued that tried to improve the weapons of war such as the Improved Breech Loading Cannon (above, ley) . There were also patents that advanced medicine and caring for wounded soldiers including an Improved Artificial Leg (above, right) and an Improved Ambulance Carriage (above, top) . By todayʼs standards some patents seem bizarre and maybe even superfluous.(Top, Ley) G. Krichbaum's Device for Indicating Life in Buried Persons, 12/5/1882 (Top, Right) M. Goetze's Device for Producing Dimples, 5/18/1896 ( Bottom, Ley) P. Plant's Cork Swimming Suit, 11/21/1882 ( Bottom, Right) J. C. Noyles' Saluting Device, 3/10/1869 Some iconic products and machines were patented within the first million utility patentsand held at the National Archives. Do you recognize any of these? (Top) Patent Case File No. 987,662, Flying Machine, Inventors Oriville and Wilbur Wright ( Middle, Ley) G. Eastman Camera, 9/4/1888 ( Middle, Right) Patent Drawing for K. C. Gillette's Razor, 11/15/1904 ( Bottom, Ley) Patent Drawing for T. A. Edison's Incandescing Electric Lamp, 11/28/1882 ( Bottom, Right) C. L. Sholes Type Writing Machine Canʼt get enough patents? Check out intern Brooke Engermanʼs Seven Patents to Delight Your Steampunk Friends. Thanks to Danielle Sklarew, an intern in the National Archives History Oxice for helping to gather this list of patents! Ten for 10 million As a celebration of this milestone, be sure to check out USPTO's “Ten for 10 million”campaign, which is featuring patent drawings that have transformed how we live, work, and play, while celebrating the history of American innovation. Use the hashtag \#10MillionPatents on social media to join the celebration. Citizen Archivist Road Trip Update! We are cruising right along on our Citizen Archivist Road Trip! Since we began our virtual road trip on June 1, more than 1,969 pages of records have been enhanced in Atlanta, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Fort Worth. Weʼve heard from many of you who have been enjoying transcribing the amazing records held in our field oxices across the country. Thanks to all our Citizen Archivists who have joined us for our Road Trip! Visit our Missions page tomorrow as we reach the west coast and make a stop in Riverside, CA. You can help us tag and transcribe American Indian records, bankruptcy and court records, Chinese immigration records, genealogical records and much more! Get Started Tagging and Transcribing! Tackling Tricky Transcriptions Many of the documents at the National Archives are handwritten records such as le

FAQs

When was the 10 millionth utility patent issued, and why is it significant?

The 10 millionth utility patent was issued on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. It is presented as a historic milestone for the agency and for inventors in the United States.

What information do utility patent drawings and patent case files contain?

Utility Patent Drawings are 10” x 15” drawings with printed specifications, sometimes in color. Patent Case Files include the patent jacket, printed specifications and drawings, and additional materials such as petitions, amendments, powers of attorney, notices, and correspondence.

How can readers participate in the National Archives’ transcription and tagging efforts?

The newsletter directs readers to help tag and transcribe records, including American Indian records, bankruptcy and court records, Chinese immigration records, and genealogical records. It also highlights the Citizen Archivist Road Trip and a “Get Started Tagging and Transcribing” section.

Oct 24, 2026

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