M-WTCA's Patent Dating Page

Listed are the the first patent numbers issued in each calendar year since 1836

This is helpful for anyone looking up patent dates. With a known patent number you can look up the original patent documents by following the link to the United States Patent Office on our "links to other sites page". (Apples Quick-Time viewer required)

1836..............1 1837............110 1838............546 1839..........1,106 1840..........1,465 1880.........223,211 1920........1,326,899 1841..........1,923 1881.........236,137 1921........1,364,063 1842..........2,413 1882.........251,685 1922........1,401,948 1843..........2,901 1883.........269,820 1923........1,440,362 1844..........3,395 1884.........291,016 1924........1,478,996 1845..........3,873 1885.........310,163 1925........1,521,590 1846..........4,348 1886.........333,494 1926........1,468,040 1847..........4,914 1887.........355,291 1927........1,612,700 1848..........5,409 1888.........375,720 1928........1,654,521 1849..........5,993 1889.........395,305 1929........1,696,897 1850..........6,981 1890.........418,665 1930........1,742,181 1851..........7,865 1891.........443,987 1931........l,787,424 1852..........8,622 1892.........466,315 1932........1,839,190 1853..........9,512 1893.........488,976 1933........1,892,663 1854.........10,358 1894.........511,744 1934........1,941,449 1855.........12,117 1895.........531,619 1935........1,985,878 1856.........14,009 1896.........552,502 1936........2,026,516 1857.........16,324 1897.........574,369 1937........2,066,309 1858.........19,010 1898.........596,467 1938........2,104,004 1859.........22,477 1899.........616,871 1939........2,142,080 1860.........26,642 1900.........640,167 1940........2,185,170 1861.........31,005 1901.........664,827 1941........2,227,418 1862.........34,045 1902.........690,385 1942........2,268,540 1863.........37,266 1903.........717,521 1943........2,307,007 1864.........41,047 1904.........748,567 1944........2,338,081 1865.........45,685 1905.........778,834 1945........2,366,154 1866.........51,784 1906.........808,618 1946........2,391,856 1867.........60,658 1907.........839,799 1947........2,413,675 1868.........72,959 1908.........875,679 1948........2,433,824 1869.........85,503 1909.........908,436 1949........2,457,797 1870.........98,460 1910.........945,010 1950........2,492,944 1871........110,617 1911.........980,178 1951........2,536,016 1872........122,304 1912.......1,013,095 1952........2,580,379 1873........134,504 1913.......1,049,326 1953........2,624,046 1874........146,120 1914.......1,083,267 1954........2,664,562 1875........158,350 1915.......1,123,212 1955........2,698,434 1876........171,641 1916.......1,166,419 1956........2,728,913 1877........185,813 1917.......1,210,389 1957........2,775,762 1878........198,733 1918.......1,251,458 1958........2,818,567 1879........211,078 1919.......1,290,027 1959........2,866,973

1960........2,919,443 2000........6,009,555 1961........2,966,681 2001........6,167,569 1962........3,015,103 2002........6,334,220 1963........3,070,801 2003........6,502,244 1964........3,116,487 2004........6,671,884 1965........3,163,865 2005........6,836,899 1966........3,226,729 2006........6,981,282 1967........3,295,143 1968........3,360,800 1969........3,419,907 1970........3,487,470 1971........3,551,909 1972........3,631,539 1973........3,707,729 1974........3,781,914 1975........3,858,241 1976........3,930,271 1977........4,000,520 1978........4,065,812 1979........4,131,952 1980........4,180,867 1981........4,242,757 1982........4,308,622 1983........4,366,579 1984........4,423,523 1985........4,490,855 1986........4,562,596 1987........4,633,526 1988........4,716,594 1989........4,794.652 1990........4,890,335 1991........4,980,927 1992........5,077,836 1993........5,175,886 1994........5,274,846 1995........5,377,359 1996........5,479,658 1997........5,589,860 1998........5,704,062 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.You can order a copy of the patent from the patent office by sending the patent number(s) and a check (payable to the Assistant Commissioner for Patents) for $3.00 per patent (December 1995 price, no postage or handling charge) to: