Have you ever been curious, in this country of invention, what ideas are sprouting? Google has made it possible for you to explore this with Google Patents.
The Wonderful World of Google Patents
Haven’t heard of Google Patents? You’re not alone. This offering by the Internet search giant Google is an intriguing one. It lets you peek into the future – or at least a potential future – by viewing the numerous patents issued by the United States. As you may expect, the patents range from the serious – new ways of delivering vaccinations – to the absurd – an electronic pickle jar game. By merely plugging random words in the Google Patents search engine, you can dig through these useful and decidedly useless futuristic marvels.
Organizing the World’s Information
According to Google, Google Patents is one more step in the company’s mission to organize the world’s information. Google Patents gets its info from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). When a patent is issued in the U.S. it becomes part of the public domain so Google can distribute this information. One of the incredible things about Google Patents is the number of Patents it includes. The service displays patents issued in the United States from 1790 to the present. That is a lot of data that users can explore.
A Patent History Lesson
The site also provides an interesting history of technology advancements. You can see Alexander Graham Bell’s 1880 patent for an automatic short-circuiter for telephones or a patent given in 1889 to Thomas Edison for the incandescent electric lamp. If you haven’t yet been to Google Patents take a look. The site offers a good look at where we’ve been technologically as a country and where we are going.
Take IT Away 