I went into this enterprise hoping to make a little money out of it.
I have succeeded much better than I expected.”
George Selden after losing to Henry Ford.
Up until 1880, patent applicants were required to submit a patent model with their applications. What is a patent model? Click to learn more.
These models also form an important part of America’s history. Thousands of them were displayed in the old patent office museum, called The Old Curiosity Shop.
Patent Office Museum (circa 1870)
Click here to see the brochure handed out to visitors of the Museum of Models.
If you’d like to see pictures of some of the more famous patents and models that were on display, click here. And here are some historical patent documents for those patents.
Today, we desperately need to bring back a modern equivalent of the model requirement. Click to learn why.
These famous patents led to some of America’s most colorful legal battles involving some of America’s greatest leaders. Click here to learn more.