华盛顿——美国专利商标局(USPTO)今天正式颁发了第100万件美国外观设计专利，这是美国创新和创造力的一个重要里程碑。
第100万件设计专利授予了德克萨斯州沃斯堡的阿古斯蒂娜·赫卡比，该专利是一种配药梳的装饰设计。赫卡比是一名持证美容师，拥有另一种不同梳子设计的专利，并以联邦注册商标“Pomp and Powder”进行销售。
美国专利商标局(USPTO) 为新颖、原创和装饰性的产品外观设计授予外观设计专利。对许多小企业来说，保护产品的外观而不是其工作原理（实用新型专利）是至关重要的一步。
商务部负责知识产权事务的副部长兼美国专利商标局局长凯西·维达尔说:“保护他们独特的产品可以帮助企业家找到资金，并在竞争激烈的市场中取得成功。”“像Agustina这样的小企业拥有宝贵的知识产权，如果他们愿意的话，他们可以通过设计专利来保护和许可这些知识产权。从最初的可口可乐瓶到自由女神像，再到荣誉勋章等等，外观设计专利保护着标志性和独特的设计，帮助企业发展和繁荣。”
赫卡比的动力是打破障碍，培养人际关系，并为她的三个孩子留下遗产。谈到知识产权保护的重要性，她说:“能够拥有这个设计，让我的孩子们有东西可以敬仰和传承，这对我来说是开创性的。”“我想继续成长，继续建设，尽可能地继续创造。”
申请外观设计专利保护的发明者比以往任何时候都多。去年，美国专利商标局收到了超过5万份外观设计专利保护申请，而在过去五年中，申请数量增长了20%。专利专员Vaishali Udupa说:“达到100万项设计专利这样的里程碑，不仅说明了世界各地发明家的聪明才智，也说明了USPTO 300多名设计专利审查员的敬业工作，他们所做的是最好的。”
外观设计专利通过满足消费者需求和创造新的商业和就业机会，在推动国家经济方面发挥着关键作用。为了更好地为美国人民服务，美国专利商标局最近与国会合作，批准了一项重组方案，将专利组织内的设计团队提升为一个独立的部门，并任命了一名新的外观设计副局长。随着USPTO继续提升外观设计专利在市场中的重要作用，其他改进措施也将陆续公布。
1842年，印刷商乔治·布鲁斯(George Bruce) 因一种新的字体获得了美国授予的第一项外观设计专利，距今已有181年。在这期间的几十年里，外观设计专利保护了哈雷戴维森摩托车和埃姆斯椅子等产品的独特外观，以及星球大战中的R2D2和尤达的形象等标志性人物。通过此专利里程碑列表了解更多历史上的专利。
USPTO issues milestone 1 millionth design patent
September 26, 2023
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today officially issued U.S. design patent 1 million, an important milestone in American innovation and creativity.
Granted to Agustina Huckaby of Fort Worth, Texas, design patent 1 million is for the ornamental design for a dispensing comb. Huckaby, a licensed cosmetologist, holds another patent for a different comb design and markets her business under the federally registered trademark Pomp and Powder.
The USPTO grants design patents for new, original, and ornamental designs for an article of manufacture. Protecting the way something looks, as opposed to how it works (covered by a utility patent), is a vital step for many small businesses.
“Protecting their unique products can help entrepreneurs find funding and succeed in a competitive marketplace,” said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “Small businesses like Agustina’s have valuable intellectual property that they can protect and license – if they so choose – through design patents. From the original Coca Cola bottle to the Statue of Liberty to the Medal of Honor and beyond, design patents protect iconic and unique designs, and help businesses grow and prosper.”
Huckaby is motivated by breaking down barriers and fostering relationships, as well as leaving a legacy for her three children. "Being able to own that design and having something for my kids to look up to and pass on, that’s groundbreaking to me,” she said of the importance of her intellectual property protection. “I want to keep growing, keep building, keep creating as much as I can.”
More inventors are applying for design patent protection than ever before. The USPTO received over 50,000 applications for design patent protection last year, while experiencing a 20% increase in applications over the last five years. “Reaching a milestone like 1 million design patents not only speaks to the ingenuity of inventors all over the world, but to the dedicated work of the USPTO’s 300+ design patent examiners who are the best at what they do,” said Commissioner for Patents Vaishali Udupa.
Design patents play a critical role driving the nation’s economy through consumer demand and the creation of new businesses and jobs. To better serve the American people, the USPTO recently worked with Congress to approve a re-organization package that elevates the Designs team within the Patents organization to its own division, with a new Deputy Commissioner for Designs. Other enhancements will be announced as the USPTO continues to elevate the important role of design patents in the marketplace.
Design patent 1 million comes 181 years after printer George Bruce received the first design patent granted in the United States for a new typeface, or font, in 1842. In the intervening decades, design patents have protected the unique appearance of products like Harley Davidson motorcycles and Eames chairs, as well as iconic characters such as Star Wars’ R2D2 and the image of Yoda. Learn more about patents throughout history with this list of patent milestones.
https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/uspto-issues-milestone-1-millionth-design-patent
