Invention, Examined

Ordinary Objects.
Extraordinary
Ideas.

A football. A fastener. A familiar tool. Look inside the patent, and the smallest detail can tell the best story.

From the Patent Archive1939 · No. 01
Original football patent drawing showing raised lacing and numbered parts

The Lace That Wasn’t a Lace

U.S. Patent No. 2,182,053 · Play or Game Ball · Original patent figure

Follow Your Curiosity

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01 / The Collector

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The Specimen print collection brings the original drawings into focus, figure by figure.

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02 / The Inventor

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03 / The Patent Holder

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The Reading Room

A Patent Is Easier to Read When You Know Where to Look.

Start with the drawing. Find the numbered parts. Then turn to the claims. Our guides explain what each piece of the document does.

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  1. 01What Is a Patent?
  2. 02How to Read a Patent
  3. 03What Do the Claims Cover?
  4. 04One Statute, Each Week
Letters From the Archive

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