National Inventors Month - Female Inventors Highlight

During National Inventors Month we celebrate the brilliant women who have contributed to our society through their creations. The Unites States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)released a study on the participation of women in the field of intellectual property. Here are some statistics from the Progress and Potential report to demonstrate the brilliance of these women being recognized in patent applications. 

  • The number of patents with at least one-woman inventor increased from 20.7% in 2016 to 21.9% by the end of 2019.

  • The “Women Inventor Rate”–the share of U.S. inventors receiving patents who are women–increased from 12.1% in 2016 to 12.8% in 2019.

  • The share of women among new inventors on issued patents increased from 16.6% in 2016 to 17.3% by 2019.

  • The gender gap in the number of women inventors who remain active by patenting again within five years is decreasing. For the most recent group of new inventors, 46% of women patented again in the next five years versus 52% of men.

  • District of Columbia has the highest number of women inventor-patentee in the nation. 

The first woman to register a patent with the USPTO was Mary Dixon Kies in 1798. Mary invented a method of braiding straw hats, and inevitably started the straw-hat industry.  Since then, there has been an exponential increase in the number of women inventor-patentee in the nation. Here are a couple of inventors whose success should be celebrate not only this month, but for years to come: 

Nancy Johnson

An ice cream enthusiast, Nancy invented a way to keep ice cream frozen even before freezers were invented in 1843. A metal pot was placed inside a bucket filled with ice, the handle allowed stirring of the pot, forming the perfect consistency! The metal pot was split in two allowing two flavors to be frozen simultaneously. US3254A

Dr. Ann Tsukamoto 

A pioneer in stem cell research, Dr. Tsukamoto’s invention has saved million’s of lives. She discovered a method to isolate and regenerating stem cells, which are then used to replace damaged cells in the body, providing a stronger immune system to fight cancer. Since her invention in 1991, Dr. Tsukamoto has been an inventor/co-inventor of a dozen patents issued by the USPTO. (US 5,061,620)

AdventIP-Dr-Ann-Tsukamoto-national-inventors-month

Dr. Patricia Bath 

Dr. Bath is an Ophthalmologic surgeon that created the Laserphaco Probe, which is a surgical tool used to vaporize cataracts. The surgical tool allowed a more precise vaporization of cataracts with a 1mm line inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye, leading to a safer procedure.  (US 4,744,360)

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” –Hillary Clinton

References:

(2016, June 30) Nancy Johnson Brought Ice Cream to The Masses. Retrieved from Racing Nellie: https://racingnelliebly.com/weirdscience/nancy-johnson-brought-ice-cream-masses/

McFadden, Jamala (2020, march 27) ELS Celebrates Women’s History Month: Necessity is the Mother of Invention. Retrieved from The Employment Law Solution: https://www.theemploymentlawsolution.com/events/els-celebrates-womens-history-month-necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention-2/

(July, 2020) Progress and Potential: 2020 Update on U.S. Women inventor-patentees. Retrieved from USPTO: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/OCE-DH-Progress-Potential-2020.pdf

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