1802 Registration Office of Patents, under the secretary of state, accepts patents. Courts review patents that are challenged. Applications required small-scale models. Members of Congress used models to learn about the industrial revolution. 1836 Examination Office of the Commissioner of Patents, under the secretary of state.
Patent examiners approve or reject patents.
This act became the basis of the current U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 1952 Examination Patent examiners approve or reject patents. This act totally revamped the patent law but preserved 1793 definitions. Since the first Congress passed the Patent Act of 1790, there have been several important patent acts, summarized in Table 1. The Patent Office, through many name changes, has grown tremendously since the examination system was used again in 1836.