City Sponsors Summer-Long Scavenger Hunt in Celebration of 10 Millionth U.S. Patent

The City of Alexandria is partnering with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame on a summer-long scavenger hunt throughout Alexandria to celebrate the issuance of the 10 millionth U.S. patent.

USPTO issued the 10 millionth U.S. utility patent in mid-June. The agency and its partners are using this milestone to celebrate the importance of innovation, the ubiquity of intellectual property, and the history of America’s patent system. The City also celebrates USPTO’s contributions to the Alexandria community and economy as a major employer.

The City’s Office of Historic Alexandria will coordinate participation by the following City museums: Alexandria Black History Museum, Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, The Lyceum, Fort Ward Museum, and Friendship Firehouse Museum.

The scavenger hunt opened June 2, and runs through Labor Day (September 3). Participating museums will have engaging new exhibits featuring historical patents. In addition to the exhibits, each participating museum will have different USPTO inventor trading cards. Each card features a caricature of a real inventor and information about one of their significant patents. The goal of the scavenger hunt is to collect all of the trading cards from the participating museums. Participants are encouraged to make sure to stop by each spot on the map to collect all of the trading cards.