Raytheon Is Owner of Landmark 10 Millionth Patent From USPTO

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USPTO Building. Photo credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM[/caption] The first patent ever granted in the United States was on July 31, 1790. It was granted to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash, which, according to the U.S. Patent Trade Office, is an ingredient used in fertilizer. How times have changed. 228 years later, on June 19, 2018, the USTPO issued its 10 millionth patent for “Coherent LADAR Using Intra-Pixel Quadrature Detection.” The lucky recipient? Defense contractor Raytheon. According to a copy of the patent, the invention is a “frequency modulated (coherent) laser detection and ranging system." Invented by Raytheon optical engineer Joe Marron, the “Coherent LADAR Using Intra-Pixel Quadrature Detection” is a new way of using lasers to get them to get data about physical objects. According to the patent, LADAR, which stands for laser detection and radar, are systems that illuminate targets with lasers with the return received by an optical detector. "The resulting signal from the optical detector is processed to determine information about the target, such as range or velocity," the patent read. From the defense side, the invention can be used for target detection and from the commercial side, it could be used as a part of autonomous vehicles, Tanuja Garde, the vice president for intellectual property and licensing at Raytheon, told Corporate Counsel in an interview Tuesday. Garde said that although Raytheon is a defense contractor, the company has come up with several inventions that have commercial application. “During World War II we came up with other types of products which were helpful in the developing the first microwaveable oven,” Garde said. Garde said that the culture at Raytheon supports getting inventions protected as quickly as possible. “We do have a very innovative culture at Raytheon. My team works hard to support and protect that,” Garde said. The 10 millionth patent is the first one to receive a new patent cover design, which was unveiled by the USPTO during this year’s SXSW Interactive Festival. The new cover design is the second change to the look of the patent in the last 100 years.