Although small in comparison to the federal deficit, 8,000,000 is a very large number of patents. Today, August 16, 2011 the US Patent and Trademark Office issued US Patent Number 8,000,000 to Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., for a visual prosthesis apparatus that enhances visual perception for people who have gone blind due to outer retinal degeneration. The invention uses electrical stimulation of the retina to produce the visual perception of patterns of light. A copy of the patent can be found here.
The US Patent and Trademark Office maintains a list of milestone patents here. For example, patent number 1,000,000 was issued to Francis H. Holton of Akron, Ohio on August 8, 1911 for his improvement in vehicle tires to make them more durable and puncture resistant. A link to his patent is found here.
The gears at the US Patent and Trademark Office have slowed down over the past several years, but they are still turning!
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