'Innovation Has Been The Lifeblood of This Country': US Patent and Trademark Office Issues 10 Millionth Patent

WASHINGTON – The US Patent and Trademark Office issued its 10 millionth patent Tuesday.

The patent – issued to Raytheon, a technology company that specializes in defense, civil and cybersecurity – was for a new type of ladar invented by one of the tech giant's employees.

"The inventor is Joseph Marron, a Raytheon employee," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters. "The patent is for a coherent ladar system using intra-pixel quadrature detection, which is a type of laser-based object detection used in numerous industries including autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, space and undersea exploration."

The tech industry receives a good portion of patents, with IBM rounding out the top with 9,043 patents in 2017.

Other companies, like Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google, Qualcomm, and Samsung, were granted more than 2,000 patents last year.

A patent grants exclusive rights and licensing and prevents others from creating or selling an invention.

The first US patent, signed by George Washington, was issued back in 1790 to Samuel Hopkins for "the making of potash and pearl ash," an ingredient used in fertilizer.

"Innovation has been the lifeblood of this country since its founding," Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said. "Our patent system's importance to the daily lives of every American has never been greater. Given the rapid pace of change, we know that it will not take another 228 years to achieve the next 10-million-patent milestone."