Patent Act of 1836Patent Act of 1836

The Patent Act of 1836 (Pub. L. 24–357, 5 Stat. 117, enacted July 4, 1836) established a number of important changes in the United States patent system. These include:

• The examination of patent applications prior to issuing a patent. This was the second time this was done anywhere in the world. The previous occasion was in…
• The option of extending an existing patent's term for an additional seven years, making the maximum term of patent 21 years. (This was abolished in 1861 and…
• The hiring of professional patent examiners. Initially only one examiner was hired, but soon a second one was hired to handle the increased workload.
• The establishment of a library of prior art to assist in examinations.

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