Michael Jackson Patent

Michael Jackson is known as the King of Pop, but did you know he was also an inventor? Although he made most of his dance moves through talent and practice, when he and fellow dancers leaned at a 45 degree angle, they were wearing special shoes Michael created. Michael patented the special shoes as Patent 5,255,452, Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion.

Michael is not the only celebrity who has a patent. Wikipedia has an A-Z list of celebrity patent holders including Hedy Lamar for her Patent 2,292,387, Secret communication system, which is the basis for modern wireless communication systems such as cordless telephones and WiFi Internet connections.

Patent Public Advisory Committee Meeting June 18, 2009

Even if you cannot be physically present at the Patent Public Advisory Committee meeting on June 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. in Alexandria, Virgina, you can attend via webcast or teleconference. An agenda and instructions for connecting to the webcast or teleconference are available now for the public section of the meeting.

Collegiate Inventors Competition

Children have an opportunity to stretch their horizons by participating in Camp Invention during the summer. College and graduate students have a chance to extend that participation to a higher level in the annual Collegiate Inventors Competition. The deadline for participating this year is June 16, 2009. Last year's grand prize winner was Timothy Lu of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology for inventing Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Bacterial Biofilms with Engineered Bacteriophage and Synthetic Gene Sensors.

Camp Invention for Kids

Are you looking for activities that will challenge your children's creativity and brain power in a fun setting this summer? Camp Invention by Invent Now Kids, a subsidiary of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, might be just the ticket with locations all around the country. For more information, consult the Camp Invention web site.

Chat with USPTO Officials

Now is your chance to talk directly with senior USPTO officials. On Thursday, May 21, 2009 from 2 to 3 pm (EDT), the officials will be available to answer questions and give tips to independent inventors. You'll be able to see instructions about how to participate in the on-line chat on the home page of the USPTO web site at 10 am (EDT) Thursday and can start logging in at 1:30 pm (EDT).

A wealth of information is also available from the A-Z listing of previous chat transcripts.

National Trademark Expo - May 8-9

In order to stress the important role trademarks play in our society, the USPTO is hosting its annual Trademark Expo at its 600 Dulany Street campus in Alexandria, Virginia. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, May 8, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., May 9, the family-friendly event will include opportunities to interact with legendary trademark characters including the Pillsbury Doughboy, Bettle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, the Cat in the Hat, Smokye Bear, and Popeye and Olive Oyl. Companies including Bridgestone and Hershey and local businesses including Hooray for Books of Alexandria will also participate. See the complete list of exhibitors for more information.

The Air Force Band will play for the opening ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Friday and display Air Force trademarks: the Air Force Symbol, the Air Force Coat of Arms, the Air Force Thunderbirds Emblem, and the "Hap Arnold", which is also known as the Army Air Corps Symbol.

[Federal Register: March 20, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 53)]
[Notices][Page 11919-11920]

The complete notice is available at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2009_register&docid=fr20mr09-34
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of proposed new Privacy Act system of records.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is giving notice of a new system of records that is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974. The information in this system of records is used to disseminate information to customers who have made online information requests, registered for access to information available through web portals provided by the USPTO, subscribed to news updates, or have otherwise provided contact information in order to access or receive information from the USPTO.

The proposed new system of records, ``COMMERCE/PAT-TM-23 User Access for Web Portals and Information Requests,'' is published in its entirety (at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2009_register&docid=fr20mr09-34).