We Need More Female Inventors — 5 Ways to Celebrate National Inventors Month
What is National Inventors Month, what's the history of it and how is it recognized? Here's everything you need to know!
What is National Inventors Month?
National Inventors Month is a day to recognize and pay respect to inventors across the country.
National Inventors Month was founded to celebrate the curiosities and imaginations of the people in this country who continue to create and innovate. These people are the engineers and masterminds behind creative solutions and bright ideas. They're the people with patents or pending patents to improve existing technology and inventions or to come up with entirely new concepts and change the world as we know it. They're the ones always coming up with the next big thing.
"We want to recognize those talented, brave individuals who dare to be blatantly creative and, therefore, different, and whose accomplishments affect every facet of our lives," Joanne Hayes-Rines, editor of Inventors' Digest and a sponsor of National Inventors Month reported said of the month, according to National Day Calendar.
When is National Inventors Month?
What is the history of National Inventors Month?
National Inventors Month celebrates a vast array of creative geniuses.
- According to National Day Calendar, United Inventors Association of the USA, The Academy of Applied Science and Inventors’ Digest magazine first founded National Inventors Month in 1998. The month-long celebration initially took place in the month of August, but it was eventually moved to May in 2011 in order to align with the academic calendar year and National Inventors Hall of Fame induction ceremonies that also occur in May.
How is National Inventors Month celebrated?
There are several ways to celebrate National Inventors Month. Here are three ways to do just that.
1. Work on your own creations.
There's no better way to celebrate National Inventors Month than by joining in on the creating. If you have an idea you've always wanted to pursue, National Inventors Month is as good a time as any (if not an even better time!) to get started on it. That could be anything from a new business idea you've been contemplating to a book you've been wanting to write to an actual invention you've been wanting to build and patent. Whatever you do, just make sure to get creative.
2. Spread the word about National Inventors Month on social media.
Get on Facebook or Instagram to share a photo of or news article about your favorite recent invention. You can even share a photo of the inventor behind it in order to celebrate their hard work. Just be sure to post your thanks online and to use #NationalInventorsMonth to show your support. Doing this will help to spread the word about National Inventors Month for those who aren't already aware of it.
3. Monetarily support an invention or innovation.
Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are always featuring people's projects — often new inventions that they're launching like new gear or technical wear or medical devices. Find an invention or innovation that you'd love to see come to fruition and then pay a donation towards it to help the inventor bring their project to life.
4. Study up on famous inventors.
If you have some spare time and want to spend it reading, why not pick up some books on some famous inventors and learn about their hard work? You can even check out the most famous female inventors in history here! You never know — reading about inventors may even inspire you to come up with a creation of your own.
5. File for a patent of your own.
If you've been working on an idea or project that you've been meaning to patent for some time, finally apply for your patent. The patent statute, 35 USC 101 says any “new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof is eligible for patent protection.” That said, some inventions won't make the cut. So it's important to first seek an eligibility opinion from a licensed and registered USPTO patent attorney who understands the recent case law and can help you to determine whether or not to go down the patent route (or if you'll end up spending money that you don't need to spend).
Once you've done your research, you can file for a patent — a provisional patent or a nonprovisional patent. There are also other patents for which you can file an application, such as a design patent or a continuation patent (when you improve your invention). You can file your patent application by going to the online USPTO government page or by using the above templates.
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AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about women’s empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram @her_report, Twitter @herreportand Facebook.
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