Edison Lightbulb Patent Wood Ornament

• National Archives Store Exclusive
• Made in U.S.A.
• Made from sustainably sourced wood
• Laser-cut
• Stained with water-based dye, colors may vary
• Approximately 2 by 3 inches

• Product Description
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• While nowadays most string lights are LED bases, you can still add a good old Edison light bulb to your tree: This ornament shows a drawing from Edison’s 1880 light bulb patent. Shaped like an incandescent light bulb and featuring a gold-colored metal hook, it is ready to hang and could definitely inspire some bright ideas during the holiday season!

The Patent Act of 1790 established the rules for submitting a patent application; each patent application had to be submitted with specifications, a patent drawing, and, if possible, a model of the invention. Eventually, models were no longer required. The Patent Act aimed to encourage innovation and industrial progress and served to protect inventors’ rights as new technologies were developed.

There are currently over four and a half million patent case files and associated records held by the National Archives.