On May 7, 1898, a bicycle repairman named Elmer Lovejoy took the steam-powered automobile he’d made himself for a ride through Laramie, Wyoming. Twenty years later, he invented an patented a garage door opener to help make life easier for automobile enthusiasts like himself. His three patents for his door openers and the ceiling tracking utilized for their operation are available in the Wyoming State Library’s Patents and Trademarks Collection. When asked the difference between a patent and a trademark, Anne Kuipers, WSL State Documents Librarian, offered this explanation: “A patent protects how something works. A trademark protects how something is sold.”
For those seeking information on Wyoming patents, trademarks, or both, the WSL offers two extensive databases to help you find what you need–Wyoming Inventors for patents and Wyoming Trademarks for trademarks.
The WSL’s Wyoming Inventors database includes information on Wyoming patents filed from 1867 to the present day. This unique collection is updated every Tuesday and is the most complete collection in the U.S. The database is searchable by patent number, name, or invention title, and patrons can browse the collection by name, city, or year. It’s also home to patents from some famous people in Wyoming history.
“We are the only state with a complete collection,” said Anne Kuipers, WSL State Documents Librarian, of the Wyoming Inventors database. “We even have a patent filed by Buffalo Bill Cody for a horse bit design.”
If you are seeking information on a historic trademark, or are wondering if a certain name or image is currently trademarked, check out the Wyoming Trademark database. The Wyoming Database of State Trademarks includes Wyoming state trademarks issued back to the first issued in the territory of Wyoming in 1881 to present day, both current and archived. Current Trademarks are active trademarks issued between 1906 to present located at the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. New applications and renewals are added monthly. Archived Trademarks include all inactive applications and mark images for Wyoming trademarks located at the Wyoming State Archives.
Although useful for historical and research purposes, the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office is the manager of all applications and active trademarks. To access the official documents for legal and business purpose please access their website and filing database. Physical records are located at the Wyoming Secretary of State (current trademarks) and the Wyoming State Archives (archived trademarks).
Whether you’re a business, student, teacher, researcher, historian or inventor, the WSL has trained librarians that can provide guidance in the use of patent and trademark resources. As the only PTRC in Wyoming, we provide free access to these resources in various formats.