Thomas Jefferson issued the first patent in 1790, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted more than six million more since that time, some of which are profiled here. Revised from the 2004 edition, this book presents each device along with background about the inventor, interesting sidebars and history, and an excerpt from the patent application, plus diagrams created by the inventors to show exactly how each item works. Among the many highlights are the Pez dispenser, cathode ray tube, kitty litter, DNA fingerprinting, the Fender Stratocaster guitar, and the iPhone.