{
  "patent_number": "US 2929922",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the First Laser Was Invented",
  "original_title": "Masers and maser communications system",
  "summary": "The foundational 1960 patent by Schawlow and Townes that describes how to amplify light waves to create a laser, moving beyond microwave technology.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes the transition from masers, which amplify microwaves, to optical masers, which we now call lasers. It details the use of a resonant cavity with reflective ends to trap light, allowing it to bounce back and forth through an active medium. This process stimulates the emission of more light, creating a highly focused, single-color beam. It essentially provides the blueprint for using light as a precise tool for communication and energy transmission.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover the use of semiconductor materials for lasers, which were developed later.",
    "Does not cover fiber optic cables themselves, only the light-amplification device.",
    "Does not cover non-resonant methods of light amplification."
  ],
  "filed": "1958-07-30",
  "granted": "1960-03-22",
  "expires": "1978-07-30",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/bell-telephone-laboratories-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Arthur L Schawlow",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/arthur-l-schawlow"
    },
    {
      "name": "Charles H Townes",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/charles-h-townes"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 145,
  "tags": [
    "telecommunications",
    "semiconductors",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2929922/laser-maser",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2929922/laser-maser/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US2929922",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
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      "countryCode": "US",
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}