You use patents dozens of times a day.

This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a method to rapidly create many copies of a specific piece of DNA or RNA, enabling its detection and analysis.

This patent describes the fundamental three-step process for making millions of copies of a specific piece of DNA using short starter molecules and an enzyme, a technique known as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method, a technique to make millions of copies of a specific DNA segment using a heat-resistant enzyme and repeated temperature changes.

This patent describes a neural network architecture, known as a Transformer, that uses a "self-attention" mechanism to process sequences of information, like words in a sentence, by weighing the importance of different parts of the input.

This patent describes a system that automatically notices when the real-world data an AI model sees changes, causing its predictions to become less accurate, and then fixes the model.

This patent describes how to make poorly water-soluble drugs dissolve and absorb better by mixing them with specially modified, non-crystalline sugar molecules called cyclodextrin derivatives.

A 1941 invention by Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan that created the modern aerosol spray can by using a liquefied gas to propel liquid contents.

A 1957 invention by Felix Wankel that replaces heavy, moving pistons with a triangular rotor spinning inside a chamber to create power.

Stephanie Kwolek's 1971 patent for DuPont describing the molecular alignment and manufacturing of extremely strong, lightweight synthetic aramid fibers, which became famous as Kevlar.

This patent describes the foundational RSA algorithm, a method for securely sending messages where anyone can encrypt a message using a public key, but only the intended recipient can decrypt it using a secret private key.

A 1970 patent describing a remote tag that powers itself using incoming radio signals to read and write data, forming the foundation of modern RFID technology.

This patent describes how social networks like Facebook collect what users do, create short updates about those actions, and show them to specific friends in a personalized list called a "news feed."

This patent describes the underlying electronic circuits and methods for a multi-touch surface that can track multiple fingers and palms simultaneously, even before they fully touch the screen.

This patent describes a specific process for rapidly stretching a highly crystalline form of PTFE plastic to create a strong, porous material with a unique internal structure, forming the basis for products like Gore-Tex.

This 1980 patent describes a method for cutting and pasting DNA pieces in a lab to create new, self-replicating genetic material that can be inserted into bacteria, a foundational technique for genetic engineering.

This patent describes a method and machine for creating three-dimensional objects by precisely depositing melted material, layer by layer, from a movable nozzle onto a base.

This patent describes how touchscreens use smart rules, called heuristics, to figure out if your finger movement means scrolling up, moving around a map, or flipping to the next photo, especially by looking at how you start your swipe.

This patent describes a camera sensor technology that combines light-capturing elements with a special circuit to read out the image data quickly and efficiently, all on a single chip.

MIT's 1999 patent on a special ink made of tiny capsules that can change color when an electric field is applied, forming the basis for early e-readers.

Honeywell's patent describes a system that collects data from industrial equipment, makes sense of it using rules, and organizes it into a smart graph for better control and actions.

This patent describes a way to train a computer program (a neural network) to understand how similar documents are to each other, by showing it examples and teaching it to group similar ones together and separate dissimilar ones.

This patent describes a "sandwich" method using two highly specific, man-made antibodies to detect and measure tiny amounts of specific substances, like disease markers, in a fluid sample.

This patent describes a specialized computer chip that uses non-volatile memory and analog signals to quickly perform calculations for artificial intelligence, especially for neural networks that need to remember past information.

This patent describes a system where one virtual computer runs simulations of a system, like a robot, and another virtual computer uses the simulation data to teach an AI model how to make better decisions.

This patent describes a method for detecting a specific DNA sequence in a sample by using a labeled DNA probe and an enzyme that cuts the probe, releasing detectable fragments.

A breakthrough method for using modified RNA to deliver instructions to cells without caus…

University of Pennsylvania Penn

The foundational 1935 patent for synthetic linear polyamides, the chemical process that cr…

EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co

The foundational 1955 patent by Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard describing the design of the …

Individual

The 1970 patent for the X-Y position indicator, better known as the computer mouse, which …

Stanford Research Institute

William Shockley's 1951 patent for the junction transistor, the fundamental building block…

Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc

The foundational 1960 patent by Schawlow and Townes that describes how to amplify light wa…

Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc

Bell Labs' 1950 patent for the point-contact transistor, the fundamental electronic compon…

Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc

Wilson Greatbatch's 1960 patent for the first successful implantable heart pacemaker that …

Wilson Greatbatch Technologies Inc