On Tuesday, 19th of June the U.S. Patent Office will issue its 10 millionth patent.

At this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin, Texas, the USPTO will announce the issuance of the 10 millionth patent. To commemorate the event, USPTO will be unveiling a new design for the cover of granted patents.

In 1790, when the first patent was granted, an issued patent consisted of a document written on a piece of parchment signed by the President, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General. Now patents are signed by the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and come bound with an attractive soft cover that includes the USPTO’s seal. The USPTO seal contains a federal eagle astride a shield clutching an olive branch and arrow, it is imprinted in a gold medallion. There are two red ribbons that drop down from the medallion.

This will mark the second time in over 100 years that the USPTO has changed the cover of a granted patent. Since the first patent was issued there have only been 12 cover design changes. The current cover’s design has been in use for over 30 years. According to

the USPTO’s website “unveil the new cover design at this special South by Southwest (SXSW) event and discussed the significance and history of the document