US Patent Office Museum Opens Free Steve Jobs Exhibit

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has opened a huge exhibit entirely dedicated to the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, who passed away last month after resigning from his CEO position with the Cupertino, California computer company.

Hosted at the UPSTO’s Alexandria, Virginia museum in the atrium of the Madison Building headquarters, the free Steve Jobs exhibit features 30 giant panels shaped like iPhones that display the front pages of patent and trademark filings with Steve Jobs' name on them.

Jobs is named as inventor and co-inventor in around 300 patent applications that Apple has filed with the UPSTO over the years.

According to the office, “The display gives insight into the visionary commitment Jobs gave to each of the products and designs he influenced during his time with Apple, the company he co-founded at the age of 21 with his friend and fellow computer enthusiast Steve Wozniak.”

A few of the panels also bear photos of the iconic visionary, and brief descriptions of the man’s achievements during his lifetime.

“This exhibit commemorates the far-reaching impact of Steve Jobs’ entrepreneurship and innovation on our daily lives,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos. “His patents and trademarks provide a striking example of the importance intellectual property plays in the global marketplace.”

Created and designed by Invent Now, Inc., the non-profit organization dedicated to fostering invention and creativity through various programs, the Jobs exhibit runs through January 15, 2012 and is totally free to the public.

Those interested in paying a visit will also be glad to learn that the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum is also open to the public for free.

Located at 600 Dulany Street in Alexandria, the museum welcomes visitors Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 12 to 5pm. The museum is closed Sundays and on Federal holidays, according to the UPSTO.