Law firm Munck Wilson Mandala prepared and prosecuted the patent issued as U.S. Patent No. 10,000,000 today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The MWM IP team worked with firm client Raytheon and principal engineering fellow Joseph Marron on the underlying patent application. The USPTO has dedicated a website to celebrate this significant milestone: https://10millionpatents.uspto.gov/

“This will be a fun fact about U.S. patent history that we are a part of and we get to share in with our client Raytheon, a true national treasure,” said managing partner William Munck. “We are excited for Joe and the Raytheon team. This patent is a marker in U.S. history.”

Patent 10 million for “Coherent Ladar Using Intra-Pixel Quadrature Detection” symbolizes the breadth of American invention, with applications in such varied fields as autonomous vehicles, medical imaging devices, military defense systems, and space and undersea exploration. It was invented by Joseph Marron and is owned by Raytheon Company. Additional information on patent 10 million can be found at: https://10millionpatents.uspto.gov/docs/patent10million.pdf.

Along with Munck, David Doyle and Dan Venglarik, senior MWM partners, worked together to prepare and prosecute this patent application for Raytheon. “Each patent represents countless hours of trial and error, persistence, and fortitude from the inventors to bring the idea to fruition,” said Doyle. “The 10 millionth U.S. patent represents a tremendous milestone for both the USPTO and the history of American innovation.”

The first U.S. patent was issued on July 31, 1790, and signed by President George Washington. It took over 121 years to issue the first million patents (1790-1911), but just four years to move from patent 8 million to patent 9 million (2011-2015).

Munck Wilson Mandala is a technology-focused law firm with offices in Dallas, Austin and Marshall, Texas. The firm offers full-service counsel in the areas of intellectual property litigation, complex commercial litigation, intellectual property portfolio development, corporate transactions and securities, and employment law. In addition to Raytheon, MWM represents clients around the world in patent, trademark and other related matters. The firm is ranked as a top IP law firm annually by Chambers USA and listed as one of the largest patent law firms in North Texas and Austin. Learn more about the firm at http://www.munckwilson.com.