USPTO

Overview
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.

The USPTO is currently based in Alexandria, Virginia, after a 2006 move from the Crystal City, Virginia area of Arlington County, Virginia. A few offices remain in the Potomac Gateway complex at the southern end of Crystal City; these offices will move to Randolph Square, a brand new building in Shirlington Village, in 2009. Since 1991, the office has been fully funded by fees charged for processing patents and trademarks.

The USPTO cooperates with the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) as one of the Trilateral Patent Offices. The USPTO is also a Receiving Office, an International Searching Authority and an International Preliminary Examination Authority for international patent applications filed in accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

Mission
The mission of the PTO is to promote "industrial and technological progress in the United States and strengthen the national economy" by:
 * administering the laws relating to patents and trademarks;
 * advising the United States Secretary of Commerce, the President of the United States, and the administration on patent, trademark, and copyright protection; and
 * providing advice on the trade-related aspects of intellectual property.