
R.M. Cooper Library has represented South Carolina as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), formerly known as a Patent and Trademark Depository Library or PTDL) since 1992. By participating in this program administered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), we maintain a collection of materials and offer services for all South Carolina residents. The collection includes a number of comprehensive indexes to historic patents.
In addition, the South Carolina Inventors 1796-1896 database contains information about inventors who lived in South Carolina, as well as their inventions. Use this database to help patrons:
- Find a patent issued to their ancestor
- Create a lesson plan for elementary school students
- Tie in to events such as the annual Invention Convention held in Greenville
- Homeschool– Maybe they’d like to add an activity related to the history of technology
- Research the history and impact of an invention such as the cotton gin
Consult our Biography & Genealogy guide for additional resources.