U.S. Patent No. 1 granted to John Ruggles for locomotive tire improvements

Background. The 1836 revision of U.S. patent law instituted a rigorous application process, including an examination system. John Ruggles, a Maine senator and chairman of the Committee on Patents, framed the bill for this reorganization. He was also an inventor who held U.S. Patent No. 1, issued in July 1836 for locomotive tire improvements, marking the first patent granted under the new system.

Legislative Context. Ruggles served in Congress from 1835 to 1841 and chaired the Committee on Patents and Patent Office during the 25th Congress. In 1836, he framed the bill for the reorganization of the United States Patent Office. The 1836 law instituted a significantly more rigorous application process, including the establishment of an examination system, replacing the earlier practice under which patents had been granted without examination.

Patent Grant. U.S. Patent No. 1 was issued to John Ruggles on July 13, 1836, for improvements to railroad steam locomotive tires. This grant was the first under the new system established by the 1836 law. While earlier patents, such as those to Samuel Hopkins, are known as X-Patents due to a fire destroying records, Ruggles's patent was the first issued under the reorganized examination process.