Eden Prairie's Lion's Tap restaurant recently brought a lawsuit against McDonald's for trademark infringement. McDonald's settled out of court. Read more on the Startribune site.

Patents aren't just for scientists and engineers. Here are some fun Halloween-related patents from years past.

In September 1888 George Eastman received one of the first patents for a camera designed to use roll film. Here's the original patent.

Did you know the Tilt-A-Whirl was invented in Faribault, MN in 1926? Click here to see the actual patent, called Amusement Device.

In 1993 Jackson was granted a patent for "Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion." The shoes allowed the wearer to lean beyond their center of gravity.

In May 1933 the U.S. Patent Office issued the first drive-in theater patent. It was located in Camden, NJ.

While there have always been women inventors, Mary Dixon Kies was the first female recipient of a U.S. patent in May 1809.

In 2007, the most recent year for official statistics, Minnesotans were granted 2.920 patents, making us the12th most prolific in the nation. Check the U.S. Patent and Trade Office site for the full report.

Learn about the achievements and accomplishments of African American inventors here.

While Thomas Jefferson had many inventions, Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. President to have been granted a patent. It was called Buoying Vessels Over Shoals and was issued on May 22, 1849.

Did you know the downtown Minneapolis Central Library is the only Patent & Trademark Depository Library in Minnesota? Since 1981 we've shown inventors and entrepreneurs how to do their searches.