a photograph of Inventor Lenny Smoot on a unicycle is layered on top of an orange background with an abstract loopy doodle around the photo.

Every inventor has a story

The USPTO spotlights inventors to help inspire the next generation of young game changers. In our storytelling series, Journeys of Innovation, you can read all about the ups and downs of being an innovator who positively changes their community or even the world with their ideas.

Three USPTO Trading Cards are piled on top of each other. A trading card for Ayanna Howard is on top.

Check out our latest Inventor Trading Card!

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Ayanna Howard is a robot inventor, AI pioneer, engineer, and educator. Her USPTO Inventor Card was unveiled in 2025 at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Three USPTO Trading Cards are piled on top of each other. On top of the pile is a trading card that says, "who's next?" with a big question mark.

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The journey to an invention

People have been innovating and inventing ways to improve daily life for thousands of years. Every inventor has their own unique story. What problem did the inventor set out to solve? How did they come up with their idea for a solution? What challenges did they face when making that idea a reality? Check out some of the stories below to find out! What will the story be for the things YOU create?