Today, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the nine millionth United States utility patent to Matthew Carroll of Jupiter, Florida.  The invention is directed to a system and method of collecting  and conditioning rainwater and other moisture, such as dew, from the windshield of a vehicle and utilizing the collected fluid to replenish the fluids in the windshield washer reservoir.

It has taken roughly 225 years to get to number 9,000,000.  I wonder how long it will take to get reach the 10,000,000 milestone.  One thing is certain though:  The spirit of innovation is alive and well in America.

Figure 6 From US Patent No. 9,000,000