How would you like to hold a U. S. patent? How about U. S. Patent # 7,000,000? This was last week on Valentine’s Day. DuPont senior researcher Dr. John O’Brien got it for inventing “Polysaccharide Fibers.”

Polysaccharide fibers are “cotton-like” fibers derived from biologically based renewable resources. They are biodegradable and suitable for use in textiles. The patent issued for “Polysaccharide Fibers” is the 33,801st U.S. patent awarded to DuPont since company founder E.I. du Pont was granted U.S. Patent #590 in 1804 for a “machine for granulating gunpowder.” DuPont and its
affiliates ranked 2nd worldwide with the most biotechnology patents approved by the USPTO in 2004, according to the publication Nature Biotechnology. O’Brien, 54, has been a polymer chemist with DuPont since 1978. He holds 15 patents, including the one issued today, for his research in the areas of advanced composites; high-performance fibers, including developmental work on DuPont Kevlar; and bio-based materials.