General Yi Sun-sin's turtle ship receives an honorary patent.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office announced on the 28th that to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Inventors' Day on May 19, it has decided to register honorary patents for 14 excellent inventions from ancestors, including the turtle ship, rain gauge, and metal movable type.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office began examining patents for 15 excellent inventions from ancestors in March. Among them, 14 were ultimately decided for patent registration, excluding the "Daedongyeojido (Grand Map of Korea) production method." These include the ajabang ondol, printing method using metal movable type, Gwangchéon Observatory, water clock, Angbu-ilgu, rain gauge, 신기전기 화차, silver refinement method, turtle ship, 비격진천뢰, celestial globe, stone ice storage, wind gauge, and 거중기.
Korean Intellectual Property Office examiners comprehensively reviewed the requirements for a patent under patent law (novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability). This once again proved that excellent inventions from our ancestors possess technological value even under the modern patent system.
The turtle ship's closed structure protects the internal space from external attacks and has iron plating on the upper surface, making it difficult for enemy vessels to target, thereby enhancing defensive capabilities in close combat, which was judged to be patentable. The rain gauge limits the ratio of its diameter and height within a certain range to prevent the evaporation of rainwater and can collect rain falling at an angle, thus receiving recognition for its effectiveness in increasing the accuracy of rainfall measurements.
Meanwhile, the Daedongyeojido was rejected for registration as it did not exhibit distinctive features compared to prior art, as maps were actively produced worldwide at the time of its creation in the 19th century. However, there was no disagreement regarding the excellence of the map.
The excellent inventions from ancestors will be disclosed in the form of a registered patent public notice (patent claims, application details, etc.) on the KIPRIS patent information search service. Application numbers and registration numbers will be assigned in chronological order of invention history. The ajabang ondol from the Silla period will be number 1, while the 거중기 from the 18th century will be number 14, etc.
Kim Jeong-kyun, Director of the Industrial Property Policy Bureau of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, noted, "Through the honorary patent examination, we could reaffirm how continuously our ancestors explored and challenged themselves, and how significant technological advancements were achieved." He added, "I hope that the 60th anniversary of Inventors' Day and the honorary patent examination will renew recognition of the value of inventions and lead to technological innovation in the future."