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Steve Jobs helped create the first Apple computer and the rest is history, as many of us know, including the Macintosh, the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. But Jobs was fanatical about design and details, from the Apple power adapter plug that folds into the adapter, to the staircases of many of Apple's retail stores. There are more than 300 patents with his name on them, and they are showcased in an exhibit, "The Patents and Trademarks of Steve Jobs: Art and Technology that Changed the World," sponsored by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

“This exhibit commemorates the far-reaching impact of Steve Jobs’ entrepreneurship and innovation on our daily lives,” said David Kappos, director of the patent and trademark office, in a statement.“His patents and trademarks provide a striking example of the importance intellectual property plays in the global marketplace.”

The exhibit — with Jobs' patents and trademarks shown on a slew of ginormous iPhone mock-ups — was created and designed by Invent Now, a non-profit organization "dedicated to fostering invention and creativity," and which also runs the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum.

Invent.org

The tribute to Jobs opened earlier this month, and goes through Jan. 15; it's located at the patent and trademark office's Alexandria, Va., campus, and is free and open to the public. You can learn more here.

If you can't make it to the exhibit, the New York Times put together a graphic of Jobs' patents. Despite some duds — the infamous iMac "hockey puck" mouse among them — there's little question Jobs' vision influenced the technology and design most of us are familiar with and appreciate today.

Related stories:

• The 6 pillars of Steve Jobs' design philosophy
• Steve Jobs' final words revealed by sister
• The Jobs legacy: Ease, elegance in technology

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