The macroeconomic significance of a revitalized American manufacturing sector has been one of the few concepts capable of generating bipartisan accord from legislators. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office took a decisive step in the right direction this week by unveiling a new business community outreach initiative centered in Detroit.

Since setting up the agency's first ever satellite office in the Midwestern manufacturing hub in 2012, USPTO officials have built ties with several influential organizations in and around Detroit. One of the more promising connections could be with AutoHarvest, a nonprofit website which serves as an online meeting space for auto industry veterans and aspiring inventors to exchange ideas.

"Manufacturing is becoming advanced manufacturing or smart manufacturing, and transportation is at the heart of the sector," AutoHarvest CEO Jayson Pankin explained in a recent interview with Xconomy. "The tech prowess in those areas is staggering."

Through its strategic alliance with the USPTO, AutoHarvest will afford entrepreneurs and established executives direct access to the information resources they need in order to better understand the processes of obtaining, defending and commercializing intellectual assets.