Overview To obtain foreign patent protection, you must file a separate patent application in each country in which you desire to seek patent protection. A single, world-wide patent does not exist. Moreover, most foreign countries require that the idea not be disclosed to the public prior to filing. In other words, they require absolute novelty, [...]
The stock answer is that a patent is enforceable for 20 years upon filing. However, this is not the complete picture. First off, the patent term doesn’t start until grant of the patent which may be anywhere from a few months for design patent and a couple of years for a utility patent. The patent [...]
Basic types of patents Three types of patents are issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1. Utility patent; 2. Design patent; and 3. Plant patent (not discussed here). Basic differences between utility and design patents Each of these types of patents cover different aspects of an invention. Utility patents protect functional features. [...]
Provisional patent applications are lower cost, but not cheap Provisional patent applications are frequently misunderstood, and in my opinion, misused. Oftentimes, provisional applications are thought to be the poor man’s patent or the cheap patent. However, the provisional patent application is merely a lower cost option as best described by the United States Patent and [...]
In January 2013, Kappos will step down as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. You may find more information on patentlyo and ipwatchdog. Back before Kappos was the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it seems as if everyone was complaining [...]
Over the course of my practice, I’ve developed two different presentations that have helped my clients. 1. 7 Core Concepts: Fundamentals for Patent Protection 2. DIY Patent Search: 3 steps for effectively searching the prior art Click on the links above for detailed information on both presentations. If you would like to me to present [...]
Basic Structure Under the America Invents Act, the public can submit evidence to the Patent Office in an attempt to prevent issuance of a patent. Under the basic structure of the regulations, if the patent application is not published or accessible to the public, then a protest or a preissuance submission may be filed with [...]
DIY Patent Search 3 Steps for effectively searching the prior art Watch the seminar Web based patent seminar on how to conduct your own patent search in three steps. The three steps include: Brainstorming keywords; Finding the right class/subclass; and Conducting your search. By attending this seminar, you will: Understand the overall process of [...]
After brainstorming keywords related to your invention and finding a list of relevant classes and subclasses, search the United States Patent and Trademark Office databases or a third party patent document database (e.g., freepatentsonline.com) for relevant patent documents. Limitations on search Upon filing of a patent application, the patent application remains secret for a period [...]
