• Home
  • About
    • Client Reviews
    • Patent Samples
    • Accolades
    • About Firm
    • Technologies
    • FAQs
  • Services
    • Patent
      • Utility Patents
      • Design Patents
      • Patent Application
      • Patent Defense
      • Patent Enforcement
      • Working with In-House Attorneys
    • Trademark
      • Trademark Search
      • Trademark Application
      • Trademark Enforcement
      • Trademark Defense
    • Licensing
    • Worldwide IP
    • Risk Management
    • Due Diligence
  • Industries
    • Browse Patent Samples
    • Automotive Patents
    • Construction Patents
    • Consumer Products Patents
    • Electronics Patents
    • Food, Beverage, & Other Culinary Patents
    • Manufacturing Patents
    • Medical Products & Devices Patents
    • Optics Patents
    • Software & App Patents
    • Tools & Equipment Patents
  • Learning Resources
    • First-Time Inventor?
    • Why Patent Your Invention in a Bad Economy?
    • Videos on Patents
    • Search 180+ Articles
      • Patent process
        • Overview of Patent Process
          • Patent process timeline and major milestones
          • Patent Process: Invention to Patent Granted (Simplified)
          • Patent process, overall steps and procedures
        • Overview of the examination process within the USPTO
          • Highs and lows of securing patent protection for your invention
          • What is the Patent Office procedure after filing a patent application?
        • Benefits of a Patent Search
          • What is a patent search and How to do it?
        • Patent attorneys, agents and the USPTO can help with the patent process
        • USPTO Website
      • Invention Agreements
        • What is an NDA and when to use them?
        • How to use a contract to protect your invention?
        • Working with others without losing your IP rights
        • Patent Assignments for Independent Contractors
        • Losing Invention Rights When Hiring or Collaborating with Others
        • Avoid Problems: Get an Invention Assignment Agreement
      • Protect Inventions
        • Misconceptions of Provisional Patent Applications
        • Do you need to get your patent attorney to sign an NDA?
        • Can a confidentiality agreement protect me like a patent application?
        • Four types of intellectual property to protect your idea and how to use them
          • Overview of Patents and Intellectual Property
          • Patent protection benefits and why every inventor should consider getting one
          • 8 tips to successfully protect your idea
          • Benefits of Patent Protection
          • Best uses for design patents
        • Reasons to only market your invention after securing patent pendency
          • Dangers of 1 yr grace period under first-inventor-to-file system
          • File a patent application before telling others about the invention
        • Risks and benefits of securing software patent protection
          • Strategy to overcome patentable subject matter rejection
        • Pros and cons of filing a continuation-in-part application
          • What is a continuation patent application?
      • How Patent Applications Work: the Basics
        • How to respond to an office action?
        • Request for non-publication of a patent application
        • Anatomy of a Patent Document
        • How to write a broad patent application?
        • Design patents: pros and cons
      • Patent costs
        • How much does it cost to get a utility patent?
        • Provisional Patent Application: Cheap Alternative?
        • Patent Cost Framework and cash flow
        • Provisional patent application: a cheap option?
        • Cheap provisional patent applications
      • Patent infringement
        • Basics of writing a patent claim for a patent application
        • Patent Marking: Everything you wanted to know
        • Avoiding Patent Infringement
        • Can I Copy My Competitor’s Product?
        • Can I Copy My Competitor’s Product? (Design Patent)
      • Worldwide patents
        • Pros and cons of securing worldwide patent protection and their steps
        • Foreign patent filing to secure protection in other countries
      • Responding to Office Actions
        • Overview of Office Actions
      • Trademarks
        • Trademark Registration: common law, state and federal
        • How to obtain a federal trademark registration?
        • How to select a trademark?
          • Protect your idea when pitching to an investor, potential licensee, or buyer
  • Schedule Consultation
  • Contact

Top-Rated Orange County Patent Lawyer | Helping Inventors in Orange County, Los Angeles County & Beyond | OC Patent Lawyer, Irvine CA

Orange County Patent Attorney

(949) 433-0900
You are here: Home / Archives for Patent application process / Before filing a patent application / Patent Eligible Subject Matter

Patent eligible subject matter

Patent eligible subject matter is everything made under the sun except for abstract ideas, laws of nature and natural phenomena.

Browse related articles below.

Coined term do not transform an abstract idea into patent eligible subject matter

July 22, 2017 by James Yang

Coined Term

Background of Section 101 or patent eligibility issue Ever since Alice (2014), the USPTO and the courts have to a large extent invalidated software patents.  Also, the USPTO has had a significantly lower than average patent allowance rate for software inventions. The reason is that Alice caused the courts and the USPTO to treat many software inventions as though they were … [Read more...]

Risks and benefits of securing software patent protection

March 8, 2017 by James Yang

In the past few years software patent protection has come under intense scrutiny by the courts and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  In that short time, it has become commonplace to see software inventions characterized as an abstract idea and thus not eligible for patent protection under 35 U.S.C. 101.  As such, for software patent protection, one must … [Read more...]

Strategy to overcome patentable subject matter rejection

February 19, 2017 by James Yang

A brief history of patentable subject matter rejections Ever since Alice/Mayo, a number of decisions have been rendered regarding patentable subject matter or 35 USC 101.  In other words, whether a claim in a patent or patent application is eligible for patent protection under Section 101.  Each new case adds to the body of patentable subject matter case law to help the … [Read more...]

Means for achieving end result patent eligible subject matter

December 12, 2016 by James Yang

Patent eligible subject matter

Electric Power Group, LLC v. Alstom, 830 F.3d 1350 (Fed. Cir.  2016) is another 35 USC §101 case dealing with patent eligible subject matter. The Court held that the claimed invention was ineligible for patent protection and thus invalid. The patent at issue (US Pat. Nos. 8060259 and 8401710) was directed to systems and methods for performing real-time performance monitoring of … [Read more...]

Software means and method are patent eligible subject matter

October 8, 2016 by James Yang

The primary issue in MCRO, Inc. v. Bandai (Fed. Cir. September 13, 2016) patent eligible subject matter for a software invention.  The Federal Circuit found a claim of a patented software invention was patent eligible subject matter. Given that for the past two years, relatively few software patents were affirmed as being eligible for patent protection (i.e., patent eligible … [Read more...]

Ordered combination of software steps is patent eligible

August 25, 2016 by James Yang

Ordered Combination of Steps

In Bascom v. AT&T (Fed. Cir. June 27, 2016), the Court  held that the ordered combination of software steps recited in the claims of the patent were eligible for patent protection (i.e., patent eligible) under Section 101. In particular, the Court found that the specific way of associating a local account and a request from the local account for filtering Internet content … [Read more...]

Software inventions increasingly eligible for patents

May 26, 2016 by James Yang

Software Inventions

The case of Enfish v. MSFT (Fed. Cir. 2016) is one of the rare Section 101 case in which the Federal Circuit identified claims for software inventions as eligible for patent protection after the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice and Mayo. In this blog post, we will review why the claimed software invention was deemed eligible for patent protection while so many others software … [Read more...]

Drafting tip: software applications and responses to office actions

November 20, 2015 by James Yang

Bottom line:  Patent applications directed to software inventions should be written to disclose the result and the effect of the software, but more importantly, the mechanism of the result or effect of the software.  Doing so may increase the odds that the software invention will be considered to be eligible for patent protection.  Nevertheless, inventors should be aware that … [Read more...]

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Popular Posts

  • Patent process overview
  • Patent process explained
  • How much does a patent cost?
  • Why patent your invention in a bad economy?

Patent Book

Navigating the Patent System - new book by Orange County patent attorney, James Yang

Navigating the Patent System: Learn the patent process and strategies to protect your invention

Read for Free
Buy at Amazon

RECEIVE PATENT ARTICLES

Stay up to date on major changes and get tips on the patent process.

We respect your privacy.

Popular Posts

Patent process overview
Patent process explained
How much does a patent cost?
Trademark process and costs
Patent process and costs

 

Services

Utility Patents
Design Patents
Patent Prosecution Services
Patent Defense Services
Patent-Law Counsel for In-House Attorneys
Trademark Prosecution Services
See All Services

Industries

Automotive Patents
Consumer Products Patents
Culinary Patents
Manufacturing Patents
Medical Patents
Optics Patents
Software & App Patents
See All Industries

Contact

James Yang
OC Patent Lawyer
2372 Morse Ave., Suite #178
Irvine, CA 92614
Tel: (949) 433-0900

Connect

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Sitemaps

Sitemap: Pages | Sitemap: Posts

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

By accessing this blog, you agree that no attorney-client relationship is formed except by a subsequent written retainer agreement. Also, you agree to not send confidential information unless directed by me to do so. The information posted on this blog is legal information and not legal advice.
Complete Terms of Use
Complete Privacy Policy

ADA Compliance

OC Patent Lawyer aims to ensure that its services are accessible to people with disabilities.
Accessibility Statement

Service Area

From our office in Irvine, California, we serve clients from all areas within Orange County and Los Angeles County, California.

© 2023 · James Yang, Your Entrepreneur and Mid-Size Business Patent Attorney