Posts Tagged: "post-it notes"

Recent 3M patents showcase innovative developments in nanomaterials, glass, dental devices

During 2014, 3M received 517 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, putting it in 80th place among companies petitioning the USPTO for patents that year. The company has received 143 U.S. patents in the past three months, according to Innography’s patent portfolio analysis tools. The text cluster provided here details widespread R&D in optical film, electrical cable, abrasive particles and curable compositions.

Diverse Patent Portfolio for 3M: Digital Sticky Notes, Dental Innovations and Monitoring Criminal Offenders

3M Company (NYSE: MMM) is a major American corporation involved with the development of a wide range of consumer personal care products as well as medical systems, vehicle care and other industries; it’s also a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average…. Patent applications disclose anti-fogging compound for better visibility through vehicle windows and electronic data systems designed to enable community monitoring of local criminal offenders… A couple recent patents protect improvements to orthodontics and dental treatment, including a system designed for better digital modeling of interior mouth structures. We also discuss a self-priming wall spackle compound and a software system for the digital management of sticky notes, such as Post-it notes.

Reporting from the 15th Annual USPTO Inventors Conference

All of the morning sessions were open to all attendees followed by break out sessions later in the day where the attendees were able to choose the sessions they wanted to attend. Most of the sessions were repeated throughout the event, so that the attendees would not have to forego one topic session to attend another. There were speakers from both the IP community and the USPTO on topics pertinent to this audience, including the inventor of the Post It Note, Art Fry. The attendees were given the opportunity to attend different educational break out sessions that were meant to educate the independent inventor on the entire patent process.

Photo Diary: The USPTO’s 15th Inventors Conference

I was pleasantly surprised to see inventors from all over the country, coming from New Jersey, Georgia, Florida and elsewhere. The Inventors Conference provides a truly unique opportunity for independent inventors to interface with patent examiners, high ranking USPTO officials and many industry experts. The two days are filled with programming that includes some “if I can do it, so can you” talks from successful inventors, even Hall of Fame Inventors, who share their stories of dedication and success. Also featured are substantive learning opportunities for inventors, such as how to write claims, why file a provisional patent application, patent searching, foreign filing and more. There is also ample networking opportunities for inventors, and time slots where inventors can receive free consultations with industry experts.