Bryan Wheelock

is a principal in the St. Louis Metro office of Harness Dickey. His practice includes preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications and drafting of intellectual property agreements. He has brought and defended lawsuits in federal and state courts relating to intellectual property and has participated in seizures of counterfeit and infringing goods. A graduate of Duke University (B.S.E., Mechanical Engineering) and Washington University in St Louis (J.D.), Wheelock is an Adjunct Professor at Washington University School of Law and Washington University School of Engineering.

Recent Articles by

Was the Federal Circuit Trying to Save Us from Ourselves in Williamson v. Citrix?

In Williamson v. Citrix, the Federal Circuit overruled its own precedent that there is a “strong” presumption that claim limitations that do not use the term “means” are not means-plus-function limitations. This change has been decried by practitioners who purposefully avoid the word “means” in order to avoid means-plus-function treatment of their functionally claimed elements. Means-plus-function claiming is an opportunity to be embraced, not a trap to be avoided. Invoking §112(f) and the associated scope of a means-plus-function limitation is largely in the control of the patent drafter.