Posts in Patent Basics
Why the Patent Classification System Needs an Update
Patent categories were established more than 100 years ago. There are dozens of categories that reflect industry at the time: gears, sewing machines, and bicycles, to name a …
Understanding What a Design Patent is Not
You have probably heard of a company called Apple. They sell computers, watches, tablets and all kinds of accessories. You have probably also heard that Apple was …
Design Patents: Under Utilized and Overlooked
Once upon a time, one of the ways you could spot scams from legitimate operators in the patent industry was to look at who was directing clients …
Deciding Where to Obtain International Patent Rights
Determining where to seek patent rights is an important and expensive decision. If you know you are going to want international patent protection, the best, most cost-effective …
When to Use the Patent Cooperation Treaty—and Why It’s So Popular
The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) enables applicants to file one application, called an international application, in a standardized format in an authorized Receiving Office, and have that …
Why and When Design Patents are Useful
Simply said, the rights provided by one design patent will be extremely unsatisfactory. However, design patents must be considered because a design patent can in many instances …
PCT Basics: Obtaining Patent Rights Around the World
For better or for worse, there is no such thing as a worldwide patent. There is, however, something that approximates a worldwide patent application that can ultimately …
ipAwarenessAssessment: Inventors and Business Owners Should Start Their IP Journey with this USPTO-NIST Tool
The ipAwarenessAssessment (the Tool) is engineered for both business owners and inventors so that they can comprehensively value their intellectual property (IP) and manage their IP portfolios …
Successful After Final Petitions Can Help Advance Prosecution (Part V)
While researching the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) treatment of final Office actions for previous articles (Part I, Part II, Part III and Part …
From Agent to Examiner and Back Again: Practical Lessons Learned from Inside the USPTO
As a Patent Agent, the work product coming out of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seemed random to me. This article shares what I …
WIPO’s INSPIRE Offers a New Way to Select Databases for Patent Searches Involving Machine Translations
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched their INSPIRE (Index of Specialized Patent Information Reports) “database of databases” on November 4, 2020. It provides useful summaries of patent databases …
Understand Your Utility Patent Application Drawings
While it has been said that the how and why of patent application drawings are usually best left to the professionals, I do think it is important …
Why It’s Time to Board the PCT Train: The Benefits of Filing U.S. Patent Applications via the PCT First
I am going to make a bold statement: every non-provisional patent application for an invention originating in the U.S. should be filed via the Patent Cooperation …
Implications of Filing Subsequent Patent Applications in the United States (Part III)
In Part I, the authors reviewed the law behind subsequent patent applications. In Part II, we reviewed the different types of subsequent applications. Part III will discuss …
Types of Subsequent Patent Applications in the United States (Part II)
In Part I of this five-part guide to U.S. subsequent patent applications, the authors reviewed the law governing such applications. In Part II, we review the …
