Posts Tagged: independent inventor
Did the USPTO Institute Procedural Obstacles to Block Patents for a Particular Applicant?
Gilbert Hyatt filed hundreds of patent applications across fields such as machine control, audio and image processing, and computer technology. While many such applicants can similarly claim …
Industry Commenters Say Minerva Ruling is a Win for Employee Mobility
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Minerva Surgical, Inc. v. Hologic, Inc., Cytyc Surgical Products, LLC that the doctrine of assignor estoppel”—which bars …
Patent Procurement and Strategy for Business Success: Building and Strategically Using Patents that Target the Right Infringers and Thwart Competitive Countermeasures
Successful patent strategies for business are inexorably tied to the quality of the patents upon which the patent strategies depend. The quality of a patent depends upon …
Fit to Drive: Three Inspiring Office Action Responses from the USPTO’s Art Unit 3668
Every patent practitioner has faced the same obstacle — a client's application is assigned to an unfamiliar art unit. This presents two challenges: unfamiliarity with the examiners and …
Design Patents 101: Understanding Utility Patents’ Lesser-Known Cousin
Design patents provide powerful protections both on their own and as a complement to their more well-known cousin, utility patents. The highly publicized Apple v. Samsung lawsuits …
Ninth Circuit Upholds Ruling Against Gil Hyatt: The Paperwork Reduction Act Does Not Apply to Individualized Communications Between The USPTO and Applicants
On May 20, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, holding …
IDEA Act Added as Amendment to U.S. Innovation and Competition Act
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) this week filed the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 as a substitute amendment to the Endless Frontier Act, thereby …
European Inventor Award 2021 Finalists Spotlight Diverse Group of U.S. Researchers
Last week, the European Patent Office (EPO) announced six U.S. researchers as finalists for the European Inventor Award 2021. The EPO began the prestigious European Inventor Award …
Senate IP Subcommittee Hearing on Improving Patent System Inclusivity Centers on Better Communication About Available Resources
On the morning of Wednesday, April 21, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property held a hearing titled Improving Access and Inclusivity in the Patent System: …
Why the IDEA Act is a Bad Idea
As previously reported on this blog, a bipartisan group of senators recently reintroduced a bill in Congress called the “Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement Act of 2021,” or …
From Home Security to VoIP: Honoring Black Women Inventors of the Last Half-Century
Throughout February, we have recognized some of the earliest Black women inventors, beginning with Martha Jones in 1868 and her patent directed to a corn husker, ending with …
A Cooking Revolution: Mary Jones De Leon
In 1873, Mary Jones De Leon was granted U.S. patent No. 140,253 for her invention titled ”Cooking Apparatus.” De Leon, who resided in Baltimore, Maryland, is believed to …
How to Avoid USPTO Rejections in Patent Drawings
Accurate and clear patent drawings strengthen and enhance patent applications, helping patent examiners who are already overburdened with applications to understand inventions faster. In this article, we …
A Better Way to Husk: Martha Jones, First Black Woman to Receive a U.S. Patent
Martha Jones of Amelia County, Virginia, is believed by many to be the first black woman to receive a United States patent. Her application for an “Improvement …
US Inventor Backs SCOTUS Petition to Clarify Claim Construction Principles
Inventor advocacy group US Inventor has filed an amicus brief in support of a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to clarify “[w]…
