On February 10, the USPTO presents the “Three Contemporary Black Women Inventors” online event in celebration of Black History Month. The event spotlights three contemporary black women inventors: Aprille Ericsson, Ayanna Howard and Arlyne Simon.
Author: Joseph Rolnicki
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ADOPTS FEDERAL COURT CLAIM CONSTRUCTION STANDARD IN PROCEEDINGS AT THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
On October 10, 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a Final Rule in the Federal Register, changing the patent claim construction standard used by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR), and covered…
THE “ON SALE” BAR AND “READY FOR PATENTING”
The On Sale Bar, set forth in 35 U.S.C. §102 of the Patent Statute provides that “[a] person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise…
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS AND PATENT OWNERSHIP RIGHTS
Employers often have new employees sign an Employment Agreement at the time of their employment. Basic terms of an Employment Agreement often require that the employee protect the intellectual property of the employer, and not disclose confidential information of the employer without authorization. The basic…
INVENTION DISCLOSURE
If you are involved in a business that routinely introduces new products to the marketplace, or a business that exists due to a recently developed new product such as a startup business, you should consider protecting the new product or products with a patent. A…
WHAT DO PATENT ATTORNEYS DO?
I recently attended a get together of Evans & Dixon, L.L.C. civil litigation attorneys, business litigation attorneys and business services attorneys at the Springfield, Missouri office of Evans & Dixon, L.L.C. Being a patent attorney in the Business Services Group of Evans & Dixon, L.L.C.,…
Outline Of The U.S. Patent Office Patent Examination Process
I was a Primary Examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office many years ago. Much has changed at the Patent Office since I served as an Examiner. For example, when I was an Examiner, prior art searching or patentability searching was done manually. After…
U.S. Patent Office Provides a Second Bite at the Apple After a Final Rejection
The U.S. Patent Office has extended the After Final Consideration Pilot 2.0 (AFCP 2.0) in its current form through September 30, 2017. This enables patent applicants to take a second bite at getting claims of their patent application that have been given a final rejection…
Initial Patentability Research at No Cost
When I meet with a client to discuss the possibility of their obtaining patent protection for a new product or process (their invention), the discussion usually begins with my asking if they have done any initial patentability research for their invention. Often, the client has…
Questions on the Patenting Process
I frequently speak with individuals who believe they have come up with a new invention and want to protect it with a patent, but have no idea of how to go about obtaining a patent. The patenting process can be complicated if it is not…
