Patent Reform
You may have heard that a patent reform bill was recently passed by Congress reforming the way our patent system runs. If signed by the President, it will bring the largest changes to the patent system in over a hundred…
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First to File Risks to Individual Inventors
David Abrams and Dennis Crouch have published a comparative study on the switch from a first-to-invent system to a first-to-file system in Canada and applied the analysis to the potential change to the US patent system by the America Invents…
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Sampled “Success” Rates of Patent Applications, Courtesy Patently-O
Patently-O did a brief post yesterday on a selected group of patent applications to see how the applications have proceeded through the PTO. Of the applications filed in February 2006, 57% have matured into a patent, 28% are abandoned, and…
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Ornamental and Fuctional Aspects in the Same Invention
My invention has both functional and ornamental aspects – can I file for both utility and design patent protection? Absolutely. Both aspects of the invention can be protected. Some considerations (there will probably be others): Timing: Ensure that both applications…
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The America Invents Act and the Individual or Small Business Patentee
Patent reform has been making its way through Congress. The Senate passed a bill, the House passed it in a slightly different form, and it is now going back to the Senate. If approved by that chamber and then approved…
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Patents and Triathlon Bikes
Douglas Robinson, IP editor over at Slowtwitch, writes an interesting piece about patent protection in tri bikes, a subject near and dear to my heart. Take a look at it here. I believe bike technology is one of the most…
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Accuracy and Precision in Patent Writing
One concern I frequently hear from prospective clients, especially when I am explaining the patent search process, is that patents are difficult to read because they use complicated language instead of simple words. “Why say opposed co-acting jaws pivoted to…
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A New Fast-Track Method for Examining Patent Applications
The Patent Office has announced a fast-track patenting process for those who can afford it. Capitalism and market forces fair well in Alexandria where an applicant can now pay a premium of $4,000 to have the application expedited and processed…
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Latest Arizona Patent Lawsuits
After a few weeks of respite, patent infringement lawsuits pick up in Arizona. Two complaints were filed recently. The first complaint was filed by Foxwise Products, LLC, an Arizona company manufacturing horse-related products. The company alleged that a number of…
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Dr. Harry Wesley Coover, Patent Giant
Harry Wesley Coover, inventor of Super Glue, passed away on the night of March 26th. Dr. Coover was a massive patent figure as the applicant or holder of 460 patents throughout his life. His most famous, of course, defined him…