Arguably the most important preparatory step to filing a patent application is a “patent search.” Ideally, such a search should seek out all relevant publications, because a patent examiner can cite any public document against any claim of invention. Since a pervasive search can be extremely expensive to conduct, however, the more commonly conducted patent … Continued
All that is required to file a patent application is a description of the invention detailing those items which are novel and useful. Except for a few special cases, a prototype or working model of the invention is not required by the U.S. PTO. Formal drawings will be required at some point in the application … Continued
Once a U.S. patent application has been filed with the PTO, and as long as it remains active there, the claimed invention will have “Patent Pending” or “Patent Applied For” status. These terms, affixed to or associated with a publicly shown or traded product or process, puts others on notice that the inventor has claimed, … Continued
U.S. patents are issued in the name of the individual or individuals who invented the new technology. Inventors may sell or otherwise assign (often under the terms of the inventors’ employment, for instance) some or all of their rights in a particular invention to another individual, a business entity, or even a government, and such … Continued
A patent is a covenant between a government, representing the public interest, and the inventor of a novel and useful technology (the “invention”) by which, in return for publicly disclosing (“teaching”) the details of the invention, the inventor is granted exclusive property rights in the invention and its use for a specified period of time. … Continued
