Should I file a provisional patent application? Source: USPTO.GOV Rob Hodge, Office of Innovation Development One of the most frequent questions independent inventors ask is whether they should file a provisional patent application. But there is no surefire answer. Every situation is unique, and what works for one inventor might not work for another. Only…
Models, Exhibits, and Specimens Models or exhibits are not required in most patent applications since the description of the invention in the specification and the drawings must be sufficiently full, clear, and complete and capable of being understood to disclose the invention without the aid of a model. A working model, or other physical exhibit,…
Source: USPTO.GOV The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking nominations for the 2017 National Medal of Technology and Innovation. WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking nominations for the 2017 National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The medal is presented each year…
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) utilizes PAIR – Patent Application Information Retrieval System. PAIR has a private site that provides a USPTO/Internet infrastructure capability to securely provide patent application status information to USPTO customers with a customer number associated with the correspondence address for their application and the appropriate software tools. PAIR also has…
The United States Patent Code makes provision for an inventor who is the first to file a patent application for an invention. The first-to-file system was effective on March 16, 2013 after the enactment of the America Invents Act. In a first-to-file system, the first person to file a patent application for protection of an…
About Patent Maintenance Fees Source: USPTO.GOV A maintenance fee is a fee that is required for maintaining in force all utility and reissue utility patents based on applications filed on or after December 12, 1980. Generally, utility patents expire after 20 years from the application filing date subject to the payment of appropriate maintenance fees….
What is a cease and desist letter/email? A cease and desist (or demand) letter/email is correspondence that states or suggests that you are potentially infringing the trademark of another and demands that you stop using, or consider stopping use of, the accused mark. You should treat any such letter/email seriously. Before deciding how to proceed,…
A provisional application automatically becomes abandoned when its pendency period expires 12 months after the provisional application filing date by operation of law. Applicants must file a nonprovisional application claiming benefit of the earlier provisional application filing date in the USPTO before the provisional application pendency period expires in order to preserve any benefit from…
When Patents and Trademarks Go Bump in the Night A post about the USPTO from the Department of Commerce Innovation comes in all shapes and forms, and every October the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) uses social media as a fun and timely way to educate the public about the importance of intellectual property (IP) and…
2016 National Trademark Expo The 2016 National Trademark Expo will be held on October 21st (10:00 am to 5:00 pm) and 22nd (10:00 am to 4:00 pm), 2016 at the beautiful Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium located at 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20240. The Expo is open to any owner of a federally-registered trademark. This free,…
