How To Get A Patent

Intellectual Property Rights have been governed by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for many years. IPRs exist on patents, trademarks and on copyrights. A novice inventor may be confused about what their creation should get: does it need to be patented, or should he or she get a trademark or copyright for the item?   First of all, copyrights apply generally to information or ideas, and prevent outside parties from capitalizing on them. An inventor of an object or process is not likely going to be seeking a copyright. In order to understand how patents and trademarks differ...

You’ve been inspired by many famous inventors – Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, and even the Segway inventor, Dean Kamen – and you’ve finally crafted an idea that you’re positive will be patent-worthy. You’ll need to put together a significant amount of paperwork to convince authorities that your creation should be issued a patent. One of the most important aspects of your paperwork is the drawing of your object. You’ll need to create a visual representation of your item and show how it works. This is imperative so that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) knows exactly why your...

Inventors in every corner of the globe must be hyper-vigilant when it comes to making sure that their patent isn’t a duplicate and is currently useful. Many inventors turn to doing their own research by reviewing trade journals, periodicals and the web to determine whether a patent-filing will be a sound investment. One of the many inventions that have passed in front of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a method for inventors to evaluate how their invention will make out. This method is called Patent landscape mapping (PLM).   Due to the fact that inventions are being...

A patented invention – although very commonly obtained by large companies – can change an individual inventor’s life when it’s first obtained. Aside from the initial excitement and feeling of accomplishment that comes from a first patent, an invention can promise a new, potentially lucrative way to make money. An inventor can end his or her relationship with the patent immediately by selling the patent to an organization who can capitalize on the idea easily. This decision can reward the inventor with a very large, immediate bottom line. However, the inventor that wishes to build a company out of his...

Experienced inventors exist in great numbers. They’ve most likely filed a number of patent applications and know generally how patent filing works. Nevertheless, with growing technologies and changes to invention paradigms, the US government has had to keep patent law up-to-date. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) often has rule changes, and they do their best to inform the public what the changes are. However, every now and then the US Congress makes large changes to patent law. In 2007, the Patent Reform Act was reported, containing many alterations to patent rules. A summary of the changes are listed....