Author name: Inventors Digest

After your invention, your words in a patent application define the boundaries of your exclusive rights. You have just invented something. You believe it is new, useful, solves a problem, and most important: It is yours. You invested time, money, and energy into this invention.

Vaishali Udupa, an intellectual property attorney, engineer, and top executive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, joined the 13,000-person Department of Commerce agency as the new commissioner for patents on January 17. Before that, as an attorney in private practice, she participated in multiple IP trials and counseled clients with respect to their IP portfolios.

It’s a privilege to announce the five winners of the USPTO’s Patents for Humanity: COVID-19 category competition. The awards recognize these innovators for their rapid response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic through game-changing technologies.

Abraham Lincoln did not invent the stovepipe hat, but he may as well have. How an icon made his mark in fashion.

To achieve fairness in any legal dispute, it is paramount for two parties to develop a fair record and be able to respond to arguments raised by the other side. In an America Invents Act (AIA) trial proceeding before the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), this is the goal of a process called discovery.

The USPTO’s Trademark Basics Boot Camp provides a comprehensive overview of trademarks and the federal trademark registration process. Free ‘Boot Camp’ overview of this important IP protection begins new 8-week cycle in January.

Carver’s enduring status as “The Father of the Peanut Industry” is not in dispute. The renowned agricultural scientist invented hundreds of uses for peanuts; his innovative crop rotation and planting techniques revolutionized farming.

Perhaps the best-known inventor of all time, Thomas Edison was also charismatic and fun.

The PTAB was formed by the 2011 America Invents Act within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Administrative patent judges decide cases at the PTAB. They are required to have a technical and legal background and are appointed by the secretary of commerce. 

During the patent examination process, patent applicants have a duty to disclose known prior art to the examiner. Therefore, it is important that the applicant be aware of the following categories of prior art and understand the considerations that go into determining whether a certain disclosure qualifies as prior art.

It is possible for you to conduct your own prior art search, but it can be difficult. So the USPTO has developed the Inventor Search Assistant Tool (ISAT), a way to help demystify the patent process by sparing you from having to go through a patent search training program.