inventor

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.

As America’s Innovation Agency, the USPTO is working to protect brands: those owned by individuals and startups, as well as ones known around the world. The USPTO is working to change the narrative around purchasing counterfeit products and informing consumers about the dangers and consequences of purchasing counterfeit goods.

In December 1836, a catastrophic fire at the United States Patent Office destroyed records of American innovation kept since the earliest days of the Republic. We call patents from this era (1790-1836) “X-patents” —not because they’re shrouded in mystery (although they are), but because they predate the numbering system now in use.

Today, the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund facilitates international projects for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world.

Judges at the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) sit in three-judge panels and decide every case based on the applicable law and specific facts in the record. They need to explain their reasoning in a written decision, stating why the prevailing party won the case.

EquIP HQ is a new, web-based portal with free educational resources designed for K-12 educators and learners that expand student learning, creativity and innovation through STEM-based lesson plans. The appointment was announced by Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director Kathi Vidal.

The theme of this year’s three-day USPTO virtual event, held August 10-12, was “Inspiring and redefining the innovative mindset.” From the opening remarks of Inventors Digest publisher and Enventys CEO Louis Foreman to the late-afternoon panel on small business success stories on Day 3, the presentations teemed with inspiration and information.

He holds more than 50 U.S. patents, with many more pending. But Thomas David Petite says he is merely following the rich inventing heritage of his Native American ancestors.

Every year, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) issues thousands of decisions from ex parte (for one party) appeals, reexamination appeals, and America Invents Act trial proceedings. Although all decisions handed down by the board are considered “routine,” certain decisions receive the special designation “precedential” or “informative.”