Nearly 150 years ago, inventors around the world were working on a bright idea: the incandescent light bulb. The faint light of incandescent bulbs lit the world for decades but has in recent years been outshone by the compact fluorescent light (CFL) and the...
What is a patent search?
The language and logic of patent law often require taking one step forward and two steps back in order to accurately explain some terms and ideas. So it is with the simple and direct question in this blog post’s title: “What is a patent search?” The first step forward...
What if your product or design changes before patent approval?
Let’s say that you’re an inventor who has applied for a utility patent for your widget. While you’re waiting for patent approval, out of nowhere you are struck with an insight: your widget would be exponentially improved by adding a set of wheels to it. Brilliant! But...
You found a new use for an old widget – can it be patented?
It’s easy to think of inventors who changed the world with their revolutionary inventions. Steve Jobs, right? Except that he didn’t invent any of Apple’s breakthrough products (Macintosh, iPod, iPhone). He was instead Apple’s driving force, pushing Steve Wozniak and...
How are patents limited in scope?
“Build a better mousetrap,” the old saying goes, “and the world will beat a path to your door.” There’s undoubtedly truth in those words, but if the inventor (let’s call him Theodore) of the better mousetrap doesn’t obtain a patent for the gadget, the world might beat...
Four considerations when you have an idea to protect
Let’s say that you’re a business owner with a great idea that you believe could make life easier and business better for people like you. Your invention could help busy business people save time and cut costs – and not least of all, become a source of sizable income...
Small business owner urges Senate to improve patent process
SheFly’s origins are on Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier, where the company’s co-founder spent the summer of 2016 working as a guide. Georgia Grace Edwards spent 8 to 12 hours per day on ice, so quite naturally, she occasionally had to answer the call of nature. To do so,...
How to slow the patent procurement process down
Most people who file for patents look forward to the day their patent is issued, wishing it could come sooner so that their invention is protected as early as possible by law. There are others, however, who want to slow the process of patent prosecution. Financial...
Patent infringement: What’s the difference between willful and unintentional?
You’re standing outside, throwing a baseball back and forth with a friend. One of your throws sails to the right, however, and smashes through your neighbor’s window. While it’s clear that you didn’t intentionally lob the ball at the glass, that doesn’t take you off...
How to speed your patent application at the USPTO
After you have put in the considerable time and effort needed to develop an invention, you file a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and wait. And wait some more. The USPTO says the average wait for patent approval is 22.9 months, or...
