David Pressman, Stephen Elias9780873374699, 0-87337-469-X
Table of contents :
How to Use This Manual……Page 0
Table of Contents……Page 5
Introduction……Page 11
1. Introduction to Patents and Other Intellectual Property……Page 14
B. The Three Types of Patents……Page 15
D. How Long Do Patent Rights Last?……Page 17
H. How Patent Rights Can Be Lost……Page 18
J. What Can’t Be Patented……Page 19
N. Intellectual Property-The Big Picture……Page 21
O. Trademarks……Page 22
P. Copyright……Page 26
Q. Trade Secrets……Page 30
R. Unfair Competition……Page 33
S. Acquisition of Offensive Rights in Intellectual Property-Summary Chart……Page 35
U. Invention Exploitation Flowchart……Page 37
2. The Science and Magic of Inventing……Page 38
B. Inventing by Problem Recognition and Solution……Page 39
C. Inventing by Magic (Accident and Flash of Genius)……Page 42
E. Solving Creativity Problems……Page 43
F. Contact Other Inventors……Page 45
H. Don’t Bury Your Invention……Page 46
3. Documentation, the DDP, and the PPA……Page 48
B. Documents Are Vital to the Invention Process……Page 49
C. Documentation Is Vital to Prove Invention……Page 50
E. Record the Building and Testing of Your Invention……Page 51
F. How to Record Your Invention……Page 53
G. Another Way to Record Conception or Building and Testing-The Invention Disclosure……Page 58
H. The Disclosure Document Program (DDP)-Or How to Make the PTO Your Witness to Conception……Page 59
I. The Provisional Patent Application-A Substitute for Building and Testing, With Some Disadvantages……Page 61
J. Don’t Use the So-Called “Post Office Patent” to Document Your Invention……Page 65
4. Will Your Invention Sell?……Page 66
B. Start Small but Ultimately Do It Completely……Page 67
D. Take Time to Do a Commercial Feasibility Evaluation……Page 68
E. Check Your Marketability Conclusions Using the Techniques of Consultation and Research……Page 73
F. Now’s the Time to Build and Test It (If Possible)……Page 75
G. Summary……Page 76
5. What Is Patentable?……Page 77
B. Legal Requirements for a Utility Patent……Page 78
C. Requirement #1: The Statutory Classes……Page 80
D. Requirement #2: Utility……Page 83
E. Requirement #3: Novelty……Page 84
F. Requirement #4: Unobviousness……Page 89
G. The Patentability Flowchart……Page 96
6. Search and You May Find……Page 99
A. Why Make a Patentability Search?……Page 100
C. The Two Ways to Make a Patentability Search……Page 102
E. The Quality of a Patent Search Can Vary……Page 103
F. How to Hire a Patent Professional……Page 104
G. How to Prepare Your Searcher……Page 105
H. Analyzing the Search Report……Page 110
I. Do-It-Yourself Searching in the PTO……Page 117
J. The Scope of Patent Coverage……Page 127
K. Searching It Yourself in a Patent and Trademark Depository Library……Page 128
L. Computer Searching……Page 134
N. The IBM Patent Searching System on the Internet……Page 138
7. Consider Your Options……Page 147
B. Try to Sell Invention to Manufacturer Without “Regular” Patent Application……Page 148
C. File an Application and Sell It to or License a Manufacturer If You See Commercial Potential and Patentability……Page 150
D. If You Have Commercial Potential Without Patentability, License or Sell Your Invention to a Manufacturer Without Filing……Page 151
E. Make and Sell Your Invention Yourself Without a Utility Patent Application……Page 152
G. File Patent Application and Manufacture and Distribute Your Invention Yourself (Trade-Secretable Invention)……Page 153
I. Test Market Before Filing……Page 154
8. How to Draft the Specification and Initial Drawings……Page 156
B. What’s Contained in a Patent Application……Page 157
D. Do Preliminary Work Before Preparing Your Patent Application……Page 159
F. Writing Your Patent Specification to Comply With the Full Disclosure Rules……Page 161
G. Software and Other Computer-Related Inventions……Page 163
H. First Prepare Sketches……Page 164
I. Drafting the Specification……Page 169
L. Checklist for Your Patent Application Draft……Page 176
M. Specification of Sample Patent Application……Page 179
9. Now for the Legalese-The Claims……Page 194
B. The Law Regarding Claims……Page 195
C. Some Sample Claims……Page 197
D. Common Misconceptions Regarding Claims……Page 200
E. One Claim Should Be As Broad As Possible……Page 201
F. The Effect of Prior Art on Your Claim……Page 202
G. Technical Requirements of Claims……Page 203
H. Drafting Your Main (Independent) Claim……Page 208
I. Other Techniques in Claim Writing……Page 211
J. Drafting Dependent Claims……Page 213
L. Checklist for Draft Claims……Page 217
10. Finaling and Mailing Your Application……Page 221
A. The Drawing Choices……Page 222
B. PTO Rules for Drawings……Page 223
C. Doing Your Own Drawings……Page 228
D. Consider Using a Professional Patent Draftsperson……Page 234
E. Finaling Your Specification, Claims, and Abstract……Page 235
G. Completing the Patent Application Declaration……Page 236
I. Complete the Transmittal Letter and Fee Transmittal, Check, and Postcard……Page 237
K. Assembly and Mailing of Your Application-Final Checklist……Page 241
L. Using Express Mail to Get an Instant Filing Date……Page 242
N. File the Information Disclosure Statement Within Three Months……Page 243
O. Assignments……Page 246
P. Petitions to Make Special……Page 247
Q. Filing a Design Patent Application……Page 250
11. How to Market Your Invention……Page 254
B. Overview of Alternative Ways to Profit From Your Invention……Page 256
D. Finding Prospective Manufacturers/Distributors……Page 259
E. The “NIH” Syndrome……Page 260
F. The Waiver and Precautions in Signing It……Page 261
G. The Best Way to Present Your Invention to a Manufacturer……Page 262
H. Presenting Your Invention by Correspondence……Page 263
J. Manufacturing and/or Distributing the Invention Yourself……Page 264
12. Going Abroad……Page 267
B. The Paris Convention and the One-Year Foreign Filing Rule……Page 268
C. Other Priority Treaties Similar to the Paris Convention……Page 269
F. Non-Convention Countries……Page 270
I. Don’t File Abroad Unless Your Invention Has Very Good Prospects in Another Country……Page 273
J. The Patent Laws of Other Countries Are Different……Page 274
K. The Ways to File Abroad……Page 275
L. Resources to Assist in Foreign Filing……Page 279
13. Getting the PTO to Deliver……Page 281
A. What Happens After Your Patent Application Is Filed?……Page 282
B. General Considerations During Patent Prosecution……Page 285
C. A Sample Office Action……Page 290
D. What to Do When You Receive an Office Action……Page 296
E. Format for Amending the Specification and Claims……Page 313
F. Drafting the Remarks……Page 314
G. Drawing Amendments……Page 318
H. Typing and Mailing the Amendment……Page 319
I. If Your Application Is Allowable……Page 320
J. If Your First Amendment Doesn’t Result in Allowance……Page 321
K. Interferences……Page 325
N. Protests Against Allowance of Your Patent Application……Page 326
Q. What to Do If You Miss or Want to Extend a PTO Deadline……Page 327
14. Your Application Can Have Children……Page 329
B. Continuation Applications……Page 330
C. Divisional Applications……Page 334
D. Continuation-in-Part and Independent Applications……Page 335
E. Reissue Applications……Page 337
G. Substitute Applications……Page 338
H. Double Patenting and Terminal Disclaimers……Page 339
15. After Your Patent Issues: Use, Maintenance, and Infringement……Page 340
C. Check Your Patent for Errors……Page 341
E. Advertising Your Patent for Sale……Page 342
F. What Rights Does Your Patent Give You?……Page 343
H. Maintenance Fees……Page 344
J. What to Do About Patent Infringement……Page 347
K. Product Clearance (Can I Legally Copy or Make That?)……Page 351
M. Using the Re-Examination Process to Reduce the Expense of Patent Infringement Suits……Page 353
P. How Patent Rights Can Be Forfeited……Page 354
R. Taxes……Page 355
S. Patent Litigation Financing……Page 356
16. Ownership, Assignment, and Licensing of Inventions……Page 357
B. Who Can Apply for a Patent?……Page 358
C. Joint Owners’ Agreement……Page 359
D. Special Issues Faced by the Employed Inventor……Page 360
E. Assignment of Invention and Patent Rights……Page 362
G. Licensing of Inventions-An Overview……Page 364
H. Universal License Agreement……Page 365
I. How Much Should You Get for Your Invention?……Page 369
J. Postscript……Page 371
Appendices……Page 373
Appendix 1: Abbreviations Used in Patent It Yourself……Page 374
Appendix 2: Books of Use and Interest……Page 376
Appendix 3: Glossary of Useful Technical Terms……Page 380
Appendix 4: Fee Schedule……Page 386
Appendix 5: Mail, Telephone, and Computer Communications With the PTO and Internet Sites……Page 389
Appendix 6: Quick-Reference Timing Chart……Page 394
Appendix 7: Print-Out Forms……Page 396
3-1: Proprietary Materials Agreement……Page 398
3-2: Invention Disclosure……Page 400
3-3: Request Letter-Disclosure Document Program……Page 401
3-4: Disclosure Document Reference Letter……Page 402
3-5: Provisional Patent Application Cover Letter……Page 403
4-1: Positive and Negative Factors Evaluation……Page 404
4-2: Positive and Negative Factors Summary……Page 405
4-3: Consultant’s Work Agreement……Page 406
6-1: Searcher’s Worksheet……Page 408
8-1: Drawing Reference Numerals Worksheet……Page 409
10-1: Patent Application Transmittal Letter……Page 410
10-1A: Fee Transmittal……Page 411
10-2: Declaration for Utility or Design Patent Application……Page 412
10-3: Small Entity Declaration-Independent Inventor(s)……Page 413
10-4A: Small Entity Declaration-Non-Inventor Individual……Page 414
10-4B: Small Entity Declaration-Small Business Concern……Page 415
10-4C: Small Entity Declaration-Nonprofit Organization……Page 416
10-5: Information Disclosure Statement……Page 417
10-6: PTO Form 1449 (List of Prior Art Cited by Applicant)……Page 418
10-7: Petition to Make Special……Page 419
10-8: Design Patent Application……Page 420
13-1: Amendment……Page 421
13-2: Request for Approval of Proposed Drawing Amendment……Page 422
13-3: Submission of Corrected Drawings……Page 423
13-4: Supplemental Declaration……Page 424
13-5: Petition for Extension of Time……Page 425
14-1: Request for Continuing Prosecution Application (CPA)……Page 426
15-1: Request for Certificate of Correction……Page 427
15-2: Certificate of Correction……Page 428
15-3: Maintenance Fee Reminder Sheet……Page 429
15-4: Submission of Maintenance Fee……Page 430
16-1: Joint Owners’ Agreement……Page 431
16-2A: Assignment of Invention and Patent Application……Page 433
16-2B: Assignment Recordation Form Cover Sheet……Page 434
16-3: Universal License Agreement……Page 435
Index……Page 441
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