Short stories of human inventions
Posts tagged United States Patent
Step One of the Patent Process
Do not apply for a patent on your invention until you have carefully weighed your motivations for doing so. Whereas most patent attorneys will tell you why you should get a patent, this patent attorney will tell you what to do from the start.They say that necessity is the Mother of invention. But from an inventor’s perspective, the market should be considered to be the mother of a patent. All too often, inventors profligately pour tens of thousands of dollars into patent attorneys, molds in China, etc. without first determining if there is even a market for their invention. Sure, you may have a state of the art mousetrap, but will people buy it?Before an inventor outlays a huge chunk of change for patent searches, molds, and such, it is imperative that a market research study is performed. (Note: Invention submission corporations do NOT count!) This market research should bear in mind the overarching question: Will people actually buy my widget? And it is not enough to merely ask them through a product survey if they would. You must actually ask them to purchase it.There are various
Protect Your Invention and Your Business Startup With a Patent
Many viable startups are based on brand new inventions or clever innovations on existing products. In order to successfully morph your invention into a legitimate business venture, it is critical that you protect your idea. The United States Patent and Trademark Office handles all patent issues, from applying for to enforcing the protections. The process takes a lot of time, in most cases at least a year, so plan ahead if your startup relies on your invention being patented prior to launch.Protecting your idea requires more than just hiring a lawyer to apply for a patent. The process requires that you keep an inventor’s log – a hard copy, bound notebook that chronicles the path you took to inventing your product. This log, which must be created as you go, is critical as it is the only evidence you have of the timeline of your invention. You will also need detailed drawings of your invention that show every part and aspect of your product. While you can file for a patent without these formal drawings, you will have to submit them once you are approved, so it
Medical Device Industry Patent Litigation Likely to Rise?
Can patent lawsuits in the medical device industry be forecast? Recent studies suggest that certain features of patent applications themselves tend to correlate with a higher chance that some patents will end up in court. Innovation is at the heart of the medical device industry. As with many industries, if you are not constantly working to bring new products and technology to the market, there is a good chance you will not survive. Companies that are successful, and that continue to survive, invest millions of dollars in research and development every year to create new or better products. Companies that are successful, and that continue to survive, invest millions of dollars in research and development every year to create new or better products. Not only are these companies investing in the development of new technology, they are also investing in the protection of their innovations through the patent system. In fact, for fiscal year 2006 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reported a record of more than 440,000 patent applications filed, more than double the number of applications filed ten years ago.
Of course, with the record… More >>