Patent It Yourself: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Filing at the U.S. Patent Office

Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
Your Legal Companion
A. You Don’t Have to Use a Patent Attorney
B. A Layperson Can Do a Quality Job
C. Using an Attorney
D. Should You Do It Yourself?
E. How to Use Patent It Yourself
1: Introduction to Patents and Other Intellectual Property
A. Intellectual Property—The Big Picture
B. How Intellectual Property Law Provides “Offensive Rights” (and Not Protection) to Inventors
C. Alternative and Supplementary Offensive Rights
D. Patents
E. Trademarks
F. Copyright
G. Trade Secrets
H. Unfair Competition
I. Acquisition of Offensive Rights in Intellectual Property—Summary Chart
J. Summary of Legal Remedies for Misappropriation of Various Types of Intellectual Property
K. Invention Exploitation Flowchart
L. Summary
2: The Science and Magic of Inventing
A. What We Mean by “Invention”
B. Inventing by Problem Recognition and Solution
C. Inventing by Magic (Accident and Flash of Genius)
D. Making Ramifications and Improvements of Your Invention
E. Solving Creativity Problems
F. Contact Other Inventors
G. Beware of the Novice Inventor’s “PGL Syndrome”
H. Don’t Bury Your Invention
I. Summary
3: Documentation and the PPA
A. Introduction
B. Documentation Is Vital to the Invention Process
C. Documentation Has Legal Implications
D. Trade Secret Considerations
E. Record Conception and the Building and Testing of Your Invention
F. How to Record Your Invention
G. Another Way to Record Conception or Building and Testing—The Invention Disclosure
H. Don’t Sit on Your Invention After Documenting It
I. Don’t Use a “Post Office Patent” to Document Your Invention
J. The Provisional Patent Application—A Substitute for Building and Testing, With Some Disadvantages
K. Summary
4: Will Your Invention Sell?
A. Why Evaluate Your Invention for Salability?
B. Start Small but Ultimately Do It Completely
C. You Can’t Be 100% Sure of Any Invention’s Commercial Prospects
D. Take Time to Do a Commercial Feasibility Evaluation
E. Check Your Marketability Conclusions Using the Techniques of Consultation and Research
F. Now’s the Time to Build and Test It (If Possible)
G. The Next Step
H. Summary
5: Is It Patentable?
A. Patentability Compared to Commercial Viability
B. Legal Requirements for a Utility Patent
C. Requirement #1: The Statutory Classes
D. Requirement #2: Utility
E. Requirement #3: Novelty
F. Requirement #4: Nonobviousness
G. The Patentability Flowchart
H. Don’t Make Assumptions About the Law
I. Summary
6: Search and You May Find
A. Why Make a Patentability Search?
B. When Not to Search
C. The Two Ways to Make a Patentability Search
D. The Quality of a Patent Search Can Vary
E. How to Hire a Patent Professional
F. How to Prepare Your Searcher
G. Analyzing the Search Report
H. The Scope of Patent Coverage
I. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Computer Searching
J. Classification Searching
K. Keyword Searching
L. Non-Internet Searching
M. Internet Searching
N. Problems Searching Software and Business Inventions
O. Summary
7: What Should I Do Next?
A. Fig. 7A—Invention Decision Chart
B. Drop It If You Don’t See Commercial Potential (Chart Route 10-12-14-X)
C. File an Application and Sell It to or License a Manufacturer If You See Patentability (Chart Route 14-16-18-20-22-C)
D. Manufacture and Distribute Your Invention Yourself, Keeping It as a Trade Secret (Chart Route 20-32-D)
E. File Patent Application and Manufacture and Distribute Your Invention Yourself (Trade-Secret Protectable Invention) (Chart Route 20-32-34-E)
F. File Patent Application and Manufacture and Distribute Invention Yourself (Non-Trade-Secret Protectable Invention) (Chart Route 20-32-34-E)
G. Try to Sell Invention to Manufacturer Before Obtaining a “Regular” Patent Application (Chart Route 10-12-14-16-18-B)
H. If You Have Commercial Potential Without Patentability, License or Sell Your Invention to a Manufacturer Without Filing (Chart Route 16-24-26-28-30-B)
I. Make and Sell Your Invention Yourself Without a Utility Patent Application (Chart Route 16-24-26-28-30-A)
J. Summary
8: How to Draft the Specification and Initial Drawings
A. Lay Inventors Can Do It!
B. What’s Contained in a Patent Application
C. What Happens When Your Application Is Received by the PTO
D. Do Preliminary Work Before Preparing Your Patent Application
E. Flowchart
F. Your Written Description Must Comply With the Full Disclosure Rules
G. Software, Computer-Related Inventions, and Business Methods
H. First Prepare Sketches and Name Parts
I. Drafting the Specification
J. Review Your Specification and Abstract Carefully
K. Checklist for Your Patent Application Draft
L. Specification of Sample Patent Application
M. Summary
9: Now for the Legalese—The Claims
A. What Are Claims?
B. The Law Regarding Claims
C. Some Sample Claims
D. Common Misconceptions Regarding Claims
E. One Claim Should Be as Broad as Possible
F. The Effect of Prior Art on Your Claim
G. Technical Requirements of Claims
H. Drafting Your Main (Independent) Claim
I. Other Techniques in Claim Writing
J. Drafting Dependent Claims
K. Drafting Additional Sets of Claims
L. Checklist for Drafting Claims
M. Summary
10: Finaling and Filing Your Application
A. The Drawings
B. PTO Rules for Drawings
C. Doing Your Own Drawings
D. Consider Using a Professional Patent Draftsperson
E. Finaling Your Specification for Paper Filing
F. Finaling Your Specification for EFS-Web Filing
G. File the Information Disclosure Statement Within Three Months
H. Assignments
I. Petitions to Make Special—Getting Your Application Examined Faster
J. Filing a Design Patent Application
K. Summary
11: How to Market Your Invention
A. Perseverance and Patience Are Essential
B. Overview of Alternative Ways to Profit From Your Invention
C. Be Ready to Demonstrate a Working Model of Your Invention to Potential Customers
D. Finding Prospective Manufacturers/Distributors
E. The “NIH” Syndrome
F. The Waiver and Precautions in Signing It
G. The Best Way to Present Your Invention to a Manufacturer
H. Presenting Your Invention by Correspondence
I. Making an Agreement to Sell Your Invention
J. Manufacturing and/or Distributing the Invention Yourself
K. Summary
12: Going Abroad
A. Don’t File Abroad Unless Your Invention Has Very Good Prospects in Another Country
B. Foreign Filing: The Basics
C. The Paris Convention and the One-Year Foreign-Filing Rule
D. The World Trade Organization and TRIPS
E. European Patent Office/Europäisches Patentamt/Office Européen des Brevets (EPO)
F. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
G. Non-Convention Countries
H. The Hague Agreement
I. The Early Foreign-Filing License or Mandatory Six-Month Delay
J. The Patent Laws of Other Countries Are Different
K. The Ways to File Abroad
L. Rescind Any Nonpublication Request
M. Foreign-Filing Resources
N. Summary
13: Getting the PTO to Deliver
A. What Happens After Your Patent Application Is Filed
B. General Considerations During Patent Prosecution
C. A Sample Office Action
D. What to Do When You Receive an Office Action (OA)
E. Format for Amending the Specification and Claims
F. Drafting the Remarks
G. Drawing Amendments
H. Typing and Filing the Amendment
I. If Your Application Is Allowable
J. If Your First Amendment Doesn’t Result in Allowance
K. Interferences and Derivation Proceedings
L. Defensive Publication
M. If Your Application Claims More Than One Invention
N. The Public May Cite Additional Prior Art Against Your Published Patent Application
O. NASA Declarations
P. Design Patent Application Prosecution
Q. What to Do If You Miss or Want to Extend a PTO Deadline
R. Summary
14: Your Application Can Have Children
A. Available Supplemental Cases
B. Continuation Application
C. Request for Continued Examination (RCE)
D. Divisional Applications
E. Continuation-in-Part and Independent Applications
F. Reissue Applications
G. Defensive Publications
H. Substitute Applications
I. Double Patenting and Terminal Disclaimers
J. Summary
15: After Your Patent Issues: Use, Maintenance, and Infringement
A. Issue Notification
B. Press Release and Marketing
C. Check Your Patent for Errors
D. Patent Number Marking
E. Advertising Your Patent for Sale
F. What Rights Does Your Patent Give You?
G. Be Wary of Offers to Provide Information About Your Patent
H. Maintenance Fees
I. Legal Options If You Discover an Infringement of Your Patent
J. What to Do About Patent Infringement
K. Product Clearance (Can I Legally Copy or Make That?)
L. How to Cite Prior Art and Other Information in Patent Applications and Patents
M. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC)
N. Jury Trials
O. Arbitration
P. How Patent Rights Can Be Forfeited
Q. Tax Deductions and Income
R. Patent Litigation Financing
S. Summary
16: Ownership, Assignment, and Licensing of Inventions
A. Inventor, Applicant, Owner
B. The Property Nature of Patents
C. Who Can Apply for a Patent?
D. Joint Owners’ Agreement
E. Special Issues Faced by the Employed Inventor
F. Assignment of Invention and Patent Rights
G. Record Your Assignment With the PTO
H. Licensing of Inventions—An Overview
I. Universal License Agreement
J. How Much Should You Get for Your Invention?
K. Summary
Appendix 1: Abbreviations Used in Patent It Yourself
Appendix 2: Resources: Government Publications, Patent Websites, and Books of Use and Interest
A. Government Publications
B. Patent Websites
Appendix 3: Glossaries
A. Glossary of Useful Technical Terms
B. Glossary of Legal Terms
Appendix 4: Fee Schedule
Appendix 5: Mail, Telephone, Fax, and Email Communications With the PTO
A. Patent and Trademark Office Mail Addresses
B. Patent and Trademark Office Telephones and Faxes
Appendix 6: Quick-Reference Timing Chart
Appendix 7: Forms
Form 3-1: Nondisclosure Agreement
Form 3-2: Invention Disclosure
Form 3-3: Provisional Application for Patent Cover Sheet
Form 3-4: Application Data Sheet—PTO/AIA/14
Form 4-1: Positive and Negative Factors Evaluation
Form 4-2: Positive and Negative Factors Summary
Form 4-3: Consultant’s Work Agreement
Form 6-1: Searcher’s Worksheet
Form 8-1: Drawing Reference Numerals Worksheet
Form 10-1A: Declaration for Utility or Design Patent Application Using an Application Data Sheet
Form 10-1A(2): Declaration for Utility or Design Patent Application
Form 10-1B: Supplemental Sheet for Declaration
Form 10-2: Utility Patent Application Transmittal
Form 10-3: Fee Transmittal
Form 10-4: Credit Card Payment Form
Form 10-5: Information Disclosure Statement Cover Letter
Form 10-6A: Information Disclosure Statement by Applicant
Form 10-6B: Information Disclosure Statement by Applicant
Form 10-7: Nonpublication Request
Form 10-8: Request Under MPEP 707.07(j)
Form 10-9: Petition to Make Special
Form 10-10: Design Patent Application
Form 10-11: Design Patent Application Transmittal
Form 10-12: Request for Expedited Examination of a Design Application
Form 13-1: Amendment
Form 13-2: Submission of Corrected Drawings
Form 13-3: Supplemental Declaration
Form 13-4: Petition for Extension of Time
Form 13-5: Pre-Appeal Brief Request for Review
Form 14-1: Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Transmittal
Form 15-1: Request for Certificate of Correction
Form 15-2: Certificate of Correction
Form 15-3: Maintenance Fee Reminder Sheet
Form 15-4: Maintenance Fee Transmittal Form
Form 16-1: Joint Applicants—Statement of Respective Contributions
Form 16-2: Joint Owners’ Agreement
Form 16-3: Assignment of Invention and Patent Application
Form 16-4: Recordation Form Cover Sheet
Form 16-5: Universal License Agreement
Appendix 8: How to Use the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website
A. Editing RTFs
B. List of Forms
Index
Book Registration