Short Course: Intellectual Property in academia: nuts and bolts of patenting

Summary

This course equips attendees with key working skills crucial to the patenting process. In particular, the course addresses benefits in filing the patent application for the inventions in academic community: either using Technology Transfer Office of the University or through own company.  Patent ownership, including research performed under Government contracts, industry sponsored research, work done during non-working hours, is discussed as well as the rights transfer and licensing. Different approaches to inventor’s reward in Academia are presented.

The course describes international aspects of the patent law and its peculiarities in different countries. It also covers step-by-step all the requirements for patent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), including a newly introduced practice of how to get patent issued within 12 months from filing. Special attention is paid to prior art searching, since it is the distinction from existing solutions that makes the ideas patentable. The range of this course encompasses methods and techniques of prior art search.

The course teaches how to arrange your own electronic access to the USPTO database through Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) web site, file patent applications on-line, create an on-line folder with your patents, and monitor the status and history of all transactions of your patent applications. You can also access any competing patent files as well as view the status and examiner’s arguments in those patent applications.

Learning outcomes

This course will enable you to:

  • identify your benefits if your idea is patented
  • confirm patentability via prior art search and clarifying the distinction
  • maximize the outcome of your invention
  • learn the basic steps in patent filing
  • access the USPTO electronic filing system for patent filing and use this system to monitor the status of your own as well as competing patent applications
  • limit your legal expenses by doing a large portion of the work yourself
  • create better protection through understanding the examination procedure
  • accelerate your patent’s prosecution
  • optimize your effort in patenting by understanding what the process entails 

Intended audience

This material is intended for any inventor who wants to learn how to benefit from his/her novel idea. Those who work in high tech business, especially in highly competitive areas, will find this course extremely valuable. 

Course level

Beginner

Instructor

Dr. Nadya Reingand is an owner of Patent Hatchery company, Maryland, USA. Dr. Reingand has over 10 years of experience in patent filing and prosecution; she has been a part of the USPTO team of frontiers that assists the PT Office with the electronic filing system. Other interests and experience include planning new businesses, technology development and investment projections basing on the patent portfolio analysis.  Prior to switching to a legal career, she has been working in Photonics, defended PhD in Holography, and authored more than 70 scientific papers.

 Course Contents

  1. You’ve got an idea. Are there any reasons to patent it?
  1. Things to know about patents
    1. What is special about patents?
    2. Patent limitations: territory, duration, scope of claims
    3. Patent ownership
    4. Types of patents relevant to photonics: provisional and non-provisional applications, utility and design patents
    5. Technical classification of patents; list of patent classes relevant to photonics
    6. Patent application publication, non-publication request
    7. International patent application
  1. Patents in academic environment and in industry
    1. Intellectual Property at the University
  1. Bayh-Dole Act
  2. Who needs patenting? You do.
    1. Proof of priority, monetary rewards, resume enhancement, intangible benefits
  • Passways to IP development
    1. Technology Transfer Office: how to deal efficiently
    2. Striking on your own: start-ups
    1. Industry: Technical Competitive Intelligence
  1. How to create a company patent portfolio?
  2. Umbrella patent structure
  1. Who did invent this first? Prior art definitions
    1. Why and when is it important to perform a prior art search? If somebody invented it earlier, the idea cannot be patented.
    2. Types of prior art search
    3. Priority issues
  1. Patent families
  2. How to get a copy of a patent you need
    1. How to perform the prior art search?
  1. Part 1. Before starting the search
  2. Part 2. Performing the search
    1. Search Strategies
      1. Keyword search
      2. Subclasses search
    2. Databases
      1. Free-of-charge databases
      2. Pay-per-service databases
      3. Non-patent literature search
  1. Filing worldwide
    1. National character of patent law: common features and differences between countries
    2. Worldwide Patent Cooperation Treaty
    3. Madrid protocol
    4. Copyright law worldwide (including software protection)
    5. Regional filing (Europe, Eurasia) vs national filing
    6. Optimal strategy for the best protection via covering the largest number of countries
    7. Smart approach: the scope of patenting vs expenses
  2. Special programs for Russians filing US patent applications, Patent Prosecution Highway
  3. Filing US patent application step-by- step
    1. Electronic access to Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR)web site
    2. Registration: setting up your Customer number, requesting a Digital Certificate, receiving an Authorization Code and a Reference Number
    3. How to retrieve a Patent history for any patent (all documents that were submitted to/issued by the Office)?
    4. How to monitor the status of your own as well as competing patent applications?
    5. Parts of patent application:
  1. Specification
    1. Description of the preferred embodiment
    2. Distinction from the prior art
  2. Drawings
  • Claims
    1. USPTO application forms
  1. Provisional application
    1. Cover sheet
  2. Non-provisional application
    1. Transmittal
    2. Oath or Declaration
    1. Accelerated examination for patent applications: your patent will be allowed or rejected within 12 months from the application
  1. Pre-examination search document
  2. Examination support document
  1. Pitfalls
  2. Appendix I:     List of key patents in photonics.

Es: Este curso prepara a los asistentes con habilidades de trabajo claves cruciales para el proceso de patentamiento. En particular, el curso aborda los beneficios de la presentación de la solicitud de patente para las invenciones en la comunidad académica: ya sea usando Oficina de Transferencia de Tecnología de la Universidad o por propia compañía. Propiedad de la patente, incluida la investigación realizada en virtud de contratos del gobierno, la industria patrocinado la investigación, el trabajo realizado durante las horas no laborables, se discute, así como la transferencia de los derechos y licencias. Se presentan diferentes enfoques de la recompensa del inventor en la Academia.

El curso describe los aspectos internacionales de la ley de patentes y sus peculiaridades en los diferentes países. También cubre paso a paso todos los requisitos para la presentación de la patente con la Oficina de Patentes de EE.UU. y Marcas (USPTO), incluyendo una práctica reciente introducción de cómo obtener la patente emitida dentro de los 12 meses a partir de la presentación. Se presta especial atención a la búsqueda de la técnica, ya que es la diferencia de las soluciones existentes que hace que las ideas patentables. La gama de este curso abarca métodos y técnicas de búsqueda de la técnica.

El curso enseña cómo organizar su propio acceso electrónico a la base de datos de la USPTO a través de información de aplicaciones Recuperación de Patentes (PAR) del sitio web, las solicitudes de patentes de archivos en línea, crear una carpeta en línea con sus patentes, y monitorear el estado y la historia de todos transacciones de sus solicitudes de patentes. También puede acceder a los archivos de patentes de la competencia, así como ver los argumentos de estado y examinador de en aquellas solicitudes de patentes.

Fr: Ce cours offre aux participants des compétences de travail clés essentiels pour le processus de brevetage. En particulier, le cours aborde les avantages dans le dépôt de la demande de brevet pour les inventions en milieu universitaire: soit en utilisant la technologie Bureau de transfert de l’Université ou par le biais propre entreprise. La propriété des brevets, y compris la recherche effectuée en vertu de contrats gouvernementaux, de la recherche parrainée par l’industrie, le travail effectué au cours des heures de travail, est discuté ainsi que le transfert des droits et des licences. Différentes approches de la récompense de l’inventeur dans Academia sont présentés.

Le cours décrit les aspects internationaux du droit des brevets et ses particularités dans les différents pays. Il couvre également l’étape-par-étape à toutes les exigences de dépôt de brevet auprès du US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), y compris une pratique nouvellement introduite de la façon d’obtenir le brevet délivré dans les 12 mois à compter du dépôt. Une attention particulière est accordée à la recherche de l’art antérieur, car il est la distinction de solutions existantes qui rend les idées brevetables. La gamme de ce cours comprend des procédés et des techniques de recherche d’antériorités.

Le cours enseigne comment organiser votre propre accès électronique à la base de données de l’USPTO par brevet Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) site web, déposer des demandes de brevet en ligne, créez un dossier en ligne avec vos brevets, et de surveiller l’état et l’histoire de tous les transactions de vos demandes de brevet. Vous pouvez également accéder à tous les fichiers de brevets concurrents ainsi que afficher leur état et examinateur ses arguments dans ces demandes de brevet.

De: Dieser Kurs vermittelt den Teilnehmern mit den wichtigsten Arbeitsfähigkeiten entscheidend für den Patentierungsprozess. Insbesondere der Kurs richtet sich Vorteile bei der Einreichung der Patentanmeldung für die Erfindungen in der akademischen Gemeinschaft: entweder über Technologietransferstelle der Universität oder über eigene Firma. Patent Eigentum, einschließlich der Forschung unter Regierungsverträgen durchgeführt, der Industrie gesponserte Forschung, Arbeit während außerhalb der Arbeitszeiten durchgeführt wird ebenso diskutiert wie die Rechte Transfer und Lizenzierung. Verschiedene Ansätze zur Erfinders Belohnung in Academia vorgestellt.

Der Kurs beschreibt internationale Aspekte des Patentrechts und ihre Eigenheiten in den verschiedenen Ländern. Sie decken auch Schritt-für-Schritt alle Voraussetzungen für eine Patentanmeldung mit der US-Patent- und Markenamt (USPTO), einschließlich einer neu eingeführten Praxis, wie man Patents innerhalb von 12 Monaten ab Anmeldetag erteilt bekommen. Besonderes Augenmerk wird auf Suche Stand der Technik zu zahlen, da es sich um die Unterscheidung von bestehenden Lösungen, die die Ideen patentierbar macht. Die Reichweite dieser Kurs umfasst Methoden und Techniken der Stand der Technik suchen.

Der Kurs vermittelt, wie Sie Ihre eigenen elektronischen Zugriff auf die USPTO-Datenbank über Patentanmeldung Information Retrieval (PAIR) Website, Dateipatentanmeldungen online organisieren, erstellen Sie einen Online-Ordner mit Ihrem Patente und den Status und die Historie aller überwachen Transaktionen des Patentanmeldungen. Sie können auch keine konkurrierenden Patent Dateien zugreifen sowie den Status und die Prüferin Argumente sehen in diesen Patentanmeldungen.