Transcript Task Description - FLC Mid

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
New Technology Assessment
Making Informed Patenting Decisions
presented at
Annual Meeting, Mid-Atlantic Region
Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
September 16, 2008
Ted Mecum
Technology Manager
Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NTA Players
Role
Responsibility
IPP Office Chief
Assign cases to one of three TMs according to
technical competencies
Technology Managers
(TMs)
Screen New Technology Reports (NTRs) and
recommend strategy/next steps
Office of Patent Counsel
(OPC)
Verify ownership of NASA intellectual property (IP)
and file patent application
Assessment support
Conduct in-depth analysis to evaluate tech’s
commercial potential
NTR assistant/support
Manage tracking spreadsheet
Technology Transfer
assistant/support
Assist with commercialization efforts
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Goddard Innovative Partnerships Program Office
New Technology Assessment Process Map
IPP – Code 504
Start
IPP Chief
Assign new case to TM
Small
Business
Hold?
Review new and
open cases
N
IP
recommendations
LE?
Y
N
TM
N
Y
Stat bar?
N
Final
recommendation
LE waiver?
Y
Y
Inactivate
Pursue protection
Assessment
Y
New Technology
Reporting Assistant
Send out updated
spreadsheet to staff 2
weeks prior to next NTA
meeting
Post NTA mtg w/ IPP
Marketing & OPC to
review notes
open case- 2 Year
hold
Provide
assessment
Fuentek
OPC
Resolve IP
issues
Technology
Transfer Support
Assistant
Update TechTracS
with notes and actions
from recommendations
N
Inactivate case
Concur IPP/ Patent
recommendations
Y
Pursue patent
Follow up with NonProvisional or
Provisional patents as
recommended
Small
Business
2yr Hold?
N
Post NTA mtg w/ IPP
Marketing & New
Technology Reporting
Assistant to review
actions
Post NTA mtg w/ OPC &
New Technology
Reporting Assistant to
review actions
Implement passive
marketing
Glossary of Acronyms/Terms:
TM – Technology Manager
NTR – New Technology Report
OPC- Office of Patent Counsel
IPP Chief – Innovative Partnerships Program Office Chief
NTA – New Technology Assessment
LE- Large Entity
End
Revised MJ 2-4-08
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stages of NTA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Determine disclosure
• Determine ownership
• Screen technology
• Recommend strategy/next steps
• Implement recommendations
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Disclosure Status
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Has a stat bar been triggered?
– Public disclosure starts 1-year clock for filing
non-provisional patent application
– Precludes international patent protection
• OPC validates stat bar and
patentability
– Extent of disclosure
– Consider filing provisional patent application
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Ownership
• Civil Servant Only
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
– NASA (government) owns
• Co-Owned
– Negotiate joint-ownership agreements
• Contractor owned
– Small Business or College/University
• Can take 2 years to decide whether to
retain or waive ownership rights
– Large Entity
• Can request that government waive its
rights, shifting ownership to the company
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Screen
• Preliminary evaluation of
technology against set criteria
–
–
–
–
–
–
IP strength
Market size, structure, significance
Tech’s level of development
Comparison to state of the art/competition
Ease of implementation
Time-to-market considerations
• Consider strategic value of tech for
NASA
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Recommendations
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Inactivate
– Lack of NASA ownership
– Insufficient current or future commercial
potential and/or strategic value
• Pursue IP protection (patent)
– Value is obvious (non-provisional)
– Value is highly likely (provisional)
– OPC confirms recommendation
• Assess
– More information needed to make patenting
decision
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Assessment: What and Why
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• What it is
– In-depth evaluation against key factors
• Commercialization potential
• IP protection possibilities
• Market factors
• Why we do it
– To validate and verify technology’s potential
for licensing
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Implement Recommendations
• Patenting recommendation
confirmed at NTA
• OPC files patent application
• Marketing
– Passive: TT support/assistant submits
technology to databases
– Active: TM pursues potential licensees,
developing and negotiating agreements as
needed
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Summary
• Ownership and patentability are key
questions that should be answered
first
• Screening is a low-resource effort to
guide future high-resource efforts
– Assessment offers more “precision” in making
the patenting decision
• Quality tracking and information
management systems are essential
(TechTracS)
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Thank You!
• Ted Mecum
Technology Manager
Innovative Partnerships Program Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
(301) 286-2198
[email protected]
http://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov
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