Transcript Patents.PPT

PATENT SEARCHING
What is Intellectual Property?
What is a Patent?
It’s easy to confuse patents,
copyright and trademarks.
What a
Patent
Looks
Like
Trademarks
What can be patented?
Process
Machine
Manufacture
Composition of matter
These classes of subject matter taken together
include practically everything which is made by
man and the process of making them.
Inventions must meet three
criteria to be patentable:
1. New
2. Useful
3. Non-obvious
Three types of patents:
1. Utility
2. Plant
3. Design
Jewelry Chain
Cribbage Board
Planter
PTO Factoids
 First patent issued in July 1790
 Began numbering patents in 1836; already
4000 in existance
 Approx. 3100 PTP employees
 In U.S. patent applications are held in
confidence until patent is granted
 Patenting U.S. Inventions abroad (first to file)
 Utility patent term of rights: 20 years from date
you first apply
 Design patent term of rights: 14 years
Attorney Fees:


Attorney: could begin near $3500
Patent agent: around $1100
See web site for list of attorneys and
patent agents by state.
Need to search both US Patent literature
and World Patent literature for a
comprehensive search
Costs & Fees:
General
Filing Fees:
Small Entity
$940
$470
3.5 Years
$940
$470
7.5 years
$1900
$950
11.5 years
$2910
$1455
Maintenance Fees:
Searching can be done at a PTDL
(over 70 locations)
On the web:
 USPTO
 IBM Patent Server
 Various commercial fee based sites
From CMU’s homepage:
 USPTO
 COS
 Lexis-Nexis