toedt one and done inventor interview approach 100.3682
TRANSCRIPT
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Patent-disclosure meetings: A ‘one and done’* approach
D. C. Toedt III Attorney at law – intellectual property
Houston [email protected] O: (713) 364-6545
LinkedIn: dctoedt Rev. 100.3682
Copyright © 2010 D. C. Toedt III
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* Mostly
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Ready?
Inventor review
Attorney drafting
File pat app
Yes
Inventor presentation
No
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Attorney note-taking
The traditional approach
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Three frequent dislikes:
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The time required …
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the cost …
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the inventor frustration
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What causes these dislikes?
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1. The invention is a technical advance… (presumably)
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2. …but the lawyer is a lawyer (and so must play ‘catch-up’)
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3. And, everyone’s busy
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Not much we can do about these issues.
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Let’s focus on three other causes
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4. Inventors’ presentations aren’t always well-organized
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5. Attorney’s notes are likely to be incomplete …
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… prompting follow-up calls …
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… and inventors aren’t always thrilled to be interrupted
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6. Attorney doesn’t want to risk leaving out anything important …
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… so, drafts a ‘dissertation’ …
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… which needs more editing by the inventors …
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… increasing the time required …
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… and the cost …
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… and the inventors’ frustration
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There is a better way
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‘Proof of concept’ example
U.S. Patent No. 5,631,830: Dual-control scheme for improved missile maneuverability
Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corp. (no endorsement implied)
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Another example
U.S. Patent No. 5,917,822: Method for providing integrated packet services over a shared-media network
Assignee: Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) (no endorsement implied)
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How it’s done
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No notes (!)
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Instead: Draft, with the inventors:
… in person, or …
• starter claims,
plus
• ‘footnotes’ …
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… via on-line screen sharing
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Three basic steps to walk the inventors through:
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1. Ask: What would someone pay for …
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Technology focus: “We came up with a neat way of inhibiting the activity of the Doo-Hickey enzyme in the human body.”
‘What would some-one pay for’ focus: “We’ve come up with a way of making a hay-fever medication that gives relief for up to 24 hours.”
vs.
… and focus on that (to start with)
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2. Outline a ‘business plan’ as a method claim
100. A method of relieving hay fever for an extended period of time, comprising:
(a) manufacturing a new decongestant compound;
(b) acquiring a spray bottle; [etc., etc.]
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100. A method of relieving hay fever nasal congestion [1] for an extended period of time, comprising:
[1] Nasal congestion: Nasal congestion could result from a variety of causes such as, for example, hay fever or a sinus infection.
3. Expand the ‘business plan’ claim boundaries as much as the prior art will allow
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(a) manufacturing a new decongestant compound comprising a mixture of powdered unicorn horn [2] and ground pepper; [3]
[2] Unicorn horn: A unicorn may be attracted by sprinkling chocolate chips on any convenient unicorn trail.
[3] Ground pepper: Cayenne pepper is pre-ferred, but black pepper has also been found to work satisfactorily.
… adding necessary details
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110. The method of claim 100, wherein the ratio of powdered unicorn horn to ground pepper is in the range of 1:1 to 1:5. [4]
[4] Ratio: Proportions from 1:2 to 1:4 have been experimentally verified; proportions ranging from 1:1 to 1:5 are expected to work satisfactorily.
[Dependent claims can be useful]
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Sketch rough drawings; number the components:
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Brainstorm w/ inventors:
• Do claims distinguish over prior art?
• Are claims targeted at what competitors will actually do?
• Any problems proving infringement?
• Future products / ser-
vices? Licensing to
other industries?
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Repeat for other ‘business plan’ claims
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Result: A disciplined survey of ‘the invention’ …
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… with immediate, on-the-fly inventor critique & feedback …
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… that can easily be edited into a patent application
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(Editing tip:
Copy the ‘business
plan’ and ‘footnotes’
and tweak them into
a prose narrative)
* * *
* * *
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Payoffs:
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Inventors prefer this approach, because…
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… an intense session now means less editing work later
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Lawyers like the BIG head start on legal drafting
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Applications get filed faster
(File a provisional application the same day, even)
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Cost: Comparable, or better
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Good training vehicle for:
Junior attorneys, patent agents – ‘sit second-chair’
Invention- disclosure authors
and
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Adaptable to different fields
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Further reading
Reengineering the Inventor Interview, in Journal of the Patent & Trademark Office Socie-ty, vol. 78, p. 19, http://goo.gl/WbHZ
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For more information
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D. C. Toedt III Attorney at law – intellectual property
Houston [email protected] O: (713) 364-6545
LinkedIn: dctoedt