Patent Filings
Businesses are built around the intellectual property developed or acquired, often in the form of patents. Having a strategically crafted patent brings value to the Owner. We offer preparation of your patent application in any of the below areas in order to deliver the most value to your company.
Utility and Design are the most common types of patent applications for clients to consider.
We draft and file US and international (“PCT” and “Hague”) patent applications, and handle all correspondence with the Patent Office through the entire life of the patent application, from filing of a Provisional Patent Application to paying maintenance fees. We strive to provide consistent attention over the lifetime of every patent portfolio, to maximize efficiency and value at every stage of prosecution.
We have experience in all areas of patent prosecution, including:
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mechanical and electro-mechanical;
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electrical;
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computer systems;
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computer software;
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medical devices;
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chemical; and
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financial products technologies.
Utility Patent Applications
Utility Patent Applications protect the functional aspects of your invention. The USPTO grants utility patents to Applicants for products, processes, and chemical compositions that are both new and non-obvious. Patent applications can be filed as provisional or nonprovisional applications. Because provisional patent applications are less expensive to file than non-provisional utility patent applications, the one year deadline can be used to enable a business to explore the marketability and profitability of a given invention before committing to the more costly utility patent application process.
Design Patent Applications
Design patents protect the ornamental, visual features of products and are particularly suited to prevent knockoff imitations. Often, the inventions that are most suited to protecting with design patents are articles that compete in the marketplace based, at least in part, on their aesthetics. For example, while the shape of a pen may play a minimal role in the ability for the pen to write, protecting a unique body shape may be critical to keeping competitors from copying your creative design.
International Patent Applications
Depending on the scope of your business, you may wish to obtain patent protection in countries outside of the U.S. We have an extended network of foreign IP attorneys to file patents in countries around the world. We can also file international applications through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT applications).
PCT Patents, or Patent Cooperation Treaty Patents, are patent applications filed to secure the inventor’s rights to file for patent applications in industrialized countries across the globe. We serve clients both in filing PCT patent applications based on US inventions, as well as filing US Patents based on internationally filed PCT Patent Applications.