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Patent It Yourself PDF

628 Pages·2011·16.04 MB·English
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“The best roll-up-your-sleeve guide for filers who ® N O L O don’t want to pay a ransom.” INC. THE WORLD’S 15TH EDITION BESTSELLING PATENT BOOK Patent It Yourself • Conduct a patent search • File your patent application • Profit from your invention Your Step-by-Step Guide to Filing at the U.S. Patent Office Patent Attorney David Pressman Free Legal Updates at Nolo.com Th e Story Cofod ma m E Dear friends, Founded in 1971, and based in an old clock factory in Berkeley, California, Nolo has always strived to off er clear legal information and solutions. Today we are proud to off er a full range of plain- English law books, legal forms, software and an award-winning website. Everything we publish is relentlessly researched and tested by a dedicated group of in-house legal editors, who together have more than 150 years’ experience. And when legal changes occur after publication, we promptly post free updates at Nolo.com. Tens of millions of Americans have looked to Nolo to help solve their legal and business problems. We work every day to be worthy of this trust. Ralph Warner Nolo co-founder Products & Services Books & Software Get in-depth information. Nolo publishes hundreds of great books and software programs for consumers and business owners. Th ey’re all available in print or as downloads at Nolo.com. Legal Encyclopedia Free at Nolo.com. Here are more than 1,400 free articles and answers to common questions about everyday legal issues including wills, bankruptcy, small business formation, divorce, patents, employment and much more. Plain-English Legal Dictionary Free at Nolo.com. Stumped by jargon? Look it up in America’s most up-to-date source for defi nitions of legal terms. Online Legal Documents Create documents at your computer. Go online to make a will or living trust, form an LLC or corporation or obtain a trademark or provisional patent at Nolo.com. For simpler matters, download one of our hundreds of high-quality legal forms, including bills of sale, promissory notes, nondisclosure agreements and many more. Lawyer Directory Find an attorney at Nolo.com. Nolo’s unique lawyer directory provides in-depth profi les of lawyers all over America. From fees and experience to legal philosophy, education and special expertise, you’ll fi nd all the information you need to pick a lawyer who’s a good fi t. Free Legal Updates Keep up to date. Check for free updates at Nolo.com. Under “Products,” fi nd this book and click “Legal Updates.” You can also sign up for our free e-newsletters at Nolo.com/newsletters/index.html. Th e Trusted Name (but don’t take our word for it) “ In Nolo you can trust.” THE NEW YORK TIMES “ Nolo is always there in a jam as the nation’s premier publisher of do-it-yourself legal books.” NEWSWEEK “ Nolo publications…guide people simply through the how, when, where and why of the law.” THE WASHINGTON POST “ [Nolo’s]…material is developed by experienced attorneys who have a knack for making complicated material accessible.” LIBRARY JOURNAL “ When it comes to self-help legal stuff , nobody does a better job than Nolo…” USA TODAY “ Th e most prominent U.S. publisher of self-help legal aids.” TIME MAGAZINE “ Nolo is a pioneer in both consumer and business self-help books and software.” LOS ANGELES TIMES 15th edition Patent It Yourself Your Step-by-Step Guide to Filing at the U.S. Patent Office Patent Attorney David Pressman LAW for ALL FIFTEENTH EDITION APRIL 2011 Editor RICHARD STIM Cover Design SUSAN PUTNEY Book Design TERRI HEARSH Proofreading ROBERT WELLS Index JULIE SHAWVAN Printing DELTA PRINTING SOLUTIONS, INC. ISSN: 1554-9925 ISBN-13: 978-1-4133-1382-6 ISBN-10: 1-4133-1382-5 Copyright © 1985, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011 by David Pressman. All rights reserved. Th e NOLO trademark is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offi ce. Printed in the U.S.A. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission. Reproduction prohibitions do not apply to the forms contained in this product when reproduced for personal use. For information on bulk purchases or corporate premium sales, please contact the Special Sales Department. Nolo, 950 Parker Street, Berkeley, California 94710. Please note We believe accurate, plain-English legal information should help you solve many of your own legal problems. But this text is not a substitute for personalized advice from a knowledgeable lawyer. If you want the help of a trained professional—and we’ll always point out situations in which we think that’s a good idea—consult an attorney licensed to practice in your state. Acknowledgments My deep thanks go to my clients, and other inventors whose creativity and genius I so greatly admire and envy. My readers have given me much valuable feedback and suggestions, and I am grateful to them as well. I also thank the staff at Nolo, including Richard Stim, Steve Elias, Patti Gima, Stephanie Harolde, and Ralph Warner for their ideas, contributions, and support, and, especially, Terri Hearsh for substantially improving the look and feel of the book. Finally, I thank my wife Roberta for her unflagging support and contributions. Table of Contents Your Legal Companion A. You Don’t Have to Use a Patent Attorney ...........................................................................2 B. A Layperson Can Do a Quality Job ...........................................................................................2 C. Using an Attorney .............................................................................................................................2 D. Should You Do It Yourself? ...........................................................................................................3 E. New Material in the Fifteenth Edition ....................................................................................5 F. How to Use Patent It Yourself .......................................................................................5 1 Introduction to Patents and Other Intellectual Property A. What Is a Patent and Who Can Apply for It? ......................................................................9 B. The Three Types of Patents ...........................................................................................................9 C. The Novelty and Unobviousness Requirement ...............................................................10 D. How Long Do Patent Rights Last? ...........................................................................................13 E. Patent Filing Deadlines ..................................................................................................................13 F. Patent Fees ..........................................................................................................................................13 G. The Scope of the Patent ...............................................................................................................14 H. How Patent Rights Can Be Lost ................................................................................................14 I. What Rights a Patent Grants and the Prior-Art Reference Value of a Patent ..............................................................................................................................14 J. What Can’t Be Patented ...............................................................................................................15 K. Some Common Patent Misconceptions .............................................................................16 L. How Intellectual Property Law Provides “Offensive Rights” (and Not Protection) to Inventors ..........................................................................................16 M. Alternative and Supplementary Offensive Rights ..........................................................17 N. Intellectual Property—The Big Picture .................................................................................17 O. Trademarks ..........................................................................................................................................18 P. Copyright..............................................................................................................................................21 Q. Trade Secrets ......................................................................................................................................25 R. Unfair Competition ........................................................................................................................28 S. Acquisition of Offensive Rights in Intellectual Property—Summary Chart ....29 T. Summary of Legal Remedies for Misappropriation of Various Types of Intellectual Property ...................................................................................................29 U. Invention Exploitation Flowchart ...........................................................................................31 V. Summary ..............................................................................................................................................31 2 The Science and Magic of Inventing A. What I Mean by “Invention” .....................................................................................................34 B. Inventing by Problem Recognition and Solution ............................................................35 C. Inventing by Magic (Accident and Flash of Genius) ......................................................37 D. Making Ramifications and Improvements of Your Invention ..................................38 E. Solving Creativity Problems ........................................................................................................39 F. Contact Other Inventors .............................................................................................................41 G. Beware of the Novice Inventor’s “PGL Syndrome” .........................................................41 H. Don’t Bury Your Invention ..........................................................................................................42 I. Summary ..............................................................................................................................................42 3 Documentation and the PPA A. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................45 B. Documentation Is Vital to the Invention Process ..........................................................45 C. Documentation Is Vital to Prove Inventorship ...............................................................46 D. Trade Secret Considerations ......................................................................................................47 E. Record Conception and the Building and Testing of Your Invention .................48 F. How to Record Your Invention .................................................................................................49 G. Another Way to Record Conception or Building and Testing— The Invention Disclosure ............................................................................................................54 H. The Provisional Patent Application— A Substitute for Building and Testing, With Some Disadvantages ......................56 I. Don’t Sit on Your Invention After Documenting It ......................................................77 J. Don’t Use a “Post Office Patent” to Document Your Invention ...........................77 K. Summary .............................................................................................................................................77 4 Will Your Invention Sell? A. Why Evaluate Your Invention for Salability? .....................................................................80 B. Start Small but Ultimately Do It Completely ....................................................................81 C. You Can’t Be 100% Sure of Any Invention’s Commercial Prospects .....................81 D. Take Time to Do a Commercial Feasibility Evaluation ................................................81 E. Check Your Marketability Conclusions Using the Techniques of Consultation and Research .........................................................................................................87 F. Now’s the Time to Build and Test It (If Possible).............................................................89 G. The Next Step ...................................................................................................................................90 H. Summary ..............................................................................................................................................91

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