Patent Basics

How do I know my patent attorney will not steal my idea?

A question many patent attorneys get from many first time inventors is “How do I know my patent attorney will not steal my idea and patent it himself?” Both the State Bars and the United States Patent Office have strict ethical requirements that govern the conduct of attorneys. These requirements require that attorneys maintain client [...]

By Gene Pierson|2012-12-11T16:51:58-06:00October 18th, 2012|Blog, Patent Basics|Comments Off

An Austin, Texas Patent Attorney’s overview of Office Actions

Typically 30 months after filing a non-provisional patent application, an examiner at the USPTO will review the claims written in your patent and determine if there are patents, applications or other references that were created before your filing date that have similar features as claimed in your patent application. In this regard, Office Actions are [...]

By Gene Pierson|2012-12-11T16:50:33-06:00October 17th, 2012|Blog, Patent Basics|Comments Off

An Austin Patent Attorney’s overview of non-provisional applications

A non-provisional patent application (also known as a non-provisional utility patent application) is the traditional patent application that protects how an inventor’s invention works or is made. Similar to a provisional patent application, once an inventor or a patent attorney files a non-provisional patent application, an inventor may mark his or her product as patent [...]

By Gene Pierson|2012-12-11T16:50:08-06:00October 17th, 2012|Blog, Patent Basics|Comments Off

An Austin Patent Attorney’s Brief overview of provisional applications

A provisional application allows you to file and hold an inventor's priority claim for an invention for 12 months. A patent attorney or inventor can file a provisional application without many of the formalities required for a non-provisional application. A provisional patent application differs from a non-provisional patent application (often referred to as "regular" patent [...]

By Gene Pierson|2012-12-11T16:49:37-06:00October 17th, 2012|Blog, Patent Basics|Comments Off

An Austin, Texas Patent Attorney’s Brief overview of search reports

A search report is the first step many inventors take in the patent application process. A search report will include a patent attorney's review of existing patents and pending patent applications to determine if any existing works disclose similar features to an inventor’s invention. An in-depth analysis will then be conducted by the patent attorney [...]

By Gene Pierson|2012-12-11T16:49:14-06:00October 17th, 2012|Blog, Patent Basics|Comments Off

What are the benefits of obtaining a patent?

In return for disclosing an invention to the general public, a patent owner will be given the exclusive right to make, use, sell, import, and export the invention. Furthermore, a patent owner will have the right to collect damages from others who are infringing on their patent rights. Obtaining a monopoly over their invention is [...]

By Gene Pierson|2012-12-11T16:48:51-06:00October 17th, 2012|Blog, Patent Basics|Comments Off

An Austin Patent Attorney’s Review of What is a patent?

A patent granted in the United States provides the patent owner with exclusive rights to commercially exploit his/her invention. In exchange, an inventor must disclose information relating to the invention to the United States Patent Office (USPTO), and thereby the general public as well. For an invention to be patentable, it must include new and [...]

By Gene Pierson|2012-12-11T16:48:22-06:00October 17th, 2012|Blog, Patent Basics|Comments Off