Patentest community

Drawings of patent application US2009027211 - Electronic Swimmer
Monitoring System.  enjoy  -


<Read more in full blog view>

Drawings of US6160986 - Interactive toy -

Hi guys.

As you probably know, the Intellectual Property world (and especially patents) is slightly off phase with reality. What I mean is that in the patents world there are machines and devices that can break and beat even the fundamental laws of physics and there are systems and methods for doing amazing stuff like time travel and supplying free, unlimited energy.

I’ll start with some examples:

The first patent is from Greece, Patent Application number 20050100579,
title:” FIRST KIND PEPRETUAL MOTION MECHANISM”.
This patent application states that the inventor devised a way to create a perpetual motion mechanism thus producing endless kinetic energy.
“Hey dude, haven’t you heard of the second law of thermodynamic and the law of energy conservation?”
And it goes on. We’ll continue with two Korean patents Numbers 20040004312 and 20040096990 with titles:
“ENDLESS POWER GENERATING SYSTEM USING GRAVITY FORCE”, and “GRAVITY ENGINE USING PERMANENT MAGNET, CAPABLE OF GENERATING ELECTRIC ENERGY ENDLESSLY, AND REDUCING ENERGY COST BY CONVERTING ENERGY FROM GRAVITY INTO MECHANICAL ENERGY OR ELECTRIC ENERGY”  
Respectively.
These guys, I think, knew that they were ignoring the laws of nature but thought they were smarter. “Hey guys, how come you haven’t won the Nobel price already?”
And last but not least, an inventor that thought that he could harness the name of Archimedes for his law braking patent. This patent from Belgium, Number 1014867 and
title:” Theory of perpetual motion is based on Archimedes principle where body submerged in liquid is subject to vertical upwards thrust equal to weight of liquid volume displaced”
In this patent he uses the buoyancy principle found by Archimedes to power his “not so possible” machine.

There are many more (in fact there are whole Classifications in the European Patent Office database) who are trying to defeat the laws of nature but ignoring just one mechanism that can’t work or one (or even more) law of nature that is broken.

So, what can we conclude from this experience?
1. For starters, not all great minds have their feet on the ground (to say the least).
2. The laws of nature can’t be broken and if you think you found a breach in current theories, forget the patent and head strait to Stockholm.
3. If you somehow managed to build a machine which produce endless energy, I want in (I’m serious, call me).

Next time, Time Machines, Not theoretically impossible but very very unlikely.

Hello,

I am thinking of starting a blog to: (1) educate inventors on US Patent laws;  (2) report changes to US Patent law;  (3) answer questions from the community regarding patents; and (4) any other topic the community would find helpful.  Would this be helpful to the community? Feedback would be greatly appreciated.  The community is encouraged to submit any questions for posting. The first educational post will be entitled "DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT A US PATENT PROTECTS AND DOES NOT PROTECT -  CLAIMS ARE CRITICAL". This blog article will be posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2009.

Thanks, and best regards,

Steve

A patent is a legal document protecting new inventions. It gives inventors sole rights to their inventions for up to 20 years to determine who can and who cannot use their inventions commercially. A patent owner is therefore placed in a strong position in the marketplace and is rewarded for his or her innovation.

Just about every country in the world recognizes and protects innovation by offering inventors protection for their inventions through the patents system. Inventions protected by patents are ultimately enforceable through the courts where if a third party is deemed to be an infringer, the court may issue an injunction stopping further infringement, destruction of the offending items and the means to make the infringing items. In many cases the courts will also order the infringer to recompense the patent owner for any lost profits or reduced sales.

What is Patentable?
<Read more in full blog view>

No find No fee is a new concept in the patent search industry. It means that if the search does not produce evidence that your idea is not new you don't pay for the service...

Yes, that's right, it's FREE. Let's examine that again....

As most of us, you are driving your car, drinking your coffee, taking a shower, etc and then it hits. Your busy mind just stumbled across something which solves a real need. Let's assume a device that is activated by foot which closes the flow of water in your tap. The purpose of which is to save the water that are wasted while brushing teeth, shaving, washing dishes, etc, etc, etc.

This new idea you just had, brings real value to the community, the environment. It resolves a real need. It is really new and innovative.

What do you do....
<Read more in full blog view>

The only time outsourcing of patent search is not the right way to go is if the volume of search you perform exceeds hundreds of searches a month in which case there might be justification to becoming experts in this field to reduce the cost of this activity.

Is that your core business?

We have seen this fundamental question shape the world we live in, as time progresses more specialties are emerging and being the expert in what you do becomes more and more important to survive and succeed in your business.
Lawyers focus their entire practice on very specific fields of law; enterprises outsource many functions which they don't consider core business.
<Read more in full blog view>

While patents are internationally recognized as the most common way for inventors to gain protection for their innovation, and for inventors to be able to more easily control the process of moving from an idea to the commercialization of that idea, not all inventions necessarily need to be patented.

If the invention is one that results in a product that will have a relatively short lifespan (between six to twelve months) then the inventor’s resources might better be spent on marketing and selling the product than on protecting it through the patent system.

On the other hand, and this is where most inventions fit, gaining patent protection is almost a mandatory step in a new products life as it will allow the inventor breathing space to enable the invention to go from an idea to a prototype(s) to marketable product without fear of being copied, or at the very least with redress in the courts.


How to file a patent
<Read more in full blog view>

As it's name suggests a Provisional Application is just that, it is a temporary or interim application filed with a Patent Office before making a Final or Complete application.

A provisional application sets the scene for an invention. It provides a framework that an inventor can use to develop an idea, investigate some of it's commercial implications and explore possible markets for its manufacture or sale before being burdened with the cost and effort of gaining full legal protection by filing a Completed Application.

Although, not in itself, enough to monopolise an invention a provisional application will provide an applicant with an all important priority date and patent pending number. As such, Provisional applications are widely used by inventors as a low-cost option for beginning the Patent process.

<Read more in full blog view>

Before filing your Patent Application often the next step in the process will entail a search of the relevant art. This is an important step for a number of reasons, but usually the most important reason is that a properly conducted search will either, save an inventor money or it will prevent him/her from embarrassment by doing or making something that they are not entitled to do or make.

<Read more in full blog view>