As a new golfer working tirelessly on my (sometimes inconsistent) swing, I discovered something about the sport that goes beyond fairways and putting greens. I discovered the enormous field of golf patents, where innovation meets fierce competition. From multi-layered golf balls to the aerodynamic secrets hidden in club faces, there’s an extraordinary number of patents in this industry—22,000 since 1976, to be precise! What surprised … Continue reading Patent Wars on the Fairway: How Obviousness Plays a Role in Golf Patents

Patent law is often thought to incentivize and benefit inventors. Patent holders have exclusive rights restricting others from making, using, selling, offering to sell, and importing into the U.S. their patented invention. However, the constitutional clause founding patent law aims to benefit the greater public by promoting the progress of science and useful arts. One of the ways patent law helps promote the progress of science is through the Enablement Requirement.

Continue reading “Patent Enablement – For the Greater Good of the General Public”

Startups and Their (Non)Obvious Patents Many products and services we use every day are inventions from startups that were innovative, new, and exciting at the time they were created. For example, many of us now use, and take for granted, Uber for transportation or Square to easily pay with credit cards at restaurants or stores. While these companies’ platforms might be obvious to us now, … Continue reading Startups and Their (Non)Obvious Patents

An Examination and Interview Conversation on Today’s Patent Gender Gap

Patented products are versatile and diverse. They have the capacity to revolutionize, take the 3D printer. They can entertain adults and children, cue the Rubik’s Cube. And they can make us scratch our heads, like this 1876 mustache guard.

Lots of things that we use in daily life are patented. Patents give inventors rights over their invention. These rights include: the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, importing into the U.S., and selling that specific invention. A patent is like a reward from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given to inventors with new and useful inventions.
Continue reading “Girls Just Want to Have Patent Rights”

So, you had an idea – a good one.

It’s new! (Nobody has disclosed it to the public before, and you haven’t either, except within a certain time frame.)

It’s useful! (It’s not just theoretical; it does something in real life.)

It’s non-obvious! (It’s something more than a simple derivative combination of existing components.)

It’s patentable subject matter! (It’s a process, a machine, an article of manufacture, or a composition of matter.)
Continue reading “Fair, Accessible Patent Protection for the Modern Inventor”

Have you ever marveled at the latest gadgets or innovations, wondering about the creators behind them? Have you ever wondered if there was a lucrative path where you could expand your technical knowledge without being stuck in a lab or computer room for days? As a former computer science student that dreaded an impending programming career, I certainly have. Luckily, there’s a fascinating world out there, beyond labs, research, and programming, where I learned I could have a significant impact with my science background: the world of patent prosecution.
Continue reading “Discovering the World of Patent Prosecution: Where Science Meets Law!”