Patent It Yourself: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Filing at the U.S. Patent Office 20th Edition, ISBN-13: 978-1413327809

Patent It Yourself: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Filing at the U.S. Patent Office 20th Edition, ISBN-13: 978-1413327809

[PDF eBook eTextbook]

• Publisher: ‎ NOLO; Twentieth edition (October 27, 2020)
• Language: ‎ English
• ‎672 pages
• ISBN-10: ‎ 141332780X
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1413327809

Protect and profit from your invention.

For 35 years, Patent It Yourself has guided hundreds of thousands of inventors through the process of getting a patent, from start to finish. Patent attorneys David Pressman and David E. Blau provide the latest information, forms, and clear instructions to help you:

• conduct a patent search the right way
• evaluate your idea’s commercial potential
• file a provisional patent application to get “patent pending” status
• prepare a patent application
• focus on your patent application’s claims
• respond to patent examiners
• get your drawings done right
• protect your rights in foreign countries
• deal with infringers, and
• market and license your invention.

The 20th edition covers the latest patent filing rule changes, including the most recent implications of the America Invents Act first-to-file rules.

With downloadable forms: All essential forms, including a Nondisclosure Agreement, Patent Searcher’s Worksheet, and Design Patent Application are included in the book and are available for download (details inside).

San Francisco Patent Attorney David Pressman is a graduate of Penn State University (BSEE) and George Washington University Law School (JD) where he was on the Law Review. He has over 40 years of experience in the patent profession — as a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent Office, a patent attorney in corporate and private practice, a university instructor, a columnist, and as author of the Patent and Trademark entries to the World Book Encyclopedia. His books have charted the path for over 300,000 inventors. He is also co-author of How to Make Patent Drawings (with Jack Lo), Patent Pending In 24 Hours (with Rich Stim), and Patents For Beginners (with Rich Stim).

Table of Contents:

Your Legal Companion……..1
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?..2
E. How to Use Patent It Yourself………………………4
1 Introduction to Patents and Other Intellectual Property…………….5
A. Intellectual Property—The Big Picture……..7
B. How Intellectual Property Law Provides “Offensive Rights” (and Not Protection)
to Inventors..9
C. Alternative and Supplementary Offensive Rights…………….9
D. Patents……… 10
E. Trademarks 19
F. Copyright….23
G. Trade Secrets………………………28
H. Unfair Competition…………. 32
I. Acquisition of Offensive Rights in Intellectual Property—Summary Chart…………………. 33
J. Summary of Legal Remedies for Misappropriation of Various Types
of Intellectual Property….. 33
K. Invention Exploitation Flowchart…………… 35
L. Summary…. 35
2 The Science and Magic of Inventing….. 37
A. What We Mean by “Invention”………………..38
B. Inventing by Problem Recognition and Solution…………… 39
C. Inventing by Magic (Accident and Flash of Genius)………. 42
D. Making Ramifications and Improvements of Your Invention……………….. 43
E. Solving Creativity Problems………………………44
F. Contact Other Inventors… 47
G. Beware of the Novice Inventor’s “PGL Syndrome”………… 47
H. Don’t Bury Your Invention………………………..48
I. Summary….48
3 Documentation and the PPA……………….. 49
A. Introduction………………………..51
B. Documentation Is Vital to the Invention Process……………51
C. Documentation Has Legal Implications… 52
D. Trade Secret Considerations…………………….. 52
E. Record Conception and the Building and Testing of Your Invention….. 53
F. How to Record Your Invention…………………54
G. Another Way to Record Conception or Building and Testing—
The Invention Disclosure..60
H. Don’t Sit on Your Invention After Documenting It………. 62
I. Don’t Use a “Post Office Patent” to Document Your Invention…………… 62
J. The Provisional Patent Application—A Substitute for Building and Testing,
With Some Disadvantages……………………….. 62
K. Summary…. 83
4 Will Your Invention Sell?.. 85
A. Why Evaluate Your Invention for Salability?…………………….86
B. Start Small but Ultimately Do It Completely…………………..86
C. You Can’t Be 100% Sure of Any Invention’s Commercial Prospects…….. 87
D. Take Time to Do a Commercial Feasibility Evaluation…. 87
E. Check Your Marketability Conclusions Using the Techniques of Consultation
and Research……………………..94
F. Now’s the Time to Build and Test It (If Possible)…………….96
G. The Next Step…………………….98
H. Summary….98
5 Is It Patentable?…………………..99
A. Patentability Compared to Commercial Viability………..101
B. Legal Requirements for a Utility Patent.101
C. Requirement #1: The Statutory Classes..103
D. Requirement #2: Utility….107
E. Requirement #3: Novelty109
F. Requirement #4: Nonobviousness………… 115
G. The Patentability Flowchart…………………….125
H. Don’t Make Assumptions About the Law………………………127
I. Summary..128
6 Search and You May Find………………………129
A. Why Make a Patentability Search?…………131
B. When Not to Search……….133
C. The Two Ways to Make a Patentability Search……………..134
D. The Quality of a Patent Search Can Vary………………………..134
E. How to Hire a Patent Professional…………135
F. How to Prepare Your Searcher……………….137
G. Analyzing the Search Report…………………..137
H. The Scope of Patent Coverage………………..150
I. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Computer Searching………………………152
J. Classification Searching…158
K. Keyword Searching…………168
L. Non-Internet Searching…169
M. Internet Searching…………..171
N. Problems Searching Software and Business Inventions177
O. Summary..177
7 What Should I Do Next?179
A. Fig. 7A—Invention Decision Chart ……….180
B. Drop It If You Don’t See Commercial Potential (Chart Route 10-12-14-X)…………………..180
C. File an Application and Sell It to or License a Manufacturer If You See
Patentability (Chart Route 14-16-18-20-22-C)……………….182
D. Manufacture and Distribute Your Invention Yourself, Keeping It as
a Trade Secret (Chart Route 20-32-D)…..183
E. File Patent Application and Manufacture and Distribute Your Invention
Yourself (Trade-Secret Protectable Invention) (Chart Route 20-32-34-E)……………………184
F. File Patent Application and Manufacture and Distribute Invention
Yourself (Non-Trade-Secret Protectable Invention) (Chart Route 20-32-34-E)…………..185
G. Try to Sell Invention to Manufacturer Before Obtaining a “Regular” Patent
Application (Chart Route 10-12-14-16-18-B)….. 185
H. If You Have Commercial Potential Without Patentability, License or Sell Your
Invention to a Manufacturer Without Filing (Chart Route 16-24-26-28-30-B)…………..185
I. Make and Sell Your Invention Yourself Without a Utility Patent Application
(Chart Route 16-24-26-28-30-A)…………….188
J. Summary..188
8 How to Draft the Specification and Initial Drawings…………………..189
A. Lay Inventors Can Do It!..191
B. What’s Contained in a Patent Application…………………….191
C. What Happens When Your Application Is Received by the PTO………..193
D. Do Preliminary Work Before Preparing Your Patent Application……….194
E. Flowchart..196
F. Your Written Description Must Comply With the Full Disclosure Rules…………………….196
G. Software, Computer-Related Inventions, and Business Methods……… 200
H. First Prepare Sketches and Name Parts..202
I. Drafting the Specification………………………..206
J. Review Your Specification and Abstract Carefully……….220
K. Checklist for Your Patent Application Draft………………….220
L. Specification of Sample Patent Application…………………..220
M. Summary..221
9 Now for the Legalese—The Claims……237
A. What Are Claims?……………239
B. The Law Regarding Claims……………………….240
C. Some Sample Claims………243
D. Common Misconceptions Regarding Claims…………………248
E. One Claim Should Be as Broad as Possible……………………..249
F. The Effect of Prior Art on Your Claim…..250
G. Technical Requirements of Claims…………251
H. Drafting Your Main (Independent) Claim………………………258
I. Other Techniques in Claim Writing………262
J. Drafting Dependent Claims…………………….265
K. Drafting Additional Sets of Claims………..271
L. Checklist for Drafting Claims………………….272
M. Summary..272
10 Finaling and Filing Your Application.277
A. The Drawings……………………279
B. PTO Rules for Drawings…279
C. Doing Your Own Drawings……………………..281
D. Consider Using a Professional Patent Draftsperson…….291
E. Finaling Your Specification for Paper Filing……………………291
F. Finaling Your Specification for EFS-Web Filing…………….. 309
G. File the Information Disclosure Statement Within Three Months……..314
H. Assignments……………………..319
I. Petitions to Make Special—Getting Your Application Examined Faster……………………..321
J. Filing a Design Patent Application…………327
K. Summary..329
11 How to Market Your Invention…………..331
A. Perseverance and Patience Are Essential………………………..333
B. Overview of Alternative Ways to Profit From Your Invention……………..333
C. Be Ready to Demonstrate a Working Model of Your Invention
to Potential Customers….337
D. Finding Prospective Manufacturers/Distributors…………338
E. The “NIH” Syndrome………339
F. The Waiver and Precautions in Signing It……………………… 340
G. The Best Way to Present Your Invention to a Manufacturer………………..341
H. Presenting Your Invention by Correspondence…………….343
I. Making an Agreement to Sell Your Invention……………….343
J. Manufacturing and/or Distributing the Invention Yourself………………….343
K. Summary. 346
12 Going Abroad…………………….347
A. Don’t File Abroad Unless Your Invention Has Very Good Prospects
in Another Country……… 348
B. Foreign Filing: The Basics 349
C. The Paris Convention and the One-Year Foreign-Filing Rule………………..350
D. The World Trade Organization and TRIPS……………………..350
E. European Patent Office/Europäisches Patentamt/Office Européen
des Brevets (EPO)…………………… 350
F. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)….354
G. Non-Convention Countries…………………….354
H. The Hague Agreement…..356
I. The Early Foreign-Filing License or Mandatory Six-Month Delay………..356
J. The Patent Laws of Other Countries Are Different………357
K. The Ways to File Abroad.358
L. Rescind Any Nonpublication Request….363
M. Foreign-Filing Resources..363
N. Summary. 364
13 Getting the PTO to Deliver…………………..365
A. What Happens After Your Patent Application Is Filed 368
B. General Considerations During Patent Prosecution……372
C. A Sample Office Action…383
D. What to Do When You Receive an Office Action (OA)389
E. Format for Amending the Specification and Claims…… 411
F. Drafting the Remarks…….. 413
G. Drawing Amendments…..421
H. Typing and Filing the Amendment………..422
I. If Your Application Is Allowable…………….424
J. If Your First Amendment Doesn’t Result in Allowance.425
K. Interferences and Derivation Proceedings……………………..430
L. Defensive Publication…….430
M. If Your Application Claims More Than One Invention..430
N. The Public May Cite Additional Prior Art Against Your Published
Patent Application…………431
O. NASA Declarations…………432
P. Design Patent Application Prosecution.432
Q. What to Do If You Miss or Want to Extend a PTO Deadline………………..433
R. Summary..434
14 Your Application Can Have Children435
A. Available Supplemental Cases………………..436
B. Continuation Application………………………..438
C. Request for Continued Examination (RCE)……………………441
D. Divisional Applications….442
E. Continuation-in-Part and Independent Applications.. 444
F. Reissue Applications……….447
G. Defensive Publications…..447
H. Substitute Applications…447
I. Double Patenting and Terminal Disclaimers………………… 448
J. Summary. 448
15 After Your Patent Issues: Use, Maintenance, and Infringement……………………….451
A. Issue Notification…………….453
B. Press Release and Marketing…………………..453
C. Check Your Patent for Errors…………………..453
D. Patent Number Marking.454
E. Advertising Your Patent for Sale…………….455
F. What Rights Does Your Patent Give You?………………………455
G. Be Wary of Offers to Provide Information About Your Patent……………457
H. Maintenance Fees……………458
I. Legal Options If You Discover an Infringement of Your Patent…………..461
J. What to Do About Patent Infringement………………………..462
K. Product Clearance (Can I Legally Copy or Make That?)……………………….. 468
L. How to Cite Prior Art and Other Information in Patent Applications and Patents…….471
M. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC)….473
N. Jury Trials..473
O. Arbitration………………………..474
P. How Patent Rights Can Be Forfeited…….474
Q. Tax Deductions and Income……………………474
R. Patent Litigation Financing……………………..475
S. Summary..475
16 Ownership, Assignment, and Licensing of Inventions…………………477
A. Inventor, Applicant, Owner…………………….478
B. The Property Nature of Patents……………..479
C. Who Can Apply for a Patent?………………….479
D. Joint Owners’ Agreement………………………..481
E. Special Issues Faced by the Employed Inventor…………….481
F. Assignment of Invention and Patent Rights…………………. 484
G. Record Your Assignment With the PTO……………………….. 486
H. Licensing of Inventions—An Overview. 486
I. Universal License Agreement………………….489
J. How Much Should You Get for Your Invention?…………..493
K. Summary..494
Appendixes
1 Abbreviations Used in Patent It Yourself………………….495
2 Resources: Government Publications, Patent Websites,
and Books of Use and Interest…………….497
A. Government Publications………………………..498
B. Patent Websites……………….498
3 Glossaries…..501
A. Glossary of Useful Technical Terms……….502
B. Glossary of Legal Terms.. 508
4 Fee Schedule………………………. 515
5 Mail, Telephone, Fax, and Email Communications With the PTO………………….. 517
A. Patent and Trademark Office Mail Addresses……………….518
B. Patent and Trademark Office Telephones and Faxes….. 519
6 Quick-Reference Timing Chart…………..521
7 Forms…………..523
8 How to Use the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website……613
A. Editing RTFs………………………614
B. List of Forms……………………..614
Index…………………..617

David E. Blau is a patent attorney at Daly, Crowley, Mofford & Durkee in Canton, Massachusetts, and is a member of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Massachusetts bars. He received his B.S. from the California Institute of Technology, with majors in both Mathematics and Engineering & Applied Science. Prior to law school, he worked for the government as a mathematician, for a number of private companies writing software to perform scalable content storage and distribution and back-office online commerce functions, and co-founded a web design business. He received his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law with a certificate in Intellectual Property, and has practiced patent law in the Boston area ever since. Outside the practice of law, Dave is a scuba diver and a licensed private pilot who hopes to get his instrument rating someday.

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