There is a place to register patent assignments at the USPTO just like you register title to a piece of property. Not everyone does this but most people do and there are incentives to register assignments for certain types of patents. You can look for the the assignee names here --... View More

I am so sorry that you had a bad experience with this firm. I am not familiar with them, but that industry of helping inventors has many bad apples.

There are a number of invention promotion firms that take money from inventors and provide little or no value back. I do not know all these... View More

Your question is actually beyond the pure practice of acquiring patents. This is licensing (a form of contracts) and you should hire competent counsel that has negotiated a number of patent licenses. I would be leery of putting up money as you don't know if they will earn it. You may want... View More

First step is for you to look at my web site www.FLYNNipLAW.com or my LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinflynnpatentattorney/ to get some more information about me. Picking a patent attorney is a big step and you should make sure that you are picking someone that seems like a match.... View More

The short answer is maybe.

The answer hinges on how close what you are proposing is to things already done or suggested by those of ordinary skill in the art of treating that condition or in making bandage products. While relevant prior art is not just patents and published patent... View More

This question comes up all the time. You will need to take the contract and employee manuals that deal with the duty to assign inventions to an attorney in the state where you work. There are some states that have limits on the scope of this mandatory assignment clause for employees.

It... View More

I am sorry that your father had a stroke. I hope he recovers fully and quickly.

You can start with https://patents.google.com/ and type in the legal name your father would have used in signing legal papers (does he use a middle initial or a middle name). Google will offer you the option... View More

If you filed a provisional patent application on March 14, 2016 and took no further action, then that provisional patent application expired. An expired provisional application that was not used as a priority document for a later patent application gives you no rights to exclude others.... View More

It would be a bad idea for me to guess what led to the abandonment and what response you filed. It would be a good idea for you to contact the USPTO help desk as they can look into the electronic file and let you know the next step.

You can call 571 272 4200 ( they have several phone... View More

I do not know. But I do know that entrepreneurs can do their own searching using Google Patents, and other tools hosted by patent systems. I teach entrepreneurs how to use these tools effectively using these slides http://bit.ly/Patent_Searching . I hope this helps.

Kevin E Flynn

The United States Patent and Trademark Office maintains a database of who owns the patents. https://assignment.uspto.gov/patent/index.html#/patent/search You can look up who is listed as owning the patent of interest. The contact information may not have been updated since the ownership moved... View More

Your question did not provide the specific patent number but I can answer anyways. There is not a global patent. Patents are issues by a country (or in rare instances a region) and only apply to actions in that location.

A United States Patent Applies to the United States.

A... View More

Once the patent issues or a patent application is published, then you should be able to see details in the assignment database at https://assignment.uspto.gov/patent/index.html#/patent/search . You will also be able to see the relevant information in Public PAIR once you know the application... View More

Many patented processes use patented components in the process. Sometimes the company seeking the patent on the process owns the patents on the tools or components used in the process, sometimes they do not. It does not matter.

That said, your own idea will need to meet the test of being... View More

It is at least possible that there is a patent services firm that is worth the money so I won't say that all are bad. However, that group of companies has a horrible reputation.

There are a number of invention promotion firms that take money from inventors and provide little or no... View More

This is actually not a patent law question but rather one of contract and state law. It is not easily answered without knowing what agreements you had with your prior employer.

The answer may be different if you were a 1099 employee or a person not expected to invent things as part of... View More

PATENT TERM

Patent term is more confusing than it should be. The one part that is simple, is that patent term is not a function of the technology. There is not a way for the applicant to apply to extend the patent term (unlike trademarks or copyrights). (but as noted below, there are... View More

Most countries have some sort of patent system. Some use a regional system so that several countries can share the cost of running a patent system.

There is a front end for 153 patent systems run by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) See the list of countries here... View More

The number you cite is not a patent. It is a published version of an application. Not all patent applications become patents. According to Google Patents, this one did not.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20020198764A1/en?oq=20020198764

Sometimes a license agreement will... View More

As patent attorneys obtain their patent registration from the USPTO, they can help inventors from anywhere seek US patents. Many of my clients are from states beyond North Carolina.

In some situations, there is a need to visit a lab or factory to see prototypes or to interview a number... View More