A U.S. provisional patent application (PPA) never itself becomes a patent so the name is a bit of a misnomer. A utility patent application (UPA) can claim benefit of a PPA if the UPA is filed by the first year anniversary of the PPA.

In any case, a PPA can be assigned (bought) from the... View More

Yes. Absolutely. In the US, anyway.

The rules in the US about titles of patent applications is fairly liberal. A title must be "short and specific", meaning fewer than 500 characters, but I've found that the Patent Office does not really care. At most, they delete leading... View More

There is no rule prohibiting two patents from issuing with the same title. What is unique about a patent is the patent number and the patent claims.

I do not have an example in my issued patents as I go out of my way to avoid using the same title as I find it confusing to have more than... View More

While trademarks and copyrights are my specialties, I work with several excellent patent attorneys/agents, so feel free to call or email, and I'll set up an introduction...unless a patent attorney responds directly to your request on Justia, of course!

Yes, if you have filed for a patent and want to change the title, you have two options depending upon what type of patent you have applied for. If it is a PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION, you can submit the proper title when you convert to a NON-PROVISIONAL PATENT.

If, on the other hand,... View More

In order to claim benefit from the patent application, the claims must be supported by the disclosure in the provisional application. If you need drawings, then the drawing should be in the provisional.

Now, an application to a chemical composition, such as a lotion, do not generally need... View More

The visa status is immaterial for patent applications. A person of any nationality or citizenship can apply for a patent.

I don't think that we are able to guess whether the patent covers the improved engine or not, based on the description alone. A couple of notes:

(1) It is very common that a company comes up with an invention, gets a patent for it, and keeps improving the product. The question... View More

None of this makes sense. I think that your friend is pulling your leg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_Secrecy_Act

Take a look at this article.

Stating something is patented when such is not true would be fraud

We are based in Austin, TX, but have quite a few FL clients. If you cannot find what you are looking for, give us a call.

All the best,

Bill Hulsey

The initials AR are used for many dozens of things from acid reflux to amateur radio. If you mean automated rifle- then yes you can seek patents on the workings of a weapon. You would need to have an idea that would not be obvious to one skilled in the art of designing automated rifles. You... View More

First Question is whether you will be doing anything in the United States.

If your clients are not taking delivery in the US and you are not making the product in the US, then you may not need to worry about a US patent.

On the other hand, looking for US patents is often a quick... View More

Short answer - it depends.

As a patent attorney, I would want to look at what actually is claimed in the patent vis-a-vis your product.

But if it's a case of clear infringement, it might be best to ask the patentee for a license.

Yes, you should be able to seek legal action. Go see an intellectual property litigation attorney.

I don't know which patents you are referring to, but my cursory search shows that there are about 5 patents that list Victor Staats as the inventor. 4 of these have expired due to their age, and 1 expired because a maintenance fee was not paid. There are no enforceable patents for Victor... View More

I do not think that the lapsed patent can be reinstated in accordance with the rules as the failure to pay was not unintentional under USPTO guidelines.

Traditionally, not having the money to pay a fee was not considered a reason that something was unintentional. See

C.... View More

Raising money is a skill. Most patent attorneys do not have that skill. You may want to get some free advice and some introduction from this state agency...http://floridasbdc.org

I hope this helps

Kevin E Flynn

If you are making something that has been around 20+ years, then you very likely will not infringe any patents. After all, that is the idea behind patents: after a patent expires (currently 20 years from the filing date of the patent application), then anyone can use whatever is disclosed in the... View More