Get free answers to your Patents (Intellectual Property) legal questions from lawyers in your area.
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answered on Mar 2, 2024
If your father held a patent from 1968 to 1983 and you believe his invention was unfairly used after his passing, it's crucial to understand the specifics of patent laws. Patents typically protect inventions for a limited time, which for many countries is 20 years from the filing date. Since... View More 
answered on Feb 28, 2024
Sorry, but there is really not much that can be done now.
Firstly, patents expire. When a patent expires, the owner is not able to enforce it anymore. Your father's patent, if i issued in 1968, would have expired in 1985.
If the patent expired in 1985, and if someone... View More
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answered on Sep 14, 2024
If you decide to pay your 11.5-year patent maintenance fees yourself rather than having your lawyer do it, there are generally no problems as long as you follow the correct procedure. The process may seem straightforward, but it's crucial to ensure that you meet all the deadlines and provide... View More
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answered on Sep 12, 2024
To get the case details of Diamond v. Diehr, 450 U.S. 175 (1981), you can access various legal research platforms. Websites like Google Scholar, Justia, or FindLaw provide free access to U.S. Supreme Court cases. Simply search for "Diamond v. Diehr 450 U.S. 175" on these sites, and you... View More
In reference to the Real-time accent conversion model patent.
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answered on Jul 2, 2024
To provide an accurate answer to this question, I'd need to review the specific claims of the Sanas patent you're referring to. Patents can be complex legal documents, and their scope of protection depends on the exact wording of the claims. Without seeing the patent, I can offer some... View More
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answered on Oct 15, 2023
Taking over an abandoned trademark requires filing a new application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The cost is determined by the type of application you file and any associated legal fees. If you're represented by counsel, their fees will vary based on their... View More
is the actual product SOLAWAVE 90185508 sells patented - or can another company sell the same product with different branding?
answered on Jun 22, 2023
The product shown in trademark registration number 90185508 for SOLAWAVE appears to be registered as a design patent under D968633 for SKIN TONING DEVICE. Thus, a third party could not simply market an identical product under a different brand name without risking infringement of Solawave's... View More
Do I need patent?
answered on Apr 1, 2023
Generally speaking, "patent" applies to inventions; "trademark" applies to names, taglines, logos, and other things that identify the source of a specific product or service; "copyright" applies to original works of authorship; and "trade secret" applies to... View More
answered on Sep 14, 2022
The question of inventorship is actually a legal question, so ultimately anyone who should legally be listed as an inventor *must* be listed as an inventor. If inventorship is found to be incorrect, the patent itself could be in jeopardy. There are procedures available for making these corrections.... View More
how to find out if a patent is expired and if I can put a patent pending on something similar?
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answered on May 15, 2022
One easy way is to look up the patent at https://patents.google.com/ . Then, for a US patent, put a US in front of the number such as US5857273. Google will fetch the patent and also let you know if it is expired or not (it is).
To get your own patent in the same topic, you will have to... View More
answered on Mar 29, 2022
No.
The idea behind a patent is that the inventor discloses the invention, and in turn, the government gives the inventor something of value: the ability to keep others from using the patenting invention for a limited time. After the time runs out, anyone can use that invention.
The impact lead has on shooting ranges is devastating to the local environment. The goal would be to produce ammunition that could be used in common calibers. This ammunition would comprise of materials that could be broken down naturally and with low to no impact on the environment and ground... View More
answered on Aug 2, 2021
Sounds like the composition of your projectile is what will be relevant. Dimensions would not seem to be the issue. If you're projectile composition is novel and nonobvious, then you may be able to obtain a utility patent. I'd be happy to discuss.
I am wanting to sell a glow in the dark dog leash but there is a patent, however I have found various ones on Amazon infringing on the patent because they are not the same product just extremely similar so can I sale the leash myself?
answered on Dec 21, 2020
You should not sell any products that infringe on valid US patents. Figuring out whether or not the product you want to sell infringes on a given patent is sometimes a tricky thing to figure out.
Though I haven't read the patent you're referring to, I think it unlikely that it... View More
answered on Sep 28, 2020
Without knowing what patent you're referring to, I can't answer this question fully. However, you can create various search terms around these elements if you utilize Google Patent Search, the USPTO database (PatFT), and the WIPO patent search database (patentscope) to get you in the... View More
I know thats what patents are for but I dont even have the funds for that.
answered on Apr 22, 2020
This is a very common question. Unfortunately, there is no good answer to it.
You really need to come up with the money to have a patent attorney prepare and file a patent application.
In 2016, I hired a patent attorney in 2016 to file, prosecure my invention. It was a tedious process; after repeated meetings, he prepared the first draft of the application. Thru a back-and-forth process, I revised his first application draft more than half a dozen time. Now, it turns out that... View More
answered on Dec 20, 2019
Wow, what a nightmare. I am so sorry that this type of thing happened to you.
Your first patent attorney sounds like he did not know what he was doing. Typically, one or two meetings are more than sufficient; generally, there is little reason for an in-person meeting anyway. Although... View More
Hi,
My employer had filed a patent in 2017, where I was one of the two inventors. I understand the ownership of IP is with company, but I want to find out how do i even track the patent application status. The application was filed in 2017 and I believe it would have been through private... View More
answered on May 31, 2019
It should have been published by now. Patent applications are generally published 18 months after submission of the application, but in some cases, the applicant can ask that the application not be published.
Because sometimes Google patents and other services are months behind, you need... View More
The company original company was C.R.C. Air Cleaners, in Spokane Washington, where the first ones were produced for automobiles. There was another company that produced the first ones. Inventor was Roy Kendall Runyon, my father. First produced in Spokane Washington, 1930's. My father later... View More
answered on May 22, 2019
Take a look at https://patents.google.com/patent/US1788410A/en?oq=US1788410A
There may be other patents in this family but this should get you started. It is hard searching back that far as many of the tools focus on just the last few decades.
I hope this helps.
Kevin E Flynn
Im looking to start my own company in trip hazard removal but it seems they have pattebded alot of things on it what exactly are there pattends for and what do they mean in other words what do i follow so i dont use any of there pattends
answered on May 11, 2019
There are no easy answers to your question. You need to hire a patent attorney to guide you through this.
Competitor claims they have a provisional patent for all but color change of an (my) existing product. I thought provisional patents were for utility only. Could they be lying? How do I find out?
answered on Apr 26, 2018
A provisional patent application is for a utility patent but one can file a design patent application as a continuation of a utility patent application so there is some small chance that they could end up with a design patent from an initial provisional patent application.
Generally a... View More
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