Tag: Prior Art
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AI-Assisted Patent Search Tools Exacerbate Inventor Biases
AI chat tools have two problems: over-simplification and hallucination. These two problems mimic inventor’s biases when doing patent searches, leading to bad results. Inventors and entrepreneurs might love the idea of using an AI‑powered search…
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How Long Provisional Applications Hurt You
How Your Own Prior Art Can Kill You I had a client whose inventor would write long provisional patent[1] applications. He would think through all the options of his inventions, and he would include every…
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Communication Hygiene: Things You Never Say To Your Patent Attorney
Good news in writing – bad news by phone. Inventors have extraordinary power in the patent process, especially in litigation. An inventor’s opinion or comments can often be twisted during litigation and ultimately, used to…
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Low Hanging Fruit: How Patent Searches Make Your Patent More Valuable
References and Information Disclosure Statements One easy way to spot an above-average patent is the References Cited on the front page. The references are specific pieces of prior art that the examiner considered when evaluating…
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How Much Does A Patent Cost?
Updated 23 July 2023 The average cost of a utility patent in the US is over $50,000. This is just the cost to file a utility patent application and the patent examination process. It does…
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Provisional Patent Applications are Always Wrong for Your Business
Updated 22 Dec 2021 Provisional patent[1] applications are misunderstood by many inventors, investors, and even patent attorneys. There is a notion that somehow a provisional patent application is good for inventors and startup companies. Let…
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How to Spot Bad Patents
Investment-Grade Patent[1][2]s represent only a small sliver of the patent universe. Their value comes from a huge amount of research and thought. However, bad patents are easy to spot. These less-than-optimal patents have certain characteristics…
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The Light Bulb is the Worst Symbol of Invention
Invention is the heavy lifting of 1000’s of failed experiments, not a grand vision that pops into someone’s head. The light bulb is the universal symbol of “invention.” It is the worst – and best…
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Data Driven Patents
Image (C) Russ Krajec 2020 Updated April 2021. The patent system requires that we look ahead and guess the future. If we are right, there is a huge reward. This process can be powerfully addictive,…
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USPTO’s Track One vs Patent Prosecution Highway
Updated April 2020 Screenshot taken 5 Apr 2021 from https://www.uspto.gov/dashboard/patents/pendency.html Why the USPTO’s Track One[1] is the mark of a lazy patent attorney. If your patent attorney is suggesting “Track One” to expedite your patent…