The Business of Patent Law Archives

Extracting the Invention from the Inventor

One of the most intriguing parts of my job is coming to understand an invention with the inventor. By definition, the inventor has broken some new ground in their field of expertise and it is my job to extract the important features and define them in a way that makes sense to them, a person of ordinary skill in the art, as well as the patent examiner.

This exercise is one of the most enjoyable parts of the job when it goes well, and one of the most miserable when it does not.

Hanging Out Your Shingle — Think About It As A Business

I have always looked at the practice of law as any other business. One with income, expenses, customers, and a product to sell. I have always looked at my solo practice as a business, too, and tried to manage every aspect of it with a business mindset.

Hanging Out Your Shingle — The Downside

The downside of going at it alone is big. All of the docketing, secretarial work, filing, etc is handled by me. I order supplies, maintain the computers, do the billing, make the coffee, build the website, answer the phones, etc.

Hanging Out Your Shingle — The Upside

Breaking out on my own, as many other people would tell you, was the most frightening and most rewarding thing I have ever done in my career thus far. I know that everyone has their own story about why and how they made the jump. For me, I always had it in the back of my mind that it was something I would like to try. And to this day, things have worked out pretty well.

Ethical Question in Patent Prosecution: Should You Write Something Technically Wrong?

One of the things I bring to the table is a huge background in product design. I picked up the patent game quite late in life, after spending many years doing real engineering in several different industries.

Part of the value added that I like to deliver is helping the inventors see beyond the bounds of the immediate application of their invention to the great vista that could be covered with a broad application of their technology. Being both an inventor and patent agent, I have a good base for doing this. With very few exceptions, I have always been very successful in working with the inventors this way.