Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1Introduction
1.1Book Summary
1.2How to Use This Book
Chapter 2Patent Basics and Patentability Requirements
2.1Patent Basics
2.1.1Patent Obtaining and Exploitation
2.1.2Patent Analogy
2.1.3Claim Definition
2.1.4Rule for Infringement
2.1.5Patentability vs. Patent Enforcement
2.1.6Valid vs. Valuable Patents
2.2Overview of Patent Eligibility and Patentability
2.2.1Subject Matter Categories -- 35 U.S.C. § 101
2.2.2Novelty Requirement -- 35 U.S.C. § 102
2.2.3Non-obviousness Requirement -- 35 U.S.C. § 103
2.2.4Distinction Between 102 and 103 Claim Rejections
2.2.5Specification Requirement -- 35 U.S.C. § 112
2.2.6Utility Requirement
2.2.7Manual of Patent Examination Procedure Overview
Chapter 3Exemplary Patents and Business Success
3.1Patent Infringement Examples
3.2Improvement Patents
3.3New Use Patents for Existing Inventions
3.3.1Bag Balm Patent
3.3.2Visco-elastic Foam Patents
3.4Problem-solving Patents and Success Stories
3.4.1Apparatus for Closing Gaps
3.4.2Pantyhose Undergarment
3.4.3Miniaturized Electronic Circuits
Chapter 4Invention Spotting and Disclosure Writing
4.1IBM Guidelines for Writing Invention Disclosure
4.2Invention A: Disk Enclosure Packaging
4.2.1How I Spotted Invention A
4.2.2Invention A Disclosure
4.3Invention B: Disk Enclosure Status Retrieval
4.3.1How I Spotted Invention B
4.3.2Invention B Disclosure
Chapter 5Free Patent Searching by Inventor
5.1Prior Art Search
5.2Why Conducting Prior Art Search?
5.3My Other Reasons for Prior Art Search
5.4What May Be a Reasonable Cost of Prior Art Search?
5.5What to Do After Finding Prior Art?
5.6Patent Search Strategies and Techniques
5.6.1Search Prerequisites
5.6.2Search Criteria
5.6.3Search Strategy Guide
5.6.4Search Techniques Using Keywords
5.6.5Searching Using Patent Classification
5.7Major Patent Classification Systems
5.8Identification of Patent Documents
5.9Patent Search Tools
5.10Demos of Prior Art Search for a Hypothetical Invention
5.10.1Searching Using Keywords
5.10.2Searching Based on Patent Classification (CPC)
5.11Know When to Stop Searching
5.12Patent Search Effectiveness Measurement
Chapter 6U.S. Utility Patent Obtaining Process
6.1Patent Obtaining Process Overview
6.1.1Documents to Be Electronically Filed for Application
6.1.2Application Data Sheet (ADS) Explained
6.1.3Overview of Post-filing Outcome
6.2Registration of eFiler for Filing of Patent Documents
6.3Exemplified e-Filing Process for a New Application
6.4Checking of Application Status (Private PAIR)
6.5Selecting "Image File Wrapper" for Prosecution Chronology
6.6Examples of ADS Forms Filed for Applications I Drafted
6.6.1Parts of ADS Filed for My Own Application
6.6.2Parts of ADS Filed for Joint Inventors' Application
6.6.3Parts of ADS Filed for Assignee-applicant's Application
Chapter 7Pro-like Patent Application Drafting
7.1Application Specification Template
7.2Steps for Preparing Patent Application
7.2.1Application Drafting Process Overview
7.2.2Step Chart for Application Preparation
7.3Tutorial on Patent Claim Drafting
7.3.1Iterative Claim Drafting Process
7.3.2Claim Format/Structure
7.3.3Independent Claims
7.3.4Dependent Claims
7.3.5Claim Rules
7.3.6Claim Drafting Strategy
7.3.7Examples of Claiming Based on the PON
7.3.8Alternative Style of Apparatus Claim
7.3.9Notes on Claim Preamble Writing
7.4Illustrative Drawings
7.4.1Patent Drawing Basics
7.4.2Notes on Drawing Preparation Learning
7.4.3Examples of Drawings Made With Visio
7.5Basic Requirements of Patent Application
7.6Notes on Patent Specification Drafting
7.7Notes on Prior Art Describing
7.8Further Notes on Brief Summary Writing
7.9Application Proofreading
7.10Application Review by Inventor
Chapter 8Practical Tips for Achieving a Great Application
8.1General Principles
8.2Drafting Application for Patent Licensing
8.3An Application Drafting Practice Example
8.4Senior Practitioners' Guidance on Application Drafting
Chapter 9Exemplary Patent Applications I Drafted
9.1Summary of Inventions A-F
9.2Application A for Patent 6,994,572
9.2.1Highlights of Invention A
9.2.2Prelude to Application A Drafting
9.2.3Main Parts of Application A
9.3Application B for Patent 7,136,972
9.3.1Highlights of Invention B
9.3.2Prelude to Application B Drafting
9.3.3Main Parts of Application B
9.4Application C for Patent 7,143,308
9.4.1Highlights of Invention C
9.4.2Prelude to Application C Drafting
9.4.3Main Parts of Application C
9.5Application D for Patent 7,705,491
9.5.1Highlights of Invention D
9.5.2Main Parts of Application D
9.6Application E for Patent 7,490,263
9.6.1Highlights of Invention E
9.6.2Main Parts of Application E
9.7Application F for Patent 9,930,935
9.7.1Highlights of Invention F
9.7.2Main Parts of Application F
Chapter 10Reissue Application Basics and My Filing Success
10.1My Need for Reissue Application
10.2Reissue as a Tool to Correct Patent Error
10.3Effect of Reissue
10.4Reissue Uses and Benefits
10.5Reissue Limitations and Risks
10.6Submission of My Reissue Patent Application
10.7Rapid Grant of My Reissue Patent by PTO
10.8Some AIA Changes Related to Reissue Application
Chapter 11Patent Application Drafting Software
11.1Invention Q&A Form Filling for PPA Generation
11.2Resulting PPA Generated
11.3Another PPA Drafting Software
11.4High-quality Patent Drafting/Proofreading Software
11.5AI-based Draft Patent Application Review
Chapter 12Patent Prosecution Overview, Strategies and Tips
12.1Exploiting Examiner Incentives & Tips
12.2Types of Official Letter From the PTO
12.3Restriction Requirement
12.4Prosecution Overview--Office Action and Response
12.4.1First Office Action
12.4.2Response to First Office Action
12.4.3Examiner Review of the Response
12.4.4Second Office Action and Response Options
12.4.5Rejection frequency and Response Success Rate
12.5Office Action Response (OAR) Template
12.6Considerations and Strategies in Prosecution
12.7.1Mechanics of Making Amendment
12.7.2Examiner-identified Claim Amendment
12.8Prosecution From Litigation Perspective
12.9Responding to § 102 Rejection
12.10Responding to § 103 Rejection
12.10.1Relevant MPEP Sections Cited
12.10.2Examiner's Exemplary Rationales to Conclude Obviousness
12.10.3Tips for Overcoming Obviousness Rejection
12.10.4Arguing to Overcome Obviousness Rejection
12.11Board Cases Where Examiners Were Reversed on Obvious Issues
12.12AI-powered Tools for Efficient Prosecution
Chapter 13Exemplary Prosecution Cases I Won
13.1Application for Patent 7,038,915
13.2Application for Patent 9,608,532
13.3Application for Patent 9,930,935
Chapter 14Tips for Handling Miscellaneous Patent Tasks
14.1Information Disclosure Statement (IDS)
14.1.1Filing of IDS
14.1.2Example of IDS Submitted and Examiner's Response
14.2Patent Assignment
14.3Patent Docketing
14.4Writing Skill Evaluation for Patent Drafting/Prosecution
14.5Patent Maintenance
14.6Entity Creation for Keeping Patent Ownership
14.7Patent Enforcement
Appendix 1Patent Searching Results
1.1A Hypothetical New Invention
1.2Results of Patent Searching by Keywords
1.3Results of Patent Searching by Classification (CPC)
Appendix 2Creation of Drawing Pages Etc.
2.1Creation of Drawing Pages
2.2Creation of Drawing Page Margin Guidelines
2.3Creation of Title Block
2.4Creation of Page Numbers
2.5A Drawing Page Example
Patent Glossary
Index
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