Pleasant Rowland’s Pleasant Company was a major risk: pricey toys and books for pre-teen girls that taught them about history. The 45-year-old former teacher and successful textbook author had gone with her husband to a conference.

A detailed specification, containing a description and other information illustrating the invention, is essential in the quest for a patent. When inventors submit a patent application, they must describe their invention in what is known as a specification. This contains a description and other information illustrating the invention.

With the support of Congress and President Biden—and the Sen. Patrick Leahy-led Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022, signed into law on December 29—now is the moment to make lasting, sustainable change.

Conrad’s Nov. 19, 1969, feat during the second Apollo moon mission, Apollo 12, marked the apex of an unlikely NASA career. He also was co-inventor of a significant satellite communications technology.

In the November 2022 Inventors Digest, the USPTO told readers about inventors’ options if a patent examiner rejects a patent application. If a patent applicant receives a second or final rejection of his or her application, the applicant again has options.

After your invention, your words in a patent application define the boundaries of your exclusive rights. You have just invented something. You believe it is new, useful, solves a problem, and most important: It is yours. You invested time, money, and energy into this invention.

Vaishali Udupa, an intellectual property attorney, engineer, and top executive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, joined the 13,000-person Department of Commerce agency as the new commissioner for patents on January 17. Before that, as an attorney in private practice, she participated in multiple IP trials and counseled clients with respect to their IP portfolios.

It’s a privilege to announce the five winners of the USPTO’s Patents for Humanity: COVID-19 category competition. The awards recognize these innovators for their rapid response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic through game-changing technologies.

Abraham Lincoln did not invent the stovepipe hat, but he may as well have. How an icon made his mark in fashion.

To achieve fairness in any legal dispute, it is paramount for two parties to develop a fair record and be able to respond to arguments raised by the other side. In an America Invents Act (AIA) trial proceeding before the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), this is the goal of a process called discovery.

The USPTO’s Trademark Basics Boot Camp provides a comprehensive overview of trademarks and the federal trademark registration process. Free ‘Boot Camp’ overview of this important IP protection begins new 8-week cycle in January.

Carver’s enduring status as “The Father of the Peanut Industry” is not in dispute. The renowned agricultural scientist invented hundreds of uses for peanuts; his innovative crop rotation and planting techniques revolutionized farming.

Perhaps the best-known inventor of all time, Thomas Edison was also charismatic and fun.

The PTAB was formed by the 2011 America Invents Act within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Administrative patent judges decide cases at the PTAB. They are required to have a technical and legal background and are appointed by the secretary of commerce.

During the patent examination process, patent applicants have a duty to disclose known prior art to the examiner. Therefore, it is important that the applicant be aware of the following categories of prior art and understand the considerations that go into determining whether a certain disclosure qualifies as prior art.

It is possible for you to conduct your own prior art search, but it can be difficult. So the USPTO has developed the Inventor Search Assistant Tool (ISAT), a way to help demystify the patent process by sparing you from having to go through a patent search training program.

As America’s Innovation Agency, the USPTO is working to protect brands: those owned by individuals and startups, as well as ones known around the world. The USPTO is working to change the narrative around purchasing counterfeit products and informing consumers about the dangers and consequences of purchasing counterfeit goods.

In December 1836, a catastrophic fire at the United States Patent Office destroyed records of American innovation kept since the earliest days of the Republic. We call patents from this era (1790-1836) “X-patents” —not because they’re shrouded in mystery (although they are), but because they predate the numbering system now in use.

Today, the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund facilitates international projects for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world.

Judges at the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) sit in three-judge panels and decide every case based on the applicable law and specific facts in the record. They need to explain their reasoning in a written decision, stating why the prevailing party won the case.

EquIP HQ is a new, web-based portal with free educational resources designed for K-12 educators and learners that expand student learning, creativity and innovation through STEM-based lesson plans. The appointment was announced by Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director Kathi Vidal.

The theme of this year’s three-day USPTO virtual event, held August 10-12, was “Inspiring and redefining the innovative mindset.” From the opening remarks of Inventors Digest publisher and Enventys CEO Louis Foreman to the late-afternoon panel on small business success stories on Day 3, the presentations teemed with inspiration and information.