A Flock of Angry Birds
December 23rd, 2011
How the Crowd Can Help Find Prior Art By Cheryl Milone Prior art research is playing an increasingly important role for companies and inventors with potential exposure to intellectual property litigation. Millions of dollars in legal expenses are being spent to understand the true value of patents. In some cases, entire industries are threatened by [...]
Five Questions With … Val Valgardson
December 21st, 2011
Val Valgardson is the technical director at Suburban Artworks, which specializes in 3D product imaging. The company has built a reputation producing top-notch virtual prototypes, 3D illustrations, architectural renderings, 3D floor plans, animations, product images, sell sheets, webpages and logos. Suburban Artworks can turn your cocktail napkin sketch into a professional 3D drawing. We talked with Val [...]
Rev Your 3D Software Engines
December 20th, 2011
By James Richardson A hundred years ago if you wanted to make a prototype, you broke out your hammer, chisel, lumber, metal, forge and other brawny hardware. Today, you use a keyboard and a mouse. Although 3D modeling software has been around for many years, it was very expensive and used mainly by large corporations. [...]
Do-It-Yourself Patent-Infringement Policing
December 14th, 2011
It turns out Rich Holmes, assistant general counsel for Edison Nation, didn’t need his law degree to fight knock-off operations that were trafficking in one of the company’s top-selling products, the Gyro Bowl. This year Holmes discovered shady Chinese manufacturers selling cheap imitations of the Gyro Bowl on eBay and Alibaba. “I saw a photo [...]
Patent Reform Fails to Halt Fee Diversion
December 12th, 2011
That Giant Sucking Sound The America Invents Act approved in September directly affects independent inventors and patent filers of all stripes. We examine how the new law alters the playing field – and what you need to know to avoid new pitfalls and take advantage of new opportunities. By Joshua Nightingale Despite the America Invents [...]
Patent Law Takes Out ‘False Marking’ Trolls
December 9th, 2011Aftershocks of the America Invents Act The America Invents Act approved in September directly affects independent inventors and patent filers of all stripes. We examine how the new law alters the playing field – and what you need to know to avoid new pitfalls and take advantage of new opportunities. By Robert M. Bryan and [...]
Hurry, Scurry So You Don’t Fret & Worry
December 7th, 2011America Invents Act The new law compels inventors to file patent applications early The America Invents Act approved in September directly affects independent inventors and patent filers of all stripes. We examine how the new law alters the playing field – and what you need to know to avoid new pitfalls and take advantage of [...]
Actress-Turned-Inventor Puts Ahh in a Bra
December 6th, 2011
Help Me Rhonda Rhonda Shear began her career as an entertainer after being crowned Miss Louisiana USA back in the day. She went on to appear in low-budget films and earned a Best B-Movie Actress award for her work in Prison A Go-Go. We never heard of it, either, but it’s always nice to be [...]
How to Package Your Product
December 5th, 2011
Presentation can be as important as the product itself By B. Collins Scott Lucas has bad news for those who hate clamshell packaging, the nearly impossible-to-open clear plastic fortress that encases many consumer goods – it’s not going away. While many holiday shoppers may lament this fact as they slice, gnaw and wrestle to free [...]
USPTO Looking for New Satellite Locations
November 30th, 2011
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking suggestions on where to put potential new satellite offices. “Establishing satellite offices in geographically diverse areas of the country will allow the agency to better recruit and retain talented patent professionals and allow the agency to better interact with the applicant community,” said Under Secretary [...]
