Three Innovative Exhibits in Washington DC

In the US, there’s no better place to learn about the history of patents than the US capital city, Washington DC.  The central headquarters for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is located in Alexandria, VA, right outside of DC.  Due to the proximity of the USPTO, many patent law firms and patent support services (such as Landon IP, the provider of Intellogist) are located within the DC region. Many local museums in DC also host patent and invention-related exhibits, including the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum at the USPTO headquarters, an exhibit on patent models at the Smothsonian American Art Museum, and an exhibit on inventions from Muslim civilization at the National Geographic Museum.

After the jump, learn more about these three innovative exhibits that you can visit in Washington DC!

Awarding the Top US Innovators

Do you know a scientist, engineer, or innovator who deserves the highest honors in the nation for their scientific or technological achievements? A nation-wide search is currently being conducted for the top innovators, engineers, and scientists in the US, and you can help! Send in nominations by March 31, 2012 for top scientists and engineers for the National Medal of Science and top technological innovators for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

After the jump, learn more about each award, who can be nominated, and how to nominate them!

An Incredible Free Patent Citation Search and Analysis Tool: The CCD

Citation search and analysis tools are available in many subscription patent databases; PatBase allows users to view both patent and non-patent literature citations for entire patent families, and users can view the citations graphically through “citation trees.” A July 2011 update to PatBase added the additional features of a citation timeline and citation line graph.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was a patent citation tool, with similar functions to the PatBase citation features, that was also free?  Thanks to the EPO, JPO, and USPTO, such a tool now exists.  The Common Citation Document (CCD) allows users to view documents cited by the EPO, USPTO, JPO, and PCT citations for patent families related to a specific patent application.  The CCD application includes the capability to view full-text of cited patent documents, the division of cited documents in a list by source of citation and connection to a specific patent application, the category of relevance for EPO citations,  a compilation of “classifications and fields searched” for an entire patent family, and a timeline view to illustrate the time span for a collection of citations.

Read on for a detailed description of the coverage, features, and functions of the CCD application!

Petapator: Enhancing USPTO Search

The art and science of patent searching can be a very personal subject. Patent analysts often gravitate towards using search systems, browsers, or tools that reflect their sensibilities and needs. This means that two excellent patent analysts might use an altogether different setup and be equally productive.

Today we’ll look at another Google Chrome extension that can help your patent searching abilities: Petapator.

Petapator is a continuation of the Aspator add-on for Firefox by the same author, serving to enhance search on the USPTO website with a number of neat features that can save users time and add to their prior art toolbelt.

Read on as we take a look at Petapator and how it can help you enhance your search on the USPTO website!

Update on Cooperative Patent Classification

It’s a little more than a year away, and it’s going to change patent information in a big way.

What is it?

It’s the Cooperative Patent Classification.

Last week the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched a homepage for the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). This important milestone denotes progress on this giant and important project that we continue to be excited about.

Read along as we tell you the state of the CPC, why it’s important, and where we’re headed!

PATINEX 2011 Lessons Learned from Seoul, Korea

The PATINEX 2011 Expo in Seoul, Korea was a great event that provided numerous insights into the worldwide patent landscape. The two keynote speakers, US CAFC Chief Judge Randall R. Rader and USPTO Deputy Director Teresa Stanek Rea, were especially impressive and had a lot of interesting things to say about the future of the patent system in the United States.

What follows are some notes from what they said at PATINEX as well as some editorial insight.

The Literature Search Secrets of U.S. Patent Examiners

Patent attorneys and applicants would love to know what material the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)  Examiners will be searching when they investigate new patent applications.   Wouldn’t it be great if, in addition to checking the Intellogist Resource Finder, we had a sneak peek at a list of all the USPTO’s subscription databases?  And wouldn’t it be even better if we could see which databases are best for which US patent classifications?  Well, I have good news.  This information is all free on the web, in the USPTO Search Templates!  Read on to find out more about how to see this “secret” (yet very public) information.

Interview with Marla Grossman: The Future of Patent Information

Today we’re proud to bring you an extensive and fascinating interview with Marla Grossman, the Executive Director of the Coalition for Patent and Trademark Information Dissemination. We discuss a range of topics related to patent information and the US patent system that we know you’ll enjoy.

Marla Grossman joined American Continental Group in 2010 and brings a reputation for being one of the nation’s preeminent IP and technology lobbyists. Through her wide network of contacts in the Washington community and across the country, she has worked with a diverse portfolio of clients, including associations and Fortune 500® technology, health care, financial and traditional manufacturing companies. She brings ACG’s clients expertise in strategic public policy planning and representation before federal agencies and Congress.

Before joining ACG, Ms. Grossman was a partner at PCT Government relations, a consulting firm focused on IP and technology government relations matters. Prior to that, Ms. Grossman was a partner at the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand (now part of DLA Piper US LLP), where she headed the Internet Ventures Practice Group.

Ms. Grossman has lectured extensively on IP, technology and entertainment issues and has served as a guest lecturer at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government from 1995-2000. Ms. Grossman received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale University (Phi Beta Kappa). She is admitted to the Maryland and District of Columbia bars.

Why might the USPTO be headed down a dangerous path with regards to data quality? What’s the best path forward for patent office collaboration? Will the USPTO get the funding it needs? Read on to find out!

Patent News Sources: Patent Information News from the EPO

The patent information industry is a swift and deep river of information. There’s so much new info every day that one needs to come up with a plan just to stay abreast of the state of the profession. On the other hand, each distinct topic and subtopic could be delved into for days to years at a time. Consider Alien Property Custodian documents or F-Index/F-Terms — both subjects that are steeped in patent history and varying degrees of present-day relevance that can help one understand this industry.

With that in mind, in addition to Intellogist, it helps to have a variety of current awareness sources at hand with which to better navigate this information river.

Today I’ll be telling you a little bit about the Patent Information News publication from the European Patent Office (EPO). I’ll tell you what it comprises and why you should be following this free information source. Read on as we examine the Patent Information News!

Gear Grinder #4.5: Children and Patents

Introductory Note: Welcome back to “Gear Grinder with Danny Rooney.” This week we have Danny’s chipper cousin Stevie to fill in. We aim to bring this series to you on the first and third Thursdays of the month. Here are our previous installments: #1, #2, #3, and #4. This post is based on a fictitious character!

Like our distant cousin Wayne, Danny Rooney’s been suspended this week for getting his gears ground a little too hard and dropping some choice swear-bombs on the unassuming children across the world.

In his place I, Stevie Rooney, will be bringing you something to smile about regarding the patent world. Inspired by a blog post I saw about a child’s reaction to finding out that their parent was a patent researcher, today I’ll be talking about the USPTO’s fun website designed to educate kids about the world of intellectual property. Read on for the antidote to being grumpy at work!