USPTO Patent

Without USPTO patents protecting them, many products we enjoy today would be lost. Kleenex would have never invented the tissue. A baseball would have been made out of other material besides rawhide and hard rubber. There would be no Yahoo! or Google.

Inventor Tip:

Registering your idea early could be vital to keeping your rights. Sometimes it's a race to the patent office, as was the case with the telephone with two patents being filed the very same day. Do you even know the name of the OTHER guy?

What does USPTO stand for and what is a USPTO patent?

USPTO stands for U.S. Patent and Trade Office. A USPTO patent is a patent issued by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office. These patents are recognized by the USPTO; however, those applying for a USPTO patent must go through a rigorous application progress.

Do I need to hire an attorney to complete the USPTO patent application?

Some people do hire an attorney to assist in filing USPTO patent paperwork. However, an individual can file a USPTO patent application themselves. Individual fees for do-it-yourself filing vary, just as attorney fees for filing a USPTO patent application vary. It may be easier and help to hire an attorney to file a USPTO patent application. Attorneys have special training in understanding patent laws.

How long is a USPTO patent in affect, does this ever vary?

A USPTO patent is in affect for 20 years in most instances. If a patent was obtained before June 8, 1978, the USPTO patent is in affect for 17 years since the patent was issued. Patents involving new drugs on the market are generally in use for about 12 years before other companies will begin issuing a generic option for a brand-name designer drug.

Is a USPTO patent application ever rejected?

A USPTO patent application may be rejected if a client applies for a patent more than a year after their product is on the market and does not list any information pertaining to their patent provisional. A USPTO patent application may also be rejected if a USPTO examiner has valid reasons of why an application should be rejected, i.e. the product could endanger someone’s life and adequate safety measures have not be outlined in the patent application.

I have a product idea, but can I get a USPTO patent?

Inventors will never know if a USPTO patent can be issued until they go through the patent application process and discuss their idea with an attorney specializing in patent law. We would never have thermos today or hot dogs, blankets or aspirin if someone had not invented these things and applied for a USPTO patent. All ideas are considered if inventor applies for a USPTO patent.