Pittsburgh Patent Attorneys
We Are Pittsburgh Patent Attorneys With Global Experience.
Having prepared, filed, and prosecuted patent applications (domestic and foreign), our firm is highly respected for its knowledge and patent prosecution.
Our attorneys have experience in all areas of patent law, including:
Patent
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Patent
Applications
Patent
Office Actions
International
Patents
Patent Portfolio Management
Patent
Litigation
Patent
Searching
Patent
Applications
Patent
Office Actions
International
Patents
Patent Portfolio Management
Patent
Litigation
Protect Your Ideas, Inventions, and brands.
Whether you need a single patent application ushered through the legal system or your patent defended against infringement, Ference & Associates provides cost-effective legal services and strategic business counsel to a wide range of clients.
Pittsburgh-based Ference & Associates appears as counsel on over 1,000 issued U.S. patents. Together, our professionals have over eighty years of patent prosecution experience, and have prosecuted U.S. patents, PCT international patent applications, and foreign patent applications. We have ongoing matters in over 90 countries from Argentina to Vietnam and can assist you with all aspects of the patent process.
Our full-service intellectual property attorneys provide patent protection for Fortune 500 companies and successful entrepreneurs. The firm handles complex intellectual property portfolios and litigation for small start-ups.
With most of our attorneys educated in the Pittsburgh area, our Western Pennsylvania roots are deep. We are often called upon by other lawyers and companies to work with clients who need Pennsylvania patent legal counsel.
Patents
There are many reasons inventors and businesses obtain patents. One reason is there may be a marketing benefit to being able to say the product is patented. At its core, however, what a patent can do is allow you to prevent others from entering your market. The two most common types of patents are utility patents and design patents. In general terms, a design patent protects the way an article looks and a utility patent protects the way an article is used and works. A design patent protects the ornamental design of an object; the patent claim is for “the ornamental design as shown.” A utility patent is what most people think of when they hear the term patent.
Once the time period for obtaining a patent has passed, it is not possible to get a valid patent. In the United States, a grace period is given, and a patent application may be filed no later than one (1) year after public disclosure or sale of the invention. That is, after that one (1) year period the invention is no longer “new.” Other countries are absolute novelty countries; that is, a patent application must be filed prior to any public disclosure or sale.
The Patent Application Process
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The first step is the drafting of the patent application. We help guide you through this process to make sure the application is filed correctly and that the language and information is written with the most likelihood of getting approved.
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The next step is the USPTO examination of the patent application. We are the contact point for the patent examiner. We respond to any objections or rejections made the examiner. These interactions are called “Office Actions (OAs).” When hiring a patent attorney, it’s important to review their track record with OAs because the more OAs, the more expensive the patent will be. Ference & Associates has an outstanding low OA record in many industry categories, which makes our patent prosecution cost effective for our clients. Additionally, we are willing to work on a fixed fee basis, which makes the patent costs somewhat predictable and keeps the costs from escalating to very large amounts very quickly.
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Once the objections or rejections have been adequately addressed by the USPTO, the patent is granted.
It is not necessary to have a prototype in order to file an application. All that is required is the ability to explain your idea in a manner that someone can read your patent application and understand your idea and how to practice your idea.
Once your patent has been granted, you as the owner have the right to sue infringers. In other words, if someone else uses, makes, or sells your invention without your consent you are able to sue them.
Contained in a Patent Application
The patent application must be adequately detailed so that it allows a trained person in the field to create and use the claimed invention. The application must define what’s new about the item or process compared to what already exists. If the patent Examiner denies an application, the applicant can appeal the denial to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
A patent application must contain the following:
- Title of the invention
- List of related patent applications
- Summary of the invention
- Detailed description of the invention
- Drawings that explain the invention in detail
- Claims
If a patent holder has reason to believe someone has infringed on their rights, s/he has various routes to pursue enforcement. After contacting a patent law attorney, the patent holder is able to pursue a court action, seeking both an injunction and an award of damages.
A patent holder is also able to file a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission. While the ITC does not award damages, patent holders may pursue both ITC enforcement and legal remedies.
Ference & Associates
We are an intellectual property boutique law firm. Unlike working with our large firm counterparts, with Ference & Associates, you have direct access to senior lawyers and professionals who know the ins and outs of your patent needs and can address all of your important questions and concerns.