Patent-Your-Inventions.com

The U.S. Patent Office (or more properly, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, aka, the USPTO) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors (and businesses) for inventions.

As stated by the USPTO, the organization’s role is as follows:

“For over 200 years, the basic role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has remained the same: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries (Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution). Under this system of protection, American industry has flourished. New products have been invented, new uses for old ones discovered, and employment opportunities created for millions of Americans. The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy depends directly on effective mechanisms that protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. The continued demand for patents and trademarks underscores the ingenuity of American inventors and entrepreneurs. The USPTO is at the cutting edge of the Nation’s technological progress and achievement.”

The agency further states:  “Through the issuance of patents, the USPTO encourages technological advancement by providing incentives to invent, invest in, and disclose new technology worldwide.”

The USPTO is a rather unique agency of the U.S. Government. Since 1991, the USPTO has funded itself through the administration of patent and trademark processing fees.

According to the “USPTO Performance and Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2008″ and other published reports, for the reporting period ending September 30, 2008, the USPTO had 9,518 employees — most of which working out of the agency’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.  About two-thirds of the employees (6,055) were patent examiners.

Patent examiners are the persons who you interface with (typically by written communications and telephone) who review your patent application.  Ultimately, they are the ones who decide whether or not your invention is worthy of a U.S. Patent.

During the course of prosecuting your patent application, patent examiners review previously issued patents and products in your invention’s field — cumulatively called “prior art”.  They then compare the prior art with the basic requirements of patentability.  For more information on these basic requirements, please visit my post entitled, “Is your idea patentable?  Two vital things to consider…”

The patent examiners review your patent application in detail.  For an overview of the basic elements of a patent application, read my post entitled, “How to write a patent application“.

You’ll also want to read my post that outlines the 10 essential elements of a patent application.  Visit my article entitled, “Want to patent an idea?  Here’s what you need to know…”

Well, there you go.  That’s a brief overview of the role of the U.S. Patent Office in obtaining an invention patent.  If I can answer any questions, please let me know.

Happy inventing!

– Eric