Reg DeAngelo The US Patent and Trademark Office gives inventors a sort of patenting grace period in the form of a provisional patent. Companies and inventors who think they can exploit this can end up burned. Protecting an innovation with a patent is an enduring American tradition dating back to the time of Thomas Jefferson. The patent …
(Originally published Dec 20, 2018) Amazon applied for a patent that decides whether the face in your peephole belongs to a “suspicious” person. “Generating Composite Facial Images Using Audio/Video Recording and Communication Devices” uses facial-recognition technology to compose an image of the face of the person at your door. The image would be sent by smartphone …
Not all patents are created equal. If you browsed through the eight-million-plus patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) since 1836, you would find a surprising number of inventions that would not stand against infringement. Some patents are considered stronger than others. The difference lies not just in the usefulness of …