State of Rhode Island Grants: $5,000 Per Inventor through May 1 The Invention Incentive is a State of Rhode Island reimbursement grant that covers up to $5,000 of application filing fees incurred when filing patents. The deadline for applying is May 1, 2026 at 5 PM. Eligible expenses: Services provided by a USPTO registered patent …
The Patent Process in a Nutshell: Everything Inventors Need to Know Total Estimated Years of Your Life: 2 — 6 1. 99% Perspiration Once your great idea has hatched, the first step is to check whether it’s patentable. This is where a prior-art search comes in. It not only determines whether an invention already exists; …
You’ve obtained patent protection: Congratulations! Now to sell your product. The US Patent and Trademark office can help with that. On Wednesday, February 11, from 7–8:30 p.m. ET (4–5:30 p.m. PT), the USPTO will show you how to understand your customers and analyze the competition. Whether you are evaluating a new concept, preparing to pitch …
For many inventors and businesses, the patent examination process can feel like a black box—mysterious, slow, and hard to understand. The USPTO is opening that box in their next edition of After Hours IP: Innovations on your schedule series, Tuesday, January 20, 5-6 p.m. PT (8-9 p.m. ET) for a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how patent applications …
Did you know that the global toy and game market is valued at $325 billion? Learn from USPTO and industry experts about protecting your toy or game invention tomorrow, Thursday December 18, 3-5:30 p.m. ET. A Toy’s Journey: Ideation to creation, protection to commercialization, and sales to enforcement is offered online and in person. Topics: …
Independent Inventors: Learn about the entire patent-filing process, start to finish. The USPTO offers a free fundamentals course in a three-day workshop from October 14 through 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET each day. The Stakeholder Application Readiness Training (StART) is for independent inventors, entrepreneurs, and anyone working for or with a small …
Our youtube video, How to Prepare a Provisional Patent Application, has reached 10 thousand views! We made this video as a service to independent inventors. It is but one step in the patent process, which we covered in an earlier post. Scott Keeley, our principal, is a licensed patent agent (#74622) who enjoys working with …
There are no “international” patents. To protect intellectual property in other countries, we file foreign patent applications, but in certain jurisdictions that cover those countries, as well as individual countries. There is an international application that leads to patents in specific countries, but there is no single patent or application that protects an invention globally. …
Filing a patent application: all the steps you need to know. 1. Do a Prior-Art Search. To determine whether your invention already exists and to gauge the “state of the art,” we do a prior-art search. It’s optional, but we strongly advise it. Here’s why. 2. File a Provisional Patent Application. A provisional patent …
Before you spend all that time and money applying for a patent for that cool innovation, perhaps you’d like to determine its chances of patentability. The USPTO has a webinar series just for that. It’s called Think Like an Examiner, offering four days of workshops (with homework), from Tuesday, August 5, through Friday the 8th. …