Can multiple inventors be named on a patent application?
Yes. A patent application may name multiple joint inventors when each person contributed to the conception of at least one claimed invention. The inventors do not need to contribute equally, work at the same time or location, or contribute to every claim. A person is not an inventor merely because that person followed instructions, performed […]
What is the difference between an inventor and an applicant?
An inventor is an individual who contributed to the conception of at least one claimed invention. Inventorship is based on the substance of the inventive contribution—not job title, funding, supervision, authorship, or company ownership. A company cannot be an inventor. The applicant is the person or entity authorized to file and pursue the patent application. […]
Who owns a patent?
Inventorship and ownership are different concepts. The actual inventors must be correctly identified in the patent application. Ownership, however, may be transferred by a written assignment—for example, from an inventor to an employer, startup, or other company. The ownership analysis can depend on employment agreements, assignment documents, company formation records, and other facts. The applicant […]
What is the difference between a provisional and a non-provisional patent application?
A provisional patent application can establish an early U.S. filing date for disclosed subject matter. It is not examined, does not contain claims as a formal requirement, and does not mature into a patent by itself. A corresponding non-provisional application must be filed within 12 months to claim the benefit of the provisional filing date. […]
What is a utility patent?
A utility patent protects functional and technical aspects of an invention. Examples may include mechanical devices, electrical systems, manufacturing methods, control processes, software-related technologies, chemical compositions, and improvements to existing products or processes. To obtain a utility patent, an applicant generally files a non-provisional utility patent application that includes a written description, drawings when needed, […]
What types of patents are available in the United States?
The United States has three principal types of patents: Most of Mattis IP’s work concerns utility patent applications for engineering- and technology-based inventions. The appropriate form of protection depends on what is inventive: how something works, how it is constructed, how it is used, or—in the case of a design patent—how it looks.
What is a patent?
A U.S. patent is a right granted by the federal government for a qualifying invention. It generally gives the patent owner, for a limited period, the right to exclude others in the United States from making, using, selling, offering to sell, or importing the patented invention. A patent does not automatically give its owner permission […]