Jonesboro Patent Attorneys & Lawyers

Key Takeaways

• Patent keyword searches help locate similar inventions and assess patentability.
• Using keywords is a way to help remember confusing words or concepts, improving both learning and search precision.
• Effective patent searches combine keyword strategies with classification systems, Boolean operators, and semantic searches.
• Avoid common pitfalls like missing synonyms, mistranslations, or narrow searches focused only on abstracts.
• Tools like Google Patents, USPTO, and Espacenet enhance search coverage; keeping good search documentation improves results.

What Is a Patent Keyword Search?

A patent keyword search is a type of patent search that helps you locate patents similar to your invention by looking up keywords in various patent databases. By doing a patent keyword search, you get a good sense of whether your invention can be patented or a competing

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The America Invents Act is a major U.S. patent reform law that replaced the first-to-invent system with a first-inventor-to-file framework. Its enactment date was September 16, 2011, but its best-known filing reforms took effect on March 16, 2013.

Key Takeaways

• The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act became law on September 16, 2011.
• The first-inventor-to-file provisions took effect on March 16, 2013, not on the law's enactment date.
• Filing first matters, but a person who copied an invention does not become an inventor merely by filing first.
• AIA Section 102 expanded the prior art framework and preserved li

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Kimble v. Marvel, 576 U.S. 446 (2015), held that a patent owner cannot collect royalties for use of an invention after the patent expires. The Supreme Court affirmed the Ninth Circuit and preserved the rule established in Brulotte v. Thys Co.

Key Takeaways

• Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment, LLC was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 22, 2015.
• The Court held that stare decisis required it to follow Brulotte, which makes post-expiration patent royalties unenforceable.
• The case reached the Supreme Court from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, following proceedings in the District

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Patent exhaustion determines when an authorized sale ends a patent owner's rights over the particular item sold. It affects buyers, resellers, manufacturers, licensees, and patent owners structuring product transactions.

Key Takeaways

• An authorized sale generally exhausts patent rights in the particular item sold.
• The buyer may usually use, resell, repair, or modify that item, but may not make new copies of the patented invention.
• Exhaustion can cover method claims and components that substantially embody a patented invention.
• Post-sale restrictions generally do not preserve patent i

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Key Takeaways

• “Patent pending” means a patent application has been filed, but no patent has yet been granted.
• This status offers a deterrent against copycats but does not provide enforceable rights until a patent is issued.
• Provisional rights may allow inventors to collect royalties once their application is published, but enforcement requires a granted patent.
• Patent pending can be useful for marketing, attracting investors, or negotiating licensing deals.
• Misuse of “patent pending” without a filed application can result in significant fines.
• Provisional patents are cost-effective first steps, but inventor

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