Most Popular
1500 questions
18
votes
2 answers
Is use in foreign countries a bar to patentability?
If an invention is in use in a foreign country, but it is not patented in that country (or any other countries), and it is not the subject of a printed publication anywhere, could that invention be patented in the U.S.A.?
bib
- 751
- 8
- 10
18
votes
1 answer
What should I do if my name is missing from a patent?
While working for a company, I contributed inventions that eventually became issued patents. While all other members of the team I worked on are named on those patents, my name is missing.
What should I do to ensure that my name is added to patents…
orome
- 1,106
- 13
- 20
18
votes
10 answers
How to get a patent or patent application permalink at the USPTO website?
I'd like to link to certain patents or patent applications filed with the USPTO.
Google Patents makes this relatively straightforward, hosting patents & applications at this URL scheme:
http://www.google.com/patents/[publication number]
URL…
samthebrand
- 1,189
- 12
- 18
17
votes
28 answers
Relational Database - Using Objects to Access A Relational Database (DataTern) - Issued Patent - PRIOR ART REQUEST
DataTern has Patent No. 5,937,402 on using objects to access a relational database. The patent was issued in 1999, and obviously people were using objects to access databases since the 80's.
Basically, any software written in the past 15 years that…
Almoni
- 171
- 1
- 3
17
votes
3 answers
What does the term 'commodity' mean in patent 7,222,078?
Patent 7,222,078 (USPTO) (one of the Lodsys patents), uses the term 'commodity' repeatedly throughout the patent, for example:
In an exemplary system, information is received at a central location from different units of a commodity.
Many of the…
Michael Pryor
- 584
- 6
- 19
17
votes
4 answers
How do you determine a patent expiration date?
How can I determine the lifetime of a patent?
For example, how can I tell when Patent US 7,055,282 B2 expires?
Zac
- 171
- 1
- 1
- 3
17
votes
18 answers
CALL FOR PRIOR ART: (Nintendo) Object transparency based on distance in virtual environment
TITLE: Computer-Readable Storage Medium, Information Processing System, And Information Processing Method
App Number: 13/028,329
Publication Number: US 2012/0146993 A1
Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Prior Art Cutoff Date: predating December 09,…
PHOSITA
- 1,016
- 1
- 9
- 12
17
votes
1 answer
Prior art for Apple's Magsafe
Having read through the claims of Magsafe patent #7311526, I am not sure how it differs from previous examples of magnetic power connectors. What exactly is the novelty being claimed in that particular patent?
Certain deep fryers have had a magnetic…
Jess
- 271
- 3
- 3
17
votes
1 answer
Prior art for ice cream maker insulated with inflatable cushion
US Patent Application US20120207901: INFLATABLE CUSHION
Claim #1 describes an ice cream maker assembly comprising of an inflatable cushion to insulate a an ice cream maker apparatus inside. The rest of the claims generally describe the shape and…
Robert Cartaino
- 613
- 1
- 12
- 22
17
votes
3 answers
Prior art for a simple versioning system on a document database
US Patent Application US20120226658: Data model versioning for document databases
Claim #1 describes an extremely simple versioning system for a document database:
A method, comprising:
reading, by a processing device, a first version tag, the…
David Fullerton
- 271
- 1
- 8
16
votes
7 answers
Prior art for a web-based system for commissioning software development
Maybe oDesk or eLance are the prior art, but this patent on providing software development services via a website probably has loads of prior art.
US20120240097 A1 — Method of providing software development services
Claim 1:
A method of enabling…
Michael Pryor
- 584
- 6
- 19
16
votes
5 answers
Does looking at prior art searches pose a risk for engineers?
Due to triple damage provisions of patent law, for knowingly violating a patent, many companies bar engineers from visiting the USPTO site or looking at any patents. Do these sites which help with online patent searches also pose a similar risk for…
Jim Wallace
- 263
- 1
- 8
16
votes
24 answers
User Interface - Changing icon appearance based on frequency of use (Samsung) - Patent Application - PRIOR ART REQUEST
AN OVERBROAD PATENT ON DISPLAYING ICONS - This application from Samsung seeks to patent the idea of... changing icon appearance based on their frequency of use! 10 minutes of your time can help narrow US patent applications before they become…
Micah Siegel
- 3,085
- 1
- 21
- 45
16
votes
4 answers
Can game mechanics be patented?
There's a board game that I really like called Mystery Mansion.
I want to make a similar digital version of the game for various mobile platforms, but I don't want to get sued by Milton Bradley (Now Hasbro) for infringing on their idea.
My game of…
OghmaOsiris
- 263
- 1
- 2
- 5
16
votes
3 answers
Prior art for "Style and layout caching of web content"
Microsoft's application aims to patent:
Methods and systems for style and/or layout caching of Web content are
usable to build reusable style caching trees and cacheable layout
calculations. Such style caching trees may be used to…
kpozin
- 261
- 1
- 3