Australia and New Zealand have agreed to implement a streamlined patent application process that would allow inventors in both countries to file a single patent application by 2013 and request a single patent examination by 2014. Details about the Trans-Tasman Patents Plan were announced in July.
The Davenport Public Library is the newest member of the USPTO’s library network and the first new site to be designated a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC). There are now 81 libraries in the network, which was formerly known as the Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) Program.
Office supply geeks around the world are abuzz over a new paperclip called the Acco Klix. The metal, jaw-type, multicolored clips are said to be an improvement over traditional wire and sheet-metal paperclips, although they are much more expensive (10 for $3.99).
Paperclips are classified in ECLA under B42F1, “Sheets temporarily attached together without perforating; Means therefor”. The code for jaw-type clips is B42F1/00C.
Illinois-based Acco holds more than 400 U.S. patents for office supplies and equipment.
On Tuesday, August 16, the USPTO issued patent no. 8,000,000 to Second Sight Medical Products for a visual prosthesis apparatus. The provisional application was filed on Oct. 19, 2006. Second Sight’s patent portfolio consists of about 90 U.S. patents and published applications, plus more than 250 worldwide.
The USPTO issued fewer patents but published more applications in the second quarter of 2011. The number of patents declined by 5.1 percent to 58,920. The number of published applications increased by 6.1 percent to 83,279. The USPTO has issued more than 120,000 patents in the first six months of 2011, a slight increase over the same period last year.
Table 1. Quarterly Patent Document Counts*
2011 ….. Patents (B) ….. PGPubs (A) ….. Total (A + B)
Q1 ….. 62,132 ….. 78,481 ….. 140,613
Q1 ….. 58,920 ….. 83,279 ….. 142,199
*Based on preliminary weekly data from the USPTO website. Totals may change after the fact due to withdrawn patents and published applications.
Table 2. Number Ranges, Jan. 1 through June 30, 2011
Utility patents ….. 7,861,317 – 7,971,266 (109,316)
Reissues ….. RE42,020 – RE42,509 (488)
PGPubs ….. 2011/0000001 – 2011/0078,838 (78,481)
Designs ….. D629,996 – D640,855 (10,843)
Plants …… PP20,816 – PP22,000 (397)
SIRs ….. H2,251-H2,258 (8)
July 13, 2011 was the 175th anniversary of the granting of U.S. patent no. 1, issued to Senator John Ruggles of Thomaston, Maine. Senator Ruggles was chair of the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office and the chief framer of the 1836 Patent Act, which came into force on July 4. The Act abolished the old patent registration system that had been in force since 1793 and re-introduced an examination system based on novelty and non-obviousness. Senator Ruggle’s invention was a wheel traction system for steam locomotives. It has been cited in several patents including US 6,725,751, issued in 2004 for a “rotary punching apparatus”.
NTIS is now offering public access to USPTO training materials used to train patent examiners and trademark attorneys. The catalogue includes about 70 modules of varying lengths.
The USPTO has enhanced its PAIR system (Patent Application Information Retrieval) by adding a tab for cited references under which is listed all references cited by the examiner and application, including patents and NPL (non-patent literature) documents. Cited US and foreign patent documents may be downloaded but not NPL (for copyright reasons).
Interesting article in the WSJ about a false patent marking case involving Wham-O, maker of frisbees. The company is the latest defendant in a string of lawsuits against firms accused of marking their products with patent numbers that are long expired. The frisbee or “fying disc” was conceived by Walter F. Morrison in 1938. He patented the design in 1958, D183,626, and then sold the rights to Wham-O. There are over 200 patents classified in USPC 446/46, the main class for flying disc toys.
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