Constructing and Deconstructing Patents

Intellectual property remains the life blood of many businesses, and its proper cultivation and protection are crucial to strengthening a company s competitive advantage, especially now during the recession. Fundamental to preserving the value of IP assets is ensuring that patents are constructed properly from the beginning. Driven by the difficulties he faced in mentoring attorneys and agents on the mechanics of patent application drafting, Irah H. Donner author of the classic BNA Books treatise Patent Prosecution: Law, Practice, and Procedure has now written the seminal guide on the subject: Constructing and Deconstructing Patents. Walking the reader step-by-step through the complexities of drafting a patent application, Constructing and Deconstructing Patents provides a standard methodology patent attorneys and agents can rely on to simplify the process. Regardless of the particular type of patent, or the level of difficulty of its technical subject matter, this treatise will help ensure each section of the patent application is carefully considered and fully developed for submission of the final application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Original, continuation, continuation-in-part, divisional, and provisional patent applications are covered in the text, and examples are taken from the invention types or technologies most regularly filed with the PTO, including mechanical, electrical, and chemical patents. Not only does this book offers expert guidance on the fundamental concepts in patent application drafting, but it also discusses the major areas of patent law that can affect the strength and vitality of a patent years later. Having this expert insight equips litigators and patent attorneys and agents to deconstruct the major elements of a patent, assessing its strengths and weaknesses. This feature is especially important in the context of litigation, with respect to the completeness and satisfaction of the application s requirements and in spotting elements that can be successfully challenged on legal grounds. Patent attorneys and agents engaged in patent application drafting practice before the PTO will find this book to be extremely valuable, as will litigators seeking both to understand the construction of patent applications, and to deconstruct them during litigation. The book s detailed organization makes it accessible as a guide for the new attorney or agent, while its time-tested methodology provides valuable insights for the experienced practitioner and can serve as a checklist review for each phase of constructing and deconstructing patents. With the publication of Constructing and Deconstructing Patents, the author has provided a useful tool attorneys and agents will find invaluable in their work to successfully secure patents.