There are three main kinds of patents:
Utility Patents cover "inventions" -- a machine, an article of manufacture, a method of doing something, a chemical or DNA sequence or the method of its use, products of genetic engineering, or improvements to any of these things.
Plant Patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers, and asexually reproduces, a new variety of certain kinds of plants. (Note that other kinds of plants, especially those altered by genetic engineering, may be protectable under utility patents).
Design Patents cover the ornamental appearance of a useful device but not its function. For example, the body shape of a Porsche "Targa" automobile and the case of the IBM Selectric® typewriter were the subject of design patents.
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It's no longer necessary to deal with impersonal law firms located in Washington DC or New York City, just because you are dealing with patent, trademark or copyright issues. While it might once have been important for patent attorneys to be physically close to the Patent Office, electronic filing systems, the fax machine, express mail, and e-mail have made it possible for a patent law firm far from the crowds of the major cities to serve a nation- and world-wide clientele as well as, or better than, the expensive big city firms. Inventors, companies, and institutions of all shapes and sizes are coming to realize the many advantages of working with a non-urban, intellectual property firm.
• High quality -- both process & results are important
• Experience in new technologies such as biotechnology, computer hardware/software and telecommunications.
• Low overhead means you don't help finance expensive office space.
• Emphasis on high quality and client satisfaction, not on billable hours or our prestige.
• Inventor involvement in every step of the process.
• Fast, convenient communications via email or fax.
Our inventors have received patents on chemical processing systems, test equipment, musical instruments, vaccines and medical diagnostics, energy systems, furniture, games, tools - you name it. We can do trademark/trade name searches quickly and accurately by computer, and have registered many marks for our clients. We have worked with many computer-related clients on software protection, licensing, distribution agreements, etc.
We can also offer Intellectual Property Litigation, as well as other corporate and business services, through our relationship with the prestigious 100-year-old law firm of Coughlin and Gerhart LLP.
