Gordon T.T., Cookfair A.S. Patent Fundamentals for Scientists and Engineers

Lewis Publishers, 2000, -155 p.Although the first patent law was passed in 1790, patents have been a mysterious subject filled with misconceptions and ideas. The patent professionals who understood the patent laws and their benefits were a limited group of people, and their knowledge was not transferred to the broad group of experimenters, scientists, and engineers who generate patentable inventions. The understanding of what a patent is, how it is obtained, and its value is still a mystery.
This edition of Patent Fundamentals for Scientists and Engineers will attempt to solve that problem. This book should provide to the independent inventor as well as to members of the scientific and business community — whether a scientist, engineer, supervisor, manager, or senior scientist — an overview of the patent system. The book also provides a guide to assist them in their dealings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as with patent professionals. The patent profession consists of attorneys and agents, whose duties are to evaluate the concept, prepare the application, prosecute the application, and obtain the maximum protection for the inventor. The inventor and the businessman should participate in all these steps.
The patent system is also designed to promote the incentive for others to improve on the invention and enlarge the field of technology. This is a vital aspect of our system and has been very successful in the 200+ years it has been in existence. During those years, there have been changes in the system, but the basic tenets established at its creation still exist. Modifications and new applications are constantly occurring. Those changes will occur in the future, but the system will remain strong and will continue to foster advances in science and technology.Patents as Intellectual Property
Patents — History, Philosophy, and Purpose
The U.S. Patent System
The Canadian Patent System
The Patentable Invention
The Evolution of a Patent
The Patent Document As Technical Literature
The Basic Principles of Patent Searching
Searching by Hand or Computer?
Patents As Legal Documents
Patent Information from the Internet
Importance of Record-Keeping
Patents Around the World