Perpetual Innovation™: Patent Primer 2.o
Patents, the Great Equalizer of our Time!
An Overview of Intellectual Property with Patenting Cost Estimates for Inventors and Entrepreneurs
By Elmer Hall & Robert Hinkelman
The Patent Primer 2.0 is an overview of intellectual property (IP) protection in the US and globally with a focus on patents and the patenting process. Intellectual property – especially patents – provides one of the greatest competitive advantages of our time. Patents are a great equalizer, putting the individual inventor on the same footing as corporate giants.
Intangible assets have expanded such that most of the value of most companies is non-tangible, especially patents. Even though there is such a huge competitive advantage associated with IP, intangible assets often go unmanaged. IP is generally omitted from the books on new product development, marketing, and business strategy.
With so much depending on intellectual property, inventors and entrepreneurs must have a good understanding of IP tools to be successful. Patent Primer 2.0 is what everyone needs before launching into new product development and invention commercialization. It gives a quick overview of IP and brand building. It addresses the various patent-protection maneuvers. The Primer offers example of costs for a small entity to bring an invention to market-readiness with patent protection. The 2.0 version of the Primer includes major changes in U.S. patent laws and the new fee schedule initiated in March 2013.
The information at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (U.S. PTO web site) has evolved over 200 years into a mixed collage of information. Details are buried within laws, regulations, policies and procedures. Additionally, books on patenting and do-it-yourself patent tools are complicated and obtuse. Less-than-reputable companies with 800 numbers target inventors to “help” with the patenting, licensing and funding.
The 2.0 version of the Patent Primer is a complete rewrite and update of the original primer included in Appendix B of Hall and Hinkelman’s 2007 book on patent commercialization. (Visit: www.lulu.com/spotlight/SBPlan)
Hall and Hinkelman are executives of Strategic BusinessPlanning Company, a company that does consulting, helping businesses and individuals Plan for Sustainable Success™. SBP helps innovators build strong IP Business Plans. The company is active in sustainability and advocates initiatives that offer payback of investment in 1 to 5 years while delivering perpetual savings to the business, to the community and to the environment – win, win, win!
