Essentials of Patents (eBook)

Andy Gibbs is President and CEO of PatentCafe.com, Inc. Heis an inventor with 7 US and foreign patents (awarded and pending)for innovation in sports equipment, medical devices, automotiveaccessories, electronics & electrical connectors andmerchandising aids. Gibbs is also an entrepreneur with more than 20years experience in product--market development, strategicplanning, and general business operations. He is a hands-oninventor/entrepreneur and an executive level strategist. Mr. Gibbshas provided intellectual property assessment, pre-investmentanalysis, operations and staffing analysis, litigation support andtechnical evaluations for venture capital firms, operating managersand independent inventors. The breadth of Mr. Gibbs' businessexperience includes front-line arbitration & litigation inSuperior & Federal Courts; expert witness, and businessStrategic Alliances or joint marketing development programs(Chrysler, Hertz, Isuzu, Samsonite, US Olympic Ski Team, others);Product Development Clients: ADAC Labs, DAEWOO Corp. (Korea),System Industries, National Semiconductor, Memorex, many others).Mr. Gibbs speaks internationally on intellectual property issues,has appeared on CNN/fn "Entrepreneurs Only" with Donald Van deMark, has been interviewed on various business, invention andpatent-related topics by Wired Magazine, Wall StreetJournal, USA Today, the New York Times, SanJose Business Journal, Sacramento's Comstock's, and numerousother regional publications, and has appeared as guest speaker onSan Francisco's KGO talk radio. Sixteen years ago Bob DeMatteis had an idea he wanted topursue. He pursued that idea, patented it, and today has 20 U.S.Patents and 7 pending. Bob owns 16 of those patents--all of whichhave been licensed and have made money. You can compare his trackrecord to what is reported by the U.S. Patent Office--thatonly 3% of patents ever earn money for the inventor! Sales of Bob'sinventions exceed $25 million a year and are used by nationalgiants such as Sears, McDonald's, Walgreens, Kroger and Subway. Youhave most likely used some of Bob's innovations at one time oranother, when you carry out merchandise in one of the stores'printed plastic bags. Bob is one of the original developers of theplastic grocery sack, and is recognized as an innovative leader inthe packaging industry. Bob's inventions and patents do not focuson engineering or scientific advances, but on making products"people friendly". His friendly, enthusiastic manner of traininggets only rave reviews from participants. Bob is also the author ofthe bestseller book,From Patent to Profit, publishedby Penguin Putnam Press. Today, Bob is an internationally knowninventor, author, in-demand speaker and a Certified Seminar Leaderof the American Seminar Leaders Association. He is also acontributor and speaker on inventing and innovating at numerouscolleges and universities plus the SBDC (Small Business DevelopmentCenters) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and their manyDepository Libraries.

Preface.

Introduction.

1 Patents: High Stakes, High Value, High Liability.

2 Patent Licensing.

3 Patent Strategy.

4 Patent Tactics.

5 Managing Patents in the Marketing Department.

6 Managing Patents in the Engineering Department.

7 Managing Patents in Manufacturing and Operations.

8 Managing Patents in the Finance Department.

9 Managing Patents in the Human Resources Department.

10 Managing Patents in the Information Technology Department.

11 Patent Management and the Corporate/
IP Counsel.

12 Patent Management Paradigm for the CEO/
ICO.

Index of Organizations.

Index.

"Gibbs and DeMatteis give us a very up-to-date and clear entrypoint into patent management in the context of the real world ofbusiness, including insightful perspectives on finance, banking,taxes, and insurance. Both the generalist and specialist willbenefit form learning how to deal with patents in a variety ofestablished business systems."
--Steve Fox, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel forIntellectual Property, Hewlett-Packard Company

"At last, a quality reference text I can heartily recommend tomy corporate clients and independent inventors alike. DeMatteis andGibbs have drawn upon a wealth of experience in pulling together aremarkable book deftly placing invention and the US Patent Systemin a real-world business context."
--Don Kelly, CEO, Intellectual Asset Management Associates, LLC,and former Director, US Patent and Trademark Office.

"... compelling, 'how-to' manual for generating and fostering asustainable patent-consciousness in all corporate employees, now acritical task in our knowledge-driven economy. The authors talkdirectly to each role and suggest what each individual must do tocreate, grow, and protect shareholder value through the developmentand exploitation of patents. This is a cornerstone book which willdefinitely impact the business processes in corporateAmerica."
--Lucy Teixeira Akers, Chairman, PIUG, Inc. - TheInternational Society for Patent Information, and former IPManagement Program Team Leader, ExxonMobil Chemical Co.

"It's about time someone wrote a book on managing your patentsso you can get real time results! Every start-up company andinventor must read this book if they plan to partner their patentedinnovations; this book will be one of the first books in ourlibrary that we'll recommend to our clients."
--Steve Schneider, Coordinator, Sawyer Center, Redwood EmpireSBDC

"Successful companies already have realized the value of patentmanagement ... the remaining companies must learn how to managetheir patent rights or become extinct. the authors show howeffective Patent Quality Management (PQM) can be mastered by allmanagers, not just in-house counsel. One of the top five books allintellectual property managers should have on their desk."
--Michael S. Neustel, U.S. Patent Attorney

"Essentials of Patents gives the reader a practical view of thebusiness side of patents. As such it will prove valuable tobusiness professionals as it treats all aspects of maximizing thevalue of patent property. The book should also provide patentattorneys insight into their customers and their needs. Even wirehaired inventors and some bald inventors will find this a usefulbook."
--James L. Fergason, inventor of the liquid crystal display (LCD),holder of more than 125 patents in 47 countries, and inductee tothe National Inventors Hall of Fame

"Patents are becoming a significant contributor to shareholdervalue. Essentials of Patents presents a solid model for integrationof senior managers, who were traditionally considered by corporateengineering and legal staff to be 'patent outsiders', into thePatent Value Equation."
--Vern Norviel, General Counsel, Perlegen Sciences, Inc.

"Every Small Business Development Center, every manufacturingfacilitation organization, every inventor's support group, everylaw office, every college and university needs at least one copy ofthe Essentials of Patents for client, customer and student use.This clearly written book, by two experienced, successful andarticulate inventors will make our jobs easier when we facilitatethe patent process. Thanks Gibbs and DeMatteis for another bookwell done!"
--Mary Wollesen, Director, Sierra College Small BusinessDevelopment Center