The Inventors Assistance Program
In November 1999, Congress passed the American Inventors Protection Act. This act, among other things, laid the foundation for the establishment of the Inventors Assistance Program (IAP).
The principal mission of this office is to ensure USPTO-based support and encouragement of independent inventors and small business concerns. Through innovative educational outreach programs and a nationwide network of contacts, IAP offers a variety of resources to assist inventors with patent and trademark application processes. In addition, the office has taken aggressive measures to protect inventors from the growing menace of fraudulent invention-marketing firms.
USPTO independent inventors make up a substantial segment of the USPTO’s customer base. IAP has established a variety of outreach efforts to provide educational services designed for the independent inventor. Outreach teams travel across the country holding inventor workshops on intellectual property. A list of upcoming workshops is available on the Independent Inventors Resource page at www.uspto.gov. The topics covered at these workshops include …
◆ Basic facts about patents and trademarks and the types of intellectual property protection.
◆ Advice on avoiding scam promotion and marketing firms, and what to look out for when getting advice.
◆ Tips on preparing patent and trademark applications.
◆ Help for writing patent claims—the do’s and don’ts of claim construction.
◆ Updates on new rule changes affecting independent inventors.
◆ Hands-on computer search training so you can check to see if a patent or trademark already exists on a discovery.
◆ Hot technology discussions on Internet business methods, software, and biotechnology patents.
These specialized services are designed to help you with questions relating to your invention on a specific and personal level.
IAP also works closely with the nationwide network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs). PTDLs are public, state, and academic libraries that, like OIIP, disseminate patent and trademark information and support the diverse intellectual property needs of the public. PTDLs are a good place to find out if someone else has already patented your invention or obtained a federal registration for a trademark on goods or services similar to what you are seeking to use.
Notable Quotables
Just keep working hard, test models well ... [and] keep in contact with potential customers to find out what types of products they want.
—Ray Lohr, inventor, the Big Wheel
Here are some more of IAP’s ongoing nationwide outreach programs:
◆ Annual Independent Inventor Conferences that provide comprehensive programs dedicated to serving and educating the independent inventor
◆ On-campus workshops held at universities throughout the country
◆ Workshops run in partnership with PTDL across the nation
◆ Participation in conferences run by professional organizations groups such as the American Society for Engineering Education
◆ Outreach team meetings with regional inventor and entrepreneurial organizations, such as the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
Best of all, many of the resources available through the Office of Independent Inventor Programs and PTDLs are free of charge. For information on any of these initiatives, consult the USPTO website or call 1-866-767-3848. IAP is managed by John Calvert (571-272-4983). He is supported by Cathie Kirik (571-272-8040).
Fast Facts
In 1994, one of America’s most prolific inventors, the late Jerome H. Lemelson, and his wife, Dorothy, established the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Administered solely by MIT and based at the Sloan School of Management, the program is chaired by internationally recognized economist Professor Lester C. Thurow. The mission of the program is to inspire new generations of American scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs by celebrating, through awards and educational activities, living role models in these fields. The national Lemelson-MIT Awards consist of the world’s largest single prize for invention and innovation, the annual half-million-dollar Lemelson-MIT Prize, as well as the annual Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Least You Need to Know
◆ Uncle Sam provides ways to protect your inventions.
◆ Consult a competent patent lawyer.
◆ Write your ideas down in a notebook, and have them witnessed.
◆ Patents and trademarks can be money in the bank.
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