Tag: Patent Workflow Automation
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Global Dossier to IDS: One-Click Imports that Actually Work
Most startups don’t think about patents until it’s urgent—and when they finally do, they expect the process to be smooth. But pulling prior art from foreign patent offices into a U.S. Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) is still clunky, slow, and full of room for mistakes. Even with tools like Global Dossier, it’s still way too…
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Auto-Build PTO/SB/08 Forms: From Search Results to E-Filing
Getting a patent is not just about having a great idea. It’s also about handling a pile of paperwork—and doing it right. One of the biggest pain points for startup founders, engineers, and inventors is the PTO/SB/08 form. It sounds like government code (because it is), but it’s basically a list of other patents and…
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QPIDS Explained: Clear Allowance Without an RCE
You’re almost there. Your patent application is on the edge of being allowed, and then—bam—you realize you need to submit one last IDS. Maybe new prior art showed up. Maybe you filed related cases. Either way, if the examiner already gave you a Notice of Allowance, you’re now stuck. Normally, this means filing an RCE…
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Smart IDS Timing: Before FAOM, After Final, or After Allowance?
Getting a patent isn’t just about having a great idea—it’s also about timing. And one of the most misunderstood pieces of timing in the patent process is when to file an IDS, or Information Disclosure Statement. It sounds simple: you’re just telling the USPTO about any related prior art or documents you know about. But…
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De-Duping References at Scale: Family, Kind Code, and Alias Matching
Patents are messy. Not because they’re bad—but because the world is big, inventors are everywhere, and people describe the same thing in different ways. If you’re trying to make sense of a huge stack of patent references, the same invention can show up again and again under different names, different countries, or different codes. It’s…
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Amendment Playbooks: Narrow Smart, Preserve Scope
You’re building something big. You’ve put in late nights, solved tough problems, and finally turned your idea into real tech. Now you’re filing a patent to protect what you’ve built. But here’s the thing most founders don’t realize—getting a patent isn’t the finish line. It’s just the start. What Happens When You File a Patent—And…
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Rule 130 Affidavits: Disqualify Your Own Disclosures Safely
You’re building something big. You’re moving fast. You’re showing your work to investors, pitching at demo days, launching your beta. Then it hits you—did that pitch count as a public disclosure? Did I just ruin my chances of getting a patent? What is a Rule 130 affidavit, really? More than a form—it’s a lifeline for…
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Obviousness-Type Double Patenting: When to Use a Terminal Disclaimer
You’ve built something amazing. Maybe it’s a new hardware setup, a smarter algorithm, a unique user interface—something that’s not just cool, but actually new. You’re protecting it with a patent. Smart move. But here’s the twist most founders don’t see coming: just because your idea is new, doesn’t mean the patent office will say yes…
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Declaration Power (1.132): Data That Defeats 103
If you’re building something new, smart, and maybe even a little bit wild, chances are someone at the patent office is going to tell you it’s “obvious.” They’ll throw Section 103 at you. It’s their way of saying, “This thing you invented? We think someone else could have figured it out too.” What’s a 103…
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File History Judo: Use Estoppel and Statements Against 102/103
Getting a patent isn’t just about filing something smart. It’s about defending it later, too. And one of the smartest, simplest ways to defend your patent is by using what’s already in your file history. That’s what we call file history judo. First, What’s File History? The Hidden Map Behind Every Patent When you file…