Intellectual Property Services at Averill and Green
Patent Searches
We strongly recommend a patent search before drafting and filing a patent application.
This may not be necessary if you are highly sophisticated in the technology of the
invention, but otherwise, we view a search as an excellent investment.
Patent Prosecution
U.S. Patents may be Utility Patents or Design Patents. A Design Patent protects the
appearance of an article, a Utility Patent protects the structure that obtains a desired
result. The first step in obtaining a Utility Patent is filing an application. There is about a
one year (longer in some arts) wait for examination. An Office Action (or Official Action)
results from the examination, and states if each individual claim is allowed or rejected.
The application may then be amended, or a grounds for rejection may be traversed by
presenting arguments against a rejection. In most cases, following one or more rounds
of examination and amendment, a set of claims are allowed, and a patent may issue.
Patent Enforcement
Our goal is to avoid patent litigation when ever possible. By drafting high quality patent
applications, and taking a proactive approach to patent enforcement, we believe that
agreements may often be reached that save both parties significant resources.
Trademark Prosecution
The objective of a trademark is to identify the source of goods or services. If you are
investing in the development of good will for a product or service, it may become very
important to protect the word(s) or symbol that you have made known to your customers.
Opinions
Obtaining an opinion is an important step before pursuing a potentially infringing
course of action, or before bring a law suit for infringement.
For more detailed information, please visit our Articles page.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) web site offers substantial
information on Patents and Trademarks, and has a searchable data base
http://patents.uspto.gov/