Wednesday, August 31, 2011

New Patent Library in Iowa

The Davenport Public Library is the newest member of the USPTO's library network and the first new site to be designated a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC). There are now 81 libraries in the network, which was formerly known as the Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) Program.

Reinventing the Paperclip

Office supply geeks around the world are abuzz over a new paperclip called the Acco Klix. The metal, jaw-type, multicolored clips are said to be an improvement over traditional wire and sheet-metal paperclips, although they are much more expensive (10 for $3.99).

Paperclips are classified in ECLA under B42F1, "Sheets temporarily attached together without perforating; Means therefor". The code for jaw-type clips is B42F1/00C.

Illinois-based Acco holds more than 400 U.S. patents for office supplies and equipment.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Steve Jobs's Patents

The NY Times has an interesting pictorial overview of 300+ patents credited to Steve Jobs.


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

US Patent 8,000,000

On Tuesday, August 16, the USPTO issued patent no. 8,000,000 to Second Sight Medical Products for a visual prosthesis apparatus. The provisional application was filed on Oct. 19, 2006. Second Sight's patent portfolio consists of about 90 U.S. patents and published applications, plus more than 250 worldwide.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

US Patent Counts, Q2 2011

The USPTO issued fewer patents but published more applications in the second quarter of 2011. The number of patents declined by 5.1 percent to 58,920. The number of published applications increased by 6.1 percent to 83,279. The USPTO has issued more than 120,000 patents in the first six months of 2011, a slight increase over the same period last year.

Table 1. Quarterly Patent Document Counts*
2011 ..... Patents (B) ..... PGPubs (A) ..... Total (A + B)
Q1 ..... 62,132 ..... 78,481 ..... 140,613
Q1 ..... 58,920 ..... 83,279 ..... 142,199


*Based on preliminary weekly data from the USPTO website. Totals may change after the fact due to withdrawn patents and published applications.

Table 2. Number Ranges, Jan. 1 through June 30, 2011

Utility patents ..... 7,861,317 - 7,971,266 (109,316)
Reissues ..... RE42,020 - RE42,509 (488)
PGPubs ..... 2011/0000001 - 2011/0078,838 (78,481)
Designs ..... D629,996 - D640,855 (10,843)
Plants ...... PP20,816 - PP22,000 (397)
SIRs ..... H2,251-H2,258 (8)