U.S. Patent Office Exercises
by Gene Hernandez
 
Exercise One - Search US Patent Database
Exercise Two - Resources and Application 
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Sample Answer Sheet for Exercise One
Teacher Lesson Plan

Exercise One - Search US Patent Database

1.  After initial instruction, use United States Patent and Trademark Office to locate detailed information and images of at least one patent for the following individuals.  Capture an image of the patent and paste the image on a word document.  Title each images with the title of patent, patent number, date of patent, and inventor name.  Read the abstract for the invention and, at the end of each image, cut and paste the abstract.  Finally reference the web site.  Save your file.
                    a.  Jess A. Cuevas
          b.  Augusto Rios
                    c.  Wilfredo Rios
 
2.  At the same web site, do a Boolean search on computer inventions for any year from 1990 to present.  After the initial search, do a refine search of your choice.  For example portable, hardware, or software.  Select two inventions and capture the image and abstract as done in the exercise above. Save your file.
 

Exercise Two - Resources and Application

  1. Using the web sites Independent Inventor Resources page, answer the following questions.
    1. What can and cannot be patented?
    2. How long does a patent protection last?
    3. Describe Utility Patents, Design Patents, and Plant Patents
    4. In a brief paragraph, describe the filing, issue, and maintenance fees of a patent.
  2. After reading the Application for Patent page which is located under the site index, answer the following questions. 
    1. What is included in a non-provisional application for patent.
    2. Can a patent application be in any language.
    3. Can a patent application be handwritten.

Save your file at the location indicated by the instuctor.