Patent Prosecution
Protect your patentable intellectual property and your bottom line at the same time. We charge a quoted fixed fee for each of the 5 stages of the patent prosecution process within the following ranges:
Step One: Provisional Patent Application ( $1000- 4000) We draft and prepare your "provisional" patent application. [The "provisional" patent application is a simplified patent application that gives you a year to decide whether to file a full-blown patent application. See Step Two.]
Step Two: Non-provisional Patent Application ($5000-10,000) We prepare and draft your full-blown patent application, which is called a "non-provisional" in patent-speak. [The "non-provisional" patent application contains all the elements of a patent, e.g., what you are claiming is the invention.]
Step Three: Patent prosecution ($4,000-8,000) For a variety of reasons the United States Patent and Trademark Office can and often does reject patent applications. These rejections are called "office actions." We respond to these office actions with legal and technical arguments in briefs and direct negotiations with United States Patent and Trademark Office examiners.
Step Four: Appeal of a Final Rejection ($3000-5,500) The appeals process is one tool among several that can be used to combat a final rejection. Changes in the law have led to a higher percentage of "final rejections" being issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We will provide counsel when an appeal should be filed and prepare and file any appeal on your behalf to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences.
Step Five: Patent Maintenance ($200 per year) The United States Patent and Trademark Office requires payment of fees and other filings to maintain your patent. We will monitor and notify you when those fees and filings are due and pay the fees when authorized to do so.