The focus of this presentation is on applying for US Patents, particularly as it pertains to software applications. Whether or not you ever plan to file for a patent, understanding software patents is important to successfully utilize ideas that have been patented. Knowledge of the rights of a patent holder and how to use the patented ideas appropriately can benefit your work as a software engineer. Some of the areas addressed by this presentation include:

1)   What is a US patent?
2)   Why file a patent?
3)   Who can file a patent?
4)   What is patentable?
5)    How much does it cost?
6)    How do you write a US patent?
7)    Rough patent draft
8)    Research the existing market
9)    Components of a US patent application
10)  Claims
11)  References

Although the presentation is focused on software patents, the concept is broad and can address needs to include every-day "useful" ideas/patents, that folks think about, to include those ideas to improve things around the home or office.

11 November 2003