USPTO May Monthly Review

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Journeys of Innovation

The co-founders of Kinnos, Kevin Tyan, Jason Kang, and Katherine Jin, learned from healthcare workers and developed a life-saving additive for disinfectants.

Innovating to fight Ebola

Motivated by Columbia University's 2014 Design Challenge to fight Ebola, Jason Kang, Katherine Jin, and Kevin Tyan created Highlight, an additive that temporarily colors disinfectants made with bleach so users can confirm they've properly treated a contaminated surface. The trio founded Kinnos to develop and market their product, and they're now firmly establishing themselves in the world of infection prevention. Looking back on their success so far, Kang, Jin, and Tyan credit healthcare workers for important lessons learned, not only about their product, but also about what it really means to make a difference.

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News and updates

Patent 11 million comes three years after the USPTO issued patent number 10 million in 2018.

USPTO issues patent number 11,000,000

WASHINGTON – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today officially issued U.S. patent number 11 million, recognizing an important milestone in American innovation and ingenuity.

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in view of the critical need to develop and help speed to market medical products and services to combat COVID-19, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) initiated the COVID-19 Prioritized Trademark Examination Program in June of 2020.

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking soon-to-be graduates and professionals with backgrounds in graphic design/art, as well as engineers with backgrounds in biomedical, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering to apply for hundreds of entry-level patent examiner positions in Alexandria, Virginia.

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Originally published in October 2019, the toolkit provides general guidance for businesses and practi­tioners in better understanding the basics of the IP landscape in China. Published in May 2021, the updated China IPR toolkit highlights the differences between the U.S. and Chinese IP rights legal systems.

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Find all upcoming and past events at https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/events.

Blogs and events

As an open standard format, DOCX offers a safe and stable basis for authoring and processing intellectual property documents.

Modernizing patent filing with DOCX

At the USPTO, we are continuously working to modernize and streamline our patent application systems. As part of that ongoing effort, you can now file patent application-related documents in DOCX format through EFS-Web, Private PAIR, and Patent Center. To improve application quality and efficiency, the USPTO will be transitioning to DOCX for all filers on January 1, 2022. Keep reading to learn more about DOCX, its benefits, and opportunities to provide feedback on implementation.

By Acting Commissioner for Patents Andrew Faile and Chief Information Officer Jamie Holcombe | Continue reading

Director of Emerging Technology at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jerry Ma will survey recent artificial intelligence (AI) developments at the USPTO, including patent classification, prior art search, image analysis, and the use of office data in state-of-the-art AI research. Jerry will also touch on the promising future of AI at the agency and in the intellectual property world at large.

Watch the conversation

PPAC and TPAC quarterly meetings

This month, the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC) each met with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) virtually for their quarterly meetings. For more information on PPAC or TPAC quarterly meetings, meeting transcripts, and annual reports, please visit the respective committee webpages on the USPTO website.

Patent Public Advisory Committee webpage

Trademark Public Advisory Committee webpage

Popular posts

“We congratulate the inventors behind patent 11 million and all of the innovators who helped the country reach this milestone,” said Drew Hirshfeld, performing the functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. 

Racehorse names are fun. But when the owner seeks a trademark registration, things get serious.

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We’re celebrating the successful first year of the Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP)!

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The USPTO has released the 2020 update to two research datasets—The Trademark Assignment Dataset and the Trademark Case Files Dataset.

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Calling all STEM educators! From July 19-23, 2021, the USPTO will conduct a virtual National Summer Teacher Institute (NSTI) on innovation, STEM, and intellectual property that includes experiential and project-based learning for teachers.

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