USPTO

Congratulations to student teams from Washington University in St. Louis and The University of Texas at Austin 🎉 The teams were recognized in the Collegiate Inventors Competition, which connects inventive spirit and entrepreneurship. Winners receive cash prizes and a USPTO patent acceleration certificate. Director John A. Squires presented the undergraduate award to students from Washington University for their portable device to detect latent peanut presence in foods. In the graduate category, students from University of Texas at Austin were recognized for their novel and cost-effective way to extract drinking water from humidity in the air. Runner-up winners are: • Calvin University for its nonelectric medical device designed to treat infant jaundice in limited-resource settings • Cornell University for its genetically modified plants that produce a vivid red color pigment to indicate nitrogen deficiencies Thank you to our partners at the National Inventors Hall of Fame for hosting the competition!

Director John A. Squires issued an open letter to colleagues, inventors, and Americans explaining a return of institution authority for AIA trial proceedings to the director. In reclaiming the director’s statutory role to institute an inter partes review or post-grant review proceeding, the director explained that he intended to: • Eliminate appearance of self-interest by separating the power to institute from the body that conducts the trial • Remove perceived referral-signal bias by centralizing the decision point • Enhance transparency and public trust through a single line of authority • Re-align duties and responsibilities of the director to be accountable for this threshold determination and properly effectuate the clear language of the AIA Director Squires also issued a memo to all PTAB judges regarding the change in institution processes. Read the letter and memo: https://bit.ly/4nhaZCR

The USPTO is seeking public feedback on a proposal published in the Federal Register today to address repeated challenges to patents in proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The proposed rule would: • Require an inter partes review petitioner to file a stipulation not to pursue invalidity challenges elsewhere • Limit IPRs when the USPTO or another forum has already adjudicated patentability or validity of the claims • Limit IPRs when another proceeding is likely to determine patentability or validity of the claims before the USPTO • Permit IPRs when exceptional circumstances exist The proposed rule is intended to enhance fairness, efficiency, and predictability in IPRs by focusing PTAB proceedings on patent claims that haven’t been challenged before Comments must be submitted by Nov. 17 through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at WWW.Regulations.GOV.

The USPTO reached a new milestone reducing the patent backlog to 788,229. Each patent our team puts into circulation represents a potential job, new business, competitive advantage, an investible asset. Our examiners are the best in the world at what we do – and our team knows how to deliver wins.

Patent applicants can assess their claims against the prior art ASAP! – with the USPTO’s new AI-driven pre-examination pilot. The Artificial Intelligence Search Automated Pilot (ASAP!) Program identifies a pre-examination "top ten" list of prior art references to give applicants a leg up in prosecution. The program is among America’s Innovation Agency’s latest AI-based efforts to improve examination quality, response time, and efficiency. “Quality starts at filing – and our enterprising examiners have developed a cadre of new tools that re-imagine workflows and attack thorny chokepoints that constrain productivity, throughput, and ultimately quality for new applicants,” said John A. Squires, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. The internal AI system derives contextual information from the classification of the application under the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system, as well as from the specification, claims, and abstract of the application. It will inform applicants on potential courses of first action responses, such as: ✅ Filing a preliminary amendment ✅ Marshaling evidence for affidavit practice and notice taken by the USPTO ✅ Requesting deferral ✅ Filing petitions – including express abandonment – to seek a refund of certain fees if examination is no longer desired To participate, applicants must file a specific petition and pay a petition fee. Learn more about the program through the Federal Register Notice: http://bit.ly/4mUyUHU

At present, the USPTO will remain open and fully operational until further notice under operating reserves from the prior year’s fee collections.

Fall is here! 🍂 We’ve got a relaxing routine for you to start the season with. Morning yard work is a breeze when clearing the yard with an automatic leaf-clearing rake (U.S. patent No. 148,660). An attachment slides down the rake’s teeth to clear debris from it easily. After all of that that raking, remember to check on your favorite plant, appropriately nicknamed “Pumpkin Spice” (U.S. plant patent No. PP29,925). 🎃 Later, it’s time to decorate and light your jack-o'-lantern, made easier and safer with a patented handle and candle holder (U.S. pat. 3,244,872). The device makes it easier to remove the lid of a jack-o'-lantern while keeping the candle inside steady. 🎃 As the sun sets, it’s game time. 🏈 Watching football wouldn’t be the same without the plastic suspension helmet (U.S. patent No. 2,293,308), patented by John T. Riddell. The plastic shell offered a safer alternative to leather helmets, according to Smithsonian Magazine. A perfect fall day, brought to you by patents!

Ready to turn your skills into a career that fuels innovation? Join us this Saturday for USPTO Career Day – your chance to hear directly from USPTO patent examiners, learn about opportunities, and discover how you can protect the next great innovation. Whether you are just starting your professional career or looking for your next big move, this event is for you. Register now and take the first step toward a career as a USPTO patent examiner: https://bit.ly/41aZLaG

Northern New England Community Outreach Office Director Daniel Modricker attended the Greater Manchester Chamber annual event for small businesses to support their understanding of the IP ecosystem and share available resources to support their businesses. Greater Manchester Chamber - NH

Innovators and the USPTO are the perfect blend ☕ This National Coffee Day, we’re taking a look back at the coffee patents that have bean on our mind: drip, pour, grind brew, steep. There are more than 210,000 patents with references to “coffee” in the USPTO’s gazettes, dating back to 1833. When it comes to protecting your innovation, we’re not your average joe. The USPTO is proud to help innovators secure patents and trademarks that distinguish your brand on the marketplace. Ready to get started? Check out our free services: http://bit.ly/46KjDn2