Demystifying the Patent Process for Federal Lab Employees 

This webinar will provide an overview of the patent process focused on federal laboratory employees. The process to obtain a patent US patent can seem long and sometimes arcane.  Understanding how the process works and what to expect can be a benefit to both lab inventors and tech transfer professionals as they work with the patent attorney to achieve the best outcome for intellectual property.     

Topics included are: 

• What to expect in moving from invention disclosure to patent
• The patent process for federal labs including provisional and utility patent filings 
• Inventorship – who is the inventor? 
• How claims are developed and what is needed for a successful application 
• What will help for the patent attorney in writing the patent  
• Expected milestones and timelines   
• What are some elements that can happen along the way such as office actions, divisional patents, continuations, and continuations in part 
• Special considerations for foreign patents/Patent Cooperation Treaty

Spencer Johnson is Senior Counsel for Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property at NIST, where his work includes patent prosecution, licensing, and supporting NIST’s mission in advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. Prior to joining NIST, he was a patent attorney in private practice focused primarily on patent litigation.