The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. (Cambridge, MA)

The systems and methods discussed herein offer an environment for cell culture that includes an array of tissue-modeling environments, as well as the ability to control dynamically the flow of fluid. The cell culture platform has numerous wells that can be fluidly linked using microchannel structures. The fluid is flowing in a fluid manner and interacts with the cells growing in the microchannels.

A well plate (also known as microtiter or microwell plate) is a flat plate that has many wells. It is used to test cells or create petri dishes, as well as for other biomedical research and analysis. There are numerous types of well plates that are standardized in the field. For instance, 96 or 384 well plates are the standard tools used for the research and diagnostic testing.

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Patents are issued by the government to protect the invention. The patent grants the inventor the rights to develop, use and sell the invention. Society is benefited when new technology is introduced to the market. These benefits may be realized immediately as people are able to perform feats previously thought impossible as well as indirectly through the opportunities for economic growth that innovation offers (business growth, employment).

Patent protection is demanded by a variety of universities and pharmaceutical companies for research and development. A patent can cover a physical or abstract product or process , or a method or composition of material unique to the field. Patent protection is granted to an invention that is useful or novel and is not already known by others in the same area.

Patents recognize and honor inventors who have commercially profitable inventions. They serve as a motivator for inventors to invent. Patents permit inventors and small businesses to know that there is an excellent chance that they will get a profit for their time, effort and investment in the development of technology. They could earn a decent income through their work.

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Patent-protected technology that is commercially profitable could be used to fund technology-related research and development (R&D) which increases the likelihood of a better technology in the near future.

Intellectual ownership of property can be used to convince lenders and investors that there are real chances to commercialize your product. A single patent could provide multiple financing opportunities. Patents can be used along with other IP assets as collateral or security to secure financing. You may also present investors with your patent assets to boost the value of your company. Forbes and others have pointed out that every patent could add anything from $500,000 to 1 million dollars to your company’s valuation.

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It is vital to protect an invention prior to filing a patent application. The public divulging an invention could frequently devalue its originality and render it invalid. Therefore, prior filing disclosures (e.g. for testing-marketing, investors, or other business partners) should only be made upon signing a confidentiality contract.

There are many kinds of patents. Understanding them is crucial to protect your invention. Utility patents cover new processes and machine creations. Design patents cover ornamental designs. Utility patents are best and shield the owner from copies of the design and competition. Frequently they are granted for alterations or improvements to existing inventions. Patents issued under utility can be used to improve or alter existing inventions. A process patent would cover the acts or methods of performing a particular act. A chemical composition would include a combination of components.

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Patent searches are the first step in obtaining your patent. You can do a google patent search or do a USPTO search. Patent-pending is the name used to describe the product included in the patent application. It is possible to search the public pair to find the patent application. Once the patent office has approved your application, you will be able do a patent number search to find the patent issued. Your product is now patentable. In addition to the USPTO search engine, you can also utilize other search engines like espacenet as described below. It is possible to seek help from an attorney for patents. Patents granted in the United States are granted by the US trademark and patent office as well as the United States patent office. This office also reviews trademark applications.

Are you interested in finding other similar patents? These are the steps to follow:

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Write down a brief detailed description of your idea. Avoid using generic terms like “device”, “process” or “system”. Look for synonyms to the terms you chose initially. Next, take note of significant technical terms as well as key words.

To help you identify keywords and concepts, use the questions below.

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  • What is the composition of the invention? What is the invention’s physical composition?
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  • What are technical words and terms that define the characteristics of an invention? To find the appropriate terms, use a technical dictionary.

2. Use these terms to find relevant Cooperative Patent Classifications on the Classification Text Search Tool. To find the best classification for your invention, scan the class scheme of the classification (class schedules). You may want to consider substituting the terms you’re using for describing your invention, if you don’t receive any results from the Classification Text Search with synonyms similar to the words you used in the first step.

3. Go through 3. Check the CPC Classification Definition for confirmation of the CPC classification you found. If the selected classification title has a blue box with an “D” to its left, clicking on the hyperlink will take you to the CPC classification definition. CPC classification definitions can help you determine the applicable classification’s scope , so you can select the one that is most appropriate. Additionally, these definitions can include search tips and other suggestions which could be helpful to further study.

4. The Patents Full-Text Database and the Image Database allow you to find patent documents that are accompanied by the CPC classification. You can review and select the most relevant patent documents by making a focus on abstract and drawings representative of.

5. This list of patent publication is the most effective to look at for any similarity to your invention. Be sure to read the specification and claims. Consult the applicant and patent examiner for any additional patents.

6. You can find published patent applications that meet the CPC classification you chose in Step 3. It is possible to use the same search strategy in Step 4 to narrow your results down to the relevant patent applications by looking at the abstract and representative drawings that appear on each page. Next, carefully examine the published patent applications and pay particular attention to the claims and the additional drawings.

7. Find other US patent publications using keyword searching in the AppFT and PatFT databases, classification search of non-U.S. patents per below, and searching non-patent patent disclosures in the literature of inventions using web search engines. For example:

  • Add keywords to your search. Keyword searches may turn up documents that are not well-categorized or have missed classifications during Step 2. For example, US patent examiners often supplement their classification searches with keyword searches. Think about the use of technical engineering terminology rather than everyday words.
  • Search for foreign patents using the CPC classification. Then, re-run the search using international patent office search engines such as Espacenet, the European Patent Office’s worldwide patent publication database of over 130 million patent publications. Other national databases include:
  • Search non-patent literature. Inventions can be made public in many non-patent publications. It is recommended that you search journals, books, websites, technical catalogs, conference proceedings, and other print and electronic publications.

To review your search, you can hire a registered patent attorney to assist. A preliminary search will help one better prepare to talk about their invention and other related inventions with a professional patent attorney. In addition, the attorney will not spend too much time or money on patenting basics.