Expanding your business

If your business is booming, you may think about franchising.  As this article notes, licensing your brand may be a less risky, albeit less profitable, option.

New patents for West Virginia inventors

The following U.S. patents were issued last week to West Virginia inventors and/or assignees:

7,247,368  Stealth foam and production method
  Inventor: Rogers, Darren Kenneth (Wheeling, WV)
  Assignee: Touchstone Research Laboratory, Ltd. (Triadelphia, WV)

7,246,719  Adjustable storage rack for a vending machine
  Inventors: Mason, II, Paul L. (Inwood, WV)
                 Sprankle; David A. (Hagerstown, MD)
  Assignee: Automated Merchandising Systems Inc. (Kearneysville, WV)

7,246,492  Progressive solar based power generating system
  Inventors: Hendrix, John Perry (Bluefield, WV)
                 Hendrix, Mei Yun (Bluefield, WV)
                 Hendrix, Joshua Fong (Bluefield, WV)

7,246,423  System and method for in-line production of insulated glass units for custom windows
  Inventors: Holden, Randall (Salem, WV)
                 Stewart, Brian (Pennsboro, WV)
  Assignee: Simonton Building Products, Inc. (Parkersburg, WV)

The following U.S. patent applications were published last week for West Virginia applicants and/or assignees:

20070173618  Miscible polycarbonate polyester blends
  Inventors: Shaikh, Abbas Alli G. (Bangalore, IN)
                 Kumar Pal, Subodh (Bangalore, IN)
                 Ravi, Gomatam Raghavan (Bangalore, IN)
                 Ramaraju, Deepak (Bangalore, IN)
                 Rajeswaran, Ramesh (Bangalore, IN)
                 Kannan, Ganesh (Evansville, IN)
                 Shi; Xiaodong, (Morgantown, WV)
                 Zhang, Huiping (Evansville, IN)
                 Chambers, Charles (New Harmony, IN)

20070172802  Portable early learning sensory toy set for babies and infants
  Inventors: Adams, Stephanie (Harpers Ferry, WV)
                 MacMillan, Stephanie (Leesburg, VA)

20070172669 Heat Shrinkable Film with (Meth)acrylate Resin Curable Adhesive
  Inventors: Amon, Moris (Beachwood, OH)
                 Blackwell, Christopher J. (Twinsburg, OH)
                 Ghiam, Farid F. (Beachwood, OH)
                 Harman, Patricia Ann (Morgantown, WV)
                 Kaul, Payal (San Jose, CA)
                 Rajan, Sunder R. (Mentor, OH)
                 Williams, Richard K. JR. (Gibsonia, PA)

20070172637  Decorative sheets having enhanced adhesion and penetration resistant laminates prepared therefrom
  Inventors: Hayes, Richard A. (Beaumont, TX)
                 Smith, Rebecca L. (Vienna, WV)

20070172636  Decorative sheets having enhanced adhesion and laminates prepared therefrom
  Inventors: Smith, Rebecca L. (Vienna, WV)
                 Hayes, Richard A. (Beaumont, TX)

20070172593  Polymeric coating formulation and steel substrate composites
  Inventors: Sinsel, John A. (Weirton, WV)
                 Loen, Mark V. (Steubenville, OH)
                 Bailey, Michael S. (Landenberg, PA)

20070170928  Apparatus and method for measuring physiological characteristics of an intact trachea in vitro
  Inventors: Fedan, Jeffrey S. (Morgantown,, WV)
                 Jing, Yi (Morgantown, WV)
                 Scott, Michael Van (Greenville, NC)
  Assignee: The Government of the U.S.A. as represented by the Secretary of the Dept. of Health and Human Svcs.

20070170278  Ultrasonic fuel injector
  Inventors: McNichols, Patrick Sean (Hortonville, WI)
                 Ehlert, Thomas David (Neenah, WI)
                 Zuehlke, Timothy R. (Oregon, OH)
                 Meyer, Andrew Enis (Harpers Ferry, WV)
                 Bromfield, George (Salt Lake City, UT)
  Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. (Neenah, WI)

20070170277  Ultrasonic liquid delivery device
  Inventors: Ehlert, Thomas David (Neenah, WI)
                 McNichols, Patrick Sean (Hortonville, WI)
                 Zuehlke, Timothy R. (Oregon, OH)
                 Meyer, Andrew Enis (Harpers Ferry, WV)
                 Bromfield, George (Salt Lake City, UT)
  Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. (Neenah, WI)

20070170276  Ultrasonic fuel injector
  Inventors: McNichols, Patrick Sean (Hortonville, WI)
                 Ehlert, Thomas David (Neenah, WI)
                 Zuehlke, Timothy R. (Oregon, OH)
                 Meyer, Andrew Enis (Harpers Ferry, WV)
                 Bromfield, George (Salt Lake City, UT)
  Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. (Neenah,WI)

20070170275  Ultrasonic fuel injector
  Inventors: Ehlert, Thomas David (Neenah, WI)
                 McNichols, Patrick Sean (Hortonville, WI)
                 Zuehlke, Timothy R. (Oregon, OH)
                 Meyer, Andrew Enis (Harpers Ferry, WV)
                 Bromfield, George (Salt Lake City, UT)
  Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. (Neenah, WI)

20070170041  Conveyor Belt Cleaning System
  Inventors: Hall, John (Winfield, WV)

Proposed patent rules changes

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced that its proposed patent prosecution rules changes have been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the final rules are expected to be published later this summer.  The proposed changes affect continuation applications, requests for continued examination, multiple patent applications having the same filing date, and the number of claims in applications.

The proposed changes would basically make it more difficult to file additional or follow-on patent applications for variations of an invention, more difficult to extend the examination of an application, and more difficult to include numerous claims in applications.  The USPTO believes that these changes would relieve some of its backlog of patent work, but the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law, and other groups oppose the changes.  See here, here, and here.

New trademark registrations for West Virginia owners

The following U.S. trademark registrations were issued last week to West Virginia owners:

3,264,862  SERVICEDRIVE PLUS
  Owner: Service Wire Company (Culloden, WV)

3,264,861  SERVICEDRIVE
  Owner: Service Wire Company (Culloden, WV)

3,264,557  POLYMER ALLIANCE ZONE
  Owner: Polymer Alliance Zone, Inc. (Ripley, WV)

3,264,329  MY LIVING SOLUTIONS THE PHOENIX PEOPLE (design)
  Owner: Strawser, Patricia (Arthurdale, WV)
             Strawser, Thomas Junior (Arthurdale, WV)

3,265,651  SUCCESS. (design)
  Owner: Mountain State University (Beckley, WV)

3,266,568  SAVINGS BONDS DIRECT
  Owner: Bureau of the Public Debt, Department of the Treasury (Parkersburg, WV)

The following U.S. trademark registration applications were filed last week by West Virginia owners:

77/233,542  FISH ON (design)
  Owner: Oney, Shane W. dba Fish On! Shane Oney (Sutton, WV)

77/230,779  MUSEEK
  Owner: MuSeek.net LLC (Harpers Ferry, WV)

77/230,418  V VALLEY HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (design)
  Owner: Valley Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center, Inc. dba Valley Healthcare System (Morgantown, WV)

77/230,357  MOUNTAIN MERMAIDS OF WEST VIRGINIA
  Owner: Carol Capaldo Kolman (Alderson, WV)
              Patricia Capaldo Fick (Alderson, WV)
              Annabelle Capaldo (Alderson, WV)
              Carol Capaldo Kolman (Alderson, WV)
              Patricia Capaldo Fick (Alderson, WV)
              Connie Highlander (Alderson, WV)
              Margaret Highlander (Alderson, WV)
              Madeline Capaldo Highlander (Alderson, WV)

Provisional patent application pitfalls

Here’s a good article on provisional patent applications.  As the author points out, there is no such thing as a provisional patent.  A provisional patent application ("provisional") must be followed up within a year by a non-provisional patent application ("non-provisional") that claims the benefit of the filing date of the provisional, otherwise the provisional simply goes abandoned.

A provisional must contain a written description that would enable any person skilled in the relevant technology to make and use the invention that is subsequently claimed in the non-provisional.  Ideally, the provisional should contain the same level of detail as the non-provisional except that claims are not needed in the provisional.  In reality, however, many "bare bones" provisionals are filed — some for good reasons and some for not-so-good reasons.

HE’BREW beer

Here is an article about the founder of Shmaltz Brewing Company, "America’s first and only Jewish-owned kosher-certified microbrew."  The brand name of the beer is HE’BREW, and the federal trademark registration application is here.  The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has issued an Office Action refusing registration, alleging that the mark is confusingly similar to HI BRAU beer.  No response to the Office Action has been filed yet.

Who owns your website?

As this article points out, your web-hosting company or website designer may own the intellectual property rights to your website, not you.  You may be unpleasantly surprised if you haven’t read the fine print in any agreements or contracts you have with these service providers.  Unless the parties expressly agree otherwise, the creator (designer) of a web page owns the copyright in that web page.

“Green” inventions

Here is an article on some recent environmentally-friendly inventions.

New patents for West Virginia inventors

The following U.S. patents were issued last week to West Virginia inventors and/or assignees:

7,246,174  Method and system for accessing and managing virtual machines
  Inventors: Sciandra, John R. (Annapolis, MD)
                 Cottrell, Brian (Orma, WV)
                 Sabean, John (Severn, MD) 
  Assignee: Nacon Consulting, LLC (Annapolis, MD)

7,245,723  Chaotic communication system and method using modulation of nonreactive circuit elements
  Inventors: Hinton, Sr., Daniel E (Arnold, MD)
                 Dew, Nelson R (Ghent, WV)
                 Longtin, Laurance P (Vienna, VA)
                 Gardner, Charles P (Dumfries, VA)
                 Martin, Shannon W (Richmond, VA)
                 Edwards, Michael C (Clifton, VA)
                 Berkley, Antwong L (Arlington, VA)
                 Bowser, Steven M (Vienna, VA)
  Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation (San Diego, CA)

7,244,814  Variant Tat proteins and methods for use thereof
  Inventors: Mathews, Michael B. (Monclair, NJ)
                 Pe’ery, Tsafi (Monclair, NJ)
                 Reza, Syed (Cross Lanes, WV)
  Assignee: University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (New Brunswick, NJ)

7,244,779  Oxygen-scavenging resin compositions having low haze
  Inventors: Tung, Deborah (Tallmadge, OH)
                 Sisson, Edwin A. (Medina, OH)
                 Leckonby, Roy A. (Granville, IL)
  Assignee: M & G USA Corporation (Apple Grove, WV)

7,243,804  Method and apparatus for supporting tools in a door jamb
  Inventor: Miller; Rodney B. (Middlebourne, WV)   

The following U.S. patent applications were published last week for West Virginia applicants and/or assignees:

20070167618  Manufacture of cellulose esters: recycle of caustic and/or acid from pre-treatment of pulp
  Applicants: Wang, Linfu (Blacksburg, VA)
                   Stogner, Henry P. (Bluefield, WV)
                   Fallon, Denis G. (Blacksburg, WV)
                   Kizer, Lawton E. (Blacksburg, VA)
                   Toney, Charles E. (Newport, VA)
                   Batson, Billy C. (Pearisburg, VA)
  Assignee: Celanese Acetate, LLC

20070167578  Catalyst composition comprising shuttling agent for ethylene multi-block copolymer formation
  Applicants: Arriola, Daniel J. (Midland, MI)
                   Carnahan, Edmund M. (Fresno, TX)
                   Cheung, Yunwa Wilson (Lake Jackson, TX)
                   Devore, David D. (Midland, MI)
                   Graf, David D. (Midland, MI)
                   Hustad, Phillip D. (Manvel, TX)
                   Kuhlman, Roger L. (Charlestown, WV)
                   Shan, Colin Li Pi (Pearland, TX)
                   Poon, Benjamin C. (Lake Jackson, TX)
                   Roof,Gordon R. (Midland, MI)
                   Stevans, James C. (Richmond, TX)
                   Stirn, Pamela J. (Midland, MI)
                   Wenzel, Timothy T. (Charleston, WV) 

20070167529  Antimicrobial compositions for treating fabrics and surfaces
  Applicants: Walton, Rebecca A. (Newport Beach, CA)
                   Chapman, Bill H. (Martinsburg, WV)

20070167336  Water-miscible metal working fluids with reduced aerosol inhalation toxicity
  Applicants: Combs, George G. (McMurray, PA)
                   Browne, Edward P. (South Charleston, WV)
  Assignee: Bayer MaterialScience LLC (Pittsburgh, PA)

20070167335  Water-miscible metal working fluids with reduced aerosol inhalation toxicity
  Applicants: Combs, George G. (McMurray, PA)
                   Browne, Edward P. (South Charleston, WV)
  Assignee: Bayer MaterialScience LLC (Pittsburgh, PA)

20070167315  Catalyst composition comprising shuttling agent for ethylene copolymer formation
  Applicants: Arriola, Daniel J. (Midland, MI)
                   Devore, David D. (Midland, MI)
                   Carnahan, Edmund M. (Fresno, TX)
                   Hustad, Phillip D. (Manvel, TX)
                   Kuhlman, Roger L. (Charleston, WV)
                   Wenzel, Timothy T. (Charleston, WV)

20070166365  Fentanyl suspension-based silicone adhesive formulations and devices for transdermal delivery of fentanyl
  Applicants: Miller, Kenneth J. (St. Albans, VT)
                   Govil, Sharad K. (Essex, VT)
                   Bhatia, Kuljit Singh (Scottsdale, AZ)
  Assignee: Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Morgantown, WV)

20070165914  Systems and methods relating to AFIS recognition, extraction, and 3-D analysis strategies
  Applicants: Werthiem, Kasey (Bridgeport, WV)
                   Walajtys, Jeff (Schenectady, NY)
  Assignee: LumenIQ, Inc.

New trademark registrations for West Virginia owners

The following U.S. trademark registrations were issued last week to West Virginia owners:

3,262,670  BRICKSTREET INSURANCE
  Owner: West Virginia Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company (Charleston, WV)

The following U.S. trademark registration applications were filed last week by West Virginia owners:

77/229,379  VALLEY HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
  Owner:  Valley Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center, Inc., dba Valley Healthcare System (Morgantown, WV)

77/227,764  PIANAFIDDLE
  Owner:  DeGraff, Adam J. (Lewisburg, WV)

77/227,747  PIANAFIDDLE (design plus words, letters, and/or numbers)
  Owner:  DeGraff, Adam J.  (Lewisburg, WV)

77/227,532  DUAL SHOT OUTDOORS
  Owner:  Dual Shot Outdoors LLC (Lerona, WV)

77/226,679  METHANE BUSTER
  Owner:  Comvest Capital, LLC (Clarksburg, WV)