Patent

Here’s What Happened: Healthier Choices Management Corp is a grocery and vape store chain. Healthier Choices applied to patent its own electronic vaping pipe. Philip Morris also had a line of electronic vaping pipes. In an interparty proceeding before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Philip Morris challenged Healthier Choices’ patent. The Board agreed with […]

Here’s What Happened: Beteiro LLC owns four patents that share a common specification and title “Apparatus and Method for Facilitating Gaming Activity and/or Gambling Activity.” Each of the patents facilitated remote gambling activity. The patent examiner determined that the software had the needed specific machine or processor, namely a GPS system, to be patented. Beteiro […]

In Brief:  Inventorship can be based on unclaimed improvements that are necessary for enabling the invention to work.  Here’s What Happened:   Steve Campbell invented a container for transporting gaseous fluids consisting of an insulated housing, pressure vessels and port bosses. But his prototypes suffered from numerous problems, including slippage of the port boss on […]

In Brief:   Abstract ideas for time tracking software are not patentable. Here’s What Happened:   Realtime Tracker Inc. holds a patent for “Realtime Billable Timekeeper Method, System and Apparatus,” which it described as a “novel computer system, operation and function” for tracking billable hours for professionals in client service fields. Realtime brought suit against RELX, […]

In Brief:  Joint inventorship can be based on designs disclosed during an investment pitch. Here’s What Happened:   Gary Ragner designed a hose and assigned the invention to his company, Ragner Technology Corp. In 2011, Ragner was looking for investors to bring its MicroHose product to market. Gary met with Michael Berardi, who had a […]

In Brief:  A named inventor has to make a significant contribution to the claims in a patent. Here’s What Happened: Hormel Foods Corporation obtained a patent for a two-step process for precooking bacon and meat pieces. The first step involves preheating in a microwave oven and the second step involves cooking the meat in a […]

In Brief:   Automating how to choose an outfit is not patentable subject matter. Here’s What Happened: Stylitics, Inc.’s is an e-commerce platform that allows its commercial website clients to create aggregated shoppable content. Stylitics’ “Auto-Styler” creates collages of merchandise. It automatically generates a plurality of outfits that conform to one or more styles. It gives […]

In Brief: An inventor can’t claim their invention is invalid after an assignment. Here’s What Happened: Csaba Truckai was one of the named inventors of a device used to treat vaginal bleeding. He and his fellow inventors founded a company called NovaCept, Inc. Csaba and his fellow inventors applied for a patent and then assigned […]