From application to grant
A US patent is obtained by filing an application with the USPTO, going through examination, and paying the issue fee once the application is allowed. Applicants from abroad often enter through the Patent Cooperation Treaty or by claiming priority from a foreign filing, and both routes run on strict deadlines. Translations and claim adjustments are usually needed so that the application fits US practice. If the invention was made in the United States, a foreign filing license may be needed before filing abroad first. Examination can involve several rounds of exchange with the examiner before anything is granted.
Recording ownership
Patent registration in the sense of ownership means recording assignments with the USPTO. An assignment that is not recorded within a set period may not protect the owner against a later buyer who had no notice of it. Investors, lenders, and acquirers usually check the recorded chain of title, so gaps between inventors, companies, and parent entities can delay transactions. Security interests in patents are often recorded as well. Keeping the record current is far easier than reconstructing it during a deal. Inventors who were never asked to sign an assignment, or who have since left the company, are a common source of those gaps.
Keeping the patent in force
After grant, utility patents require maintenance fees at intervals, and missing them leads to expiration, though late payment may be accepted in limited circumstances. Each country's patent stands on its own, so a Korean or European patent gives no rights in the United States, and a US patent gives none abroad. We help applicants from abroad plan US filings, record ownership correctly, and keep deadlines aligned across countries, bearing in mind that only registered practitioners may represent others before the USPTO in patent matters. In a first meeting we look at what has been filed where, who owns it on paper, and which date controls the next decision.
