Recent Articles

Can Patent Quality be Measured?

Russ Krajec
July 04, 2011 14:40

Ask any patent attorney about patent quality and you will open a big discussion. Most of the time, you will hear the phrase “I know it when I see it”, or something to that effect. There are some overt things that give a patent ‘high quality’. These things are things like good spelling,...

The Importance of an In-Person Disclosure Meeting, Even If It Is 8 Time Zones Away

Russ Krajec
June 27, 2011 19:02

I am writing this post from a faraway international airport, listening to a bad rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” followed by “You Were Always On My Mind”, beginning a twenty-something-hour-long journey home from a set of patent disclosure meetings. I do not get fully reimbursed for my...

Longevity Questions and Solutions for Hiring Solos

Russ Krajec
June 13, 2011 14:53

I have heard from large companies that they are reluctant to take on solo practitioners because they do not know if the solo will be around for the long haul. In other forms of law, such as family law or criminal law, the cases may span a few months. But in patent law, a case may take five to...

The Importance of the Figures

Russ Krajec
June 06, 2011 12:38

In preparing a patent application, the figures are one of those things where the patent attorney can add considerable value to the patent when the end uses of the patent are taken into consideration. This requires that the patent attorney/agent understand the business goals of the client, and...

Moving to the Cloud for the Solo – Google is Not The Answer, but Microsoft May Be

Russ Krajec
May 30, 2011 23:47

Last summer, I was evacuated from my house with just a few minute’s warning due to a very large forest fire. Thankfully, I did not lose anything in the fire, except the good will that I had banked with some friends who let me mooch their guest room for a few days. As I write this,...

Solos Can Produce Better Work

Russ Krajec
May 24, 2011 16:17

For several years, I have worked for a very large corporation as a solo. The client solved several difficult problems in order to employ solos and small firm attorneys, with the end result that the solos can produce better work, be more responsive, and can do so at a lower cost. In order to make...

Dont' Write Patents that ‘Hide the Ball’

Russ Krajec
May 17, 2011 02:40

I had a telephone interview with a patent examiner last week and in the course of the interview, the examiner said that he really liked my patent application because I did not try to hide the ball with the invention. I was originally taught to write patent applications by obfuscating the...

Different Strokes

Russ Krajec
May 10, 2011 02:27

I have talked to several different patent solos recently and it seems that each of us has our own reasons for going solo, our own work habits, and our own preferences for an optimum work situation. I am the kind of person that thrives on large amounts of work. I seem to do my best work when...

Thinking of Going Solo? Think processes.

Russ Krajec
May 02, 2011 18:51

I have met many people who have successfully transitioned to solo life as an attorney, patent agent, or other professional. I especially loved the opportunity because I got to make the entire business from scratch. On one hand, that is a terrifying thought where I had to figure everything out...

Writing a Good Patent Application

Russ Krajec
April 26, 2011 12:20

I do all my work on a fixed fee basis. This means that I do piece work and that I have an incentive to work as efficiently as possible. Working efficiently does not mean sacrificing quality. I recently received comments from two inventors that said “I’m thrilled by the document’s clarity and...