Patents
OILFIELD
INNOVATIONS offers a number
of Patent Strategies for its
clients, depending on
factors such as budget,
anticipated geographical
markets, stage of technology
development and/or plans for
license or sale of the
company.
A Patent is a
method by which an
individual or organization
can claim exclusive rights
to a process, technology or
product, for a period of
time, by disclosing the
information to designated
Patent Office(s).
The various
forms of Patent Protection
include:
-
Provisional Application
(Informal Application,
United States):
A temporary, one year,
simplified application,
which allows the
applicant to claim a
date of filing and
patent pending status.
This application is used
when the technology is
still under development
or in a case where short
term funding is a
concern. The
Provisional Application
is in effect for one
year from the filing
date. A Utility
Application (Formal
Application) would have
to be applied for within
the one-year limit or
the rights to Patent the
item would be lost.
-
Utility
Application (Formal
Application):
An application for a
20-year Patent, which
protects the function,
method or use of an
item. This is the most
common form of
protection for
technologies, products
and methods. OILFIELD
INNOVATIONS normally
files the Utility
Application in Canada
and the United States
simultaneously. The
applicant then has one
year in which to decide
upon a PCT (Paris
Convention Treaty)
Application (see below).
-
PCT
(Paris Convention
Treaty) Application:
A ‘world wide’ Patent
Application which
streamlines the process
of filing a Patent in up
to 128 countries. The
PCT Application allows
the applicant an
additional 18 months
(approx.) to decide and
prepare for the filing
in other countries.
Each individual country
and the European
community have varying
costs specific to each
filing thereafter.
While the PCT can be
filed instead of a
Utility or Provisional
Application, it is
normally filed within a
year after one of these.
-
Design
Patent:
The Design Patent is
specifically for Patent
protection on items
where the esthetic or
ornamental appeal of the
item is unique.
OILFIELD
INNOVATIONS can be contacted
to discuss the
Patent process and costs:
In Calgary at
(403) 266-2104
Or
In
Red Deer at (403) 396-8337
