USPTO

Subhra Mohapatra, a researcher at the University of South Florida and fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, invented “tumor-on-a-disc" technology that enables scientists to grow tumors in the lab to help treat and understand cancer. Her work is supported through university technology transfer that helps on-campus inventors obtain patents to protect their exclusive right to sell and market their invention. “We are really proud that this technology has come up with products that are helping anti-cancer regimens for patients who need treatment,” Mohaptra said. Check out Subhra’s story: https://lnkd.in/eXdZeFfe

We’ve launched the new Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Center beta, bringing improved functionality for filing notices of opposition. Learn about TTAB Center’s enhancements and provide your feedback: https://bit.ly/3T877YL

If you have a STEM degree and you’re not quite sure which patent examiner vacancy to apply to, we’ve got you covered! Check out our patent examiner degree crosswalk to find out which vacancy is the right fit for your coursework and degree: https://lnkd.in/ed3MWx22

Inventor Sumita Mitra doubted dental treatment was top of mind for Richard Feynman, father of nanotechnology, when he gave his famous speech “There’s plenty of room at the bottom,” but she made room for it anyway. She wanted to incorporate nanotechnology, then an emerging branch of science and engineering, in her quest for an improved material. For chemists like Mitra, nanotechnology was an opportunity to learn something new and use it to develop dental filling materials. She took her cue from the construction of natural teeth, which is a nanostructure material in itself. It was a trial-and-error process that required determination to keep going. In 2002, her nanocomposites made of nanomers and nanoclusters were manufactured and commercialized. Mitra was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2018. Read her story in our latest Journeys of Innovation series: https://bit.ly/4cahOk4          

Our Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) oversees our agency’s annual budget, collecting and aligning financial resources to support the agency’s mission and operations. Its four offices — the Office of Finance, Office of Financial Management Systems, Office of Planning and Budget, and Office of Procurement — execute critical financial management activities including travel and payments, financial accounting, financial systems design and operations, fees and forecasting, performance tracking, and contracts in support of the USPTO mission to drive innovation, inclusive capitalism, and global competitiveness. Earlier this year, AGA awarded the USPTO its 22nd consecutive Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting and the Best-in-Class Award for Integrated Financial and Performance Reporting for our annual Agency Financial Report, which documents performance and financial management milestones every fiscal year. “The OCFO is a strategic business partner for our entire agency, and our small organization has an outsized, enterprise-wide impact here at the USPTO and in the larger innovation ecosystem,” said Deputy CFO Sean Mildrew. “It’s an honor to work alongside dedicated professionals as we empower our nation’s innovators and entrepreneurs.” #TeamUSPTO

We’re looking for new members to join our Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI²) to implement and advance the National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation and promote innovation for and from all. These leaders will help advise the Secretary of Commerce and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO as we work throughout the innovation ecosystem to foster inventorship and entrepreneurship across the country. “As we continue to fulfill our mission to meet people where they are and connect them with the resources they need to be successful creators and entrepreneurs, we look to our communities across America to nominate leaders who can advance this work,” said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. Send questions and nominations via email to CI2Leadership@uspto.gov by 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 30.

Get an overview of the patent challenge process before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) at our third Public Engagement Partnership meeting. We’ll cover: ✔️ How the PTAB conducts the process ✔️ A case study of a proceeding involving a pharmaceutical patent ✔️ Statistics on proceedings involving Orange Book-listed and biologics patents Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4dyr5DZ

These troops radiate innovative energy! Guardians from the 460th Civil Engineering Squadron demonstrated cutting-edge detectors they’ve integrated into a robotic platform to indicate the presence of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) agents – marking the first time CBRN detection capabilities have been developed for troops, by troops. The demonstration was part of a visit Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property made to Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado last week to see these innovations firsthand, discuss the United States Space Force's IP priorities, and introduce the USPTO’s military initiative. The USPTO works closely with the United States Department of Defense to ensure military technology is properly patented and protected.

You can drive change and innovation as the Deputy Chief Policy Officer for the Creative Works and Global Outreach at the USPTO. Use your passion for intellectual property (IP) to promote international development of IP systems and and advocate for cost-effective improvements to protect and enforce IP rights. You will lead a team that coordinates global outreach at the national and international level. Showcase your expertise in intellectual property, apply: https://bit.ly/4cnHlWZ

A full decade of taking innovation to new heights 🏔️ Happy 10-year anniversary to the USPTO’s Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office! Last week, we celebrated this milestone in Denver alongside staff, IP experts, and industry professionals from across the region. Join us in congratulating the Rocky Mountain Office on its steadfast support of local inventors and entrepreneurs over the past 10 years 👏