Patent restrictions and elections
USPTO examiners can require patent restrictions. These narrow the scope of your originally submitted patent claims. Choose carefully here.
Continuation applications
Don’t like having your own inventions used against you? Before your patent issues, consider filing a continuation application.
Foreign patent traps
Outside of the US, foreign patent offices will often use your own prior patent filings against you! Avoid this trap by planning carefully.
Open source software licenses for startups
Some open source software licenses can be harmful, so consider your business model before choosing what type of open source software to use.
Medical device patents
Medical device patents should have a lot of detail; try to teach alternative approaches and consider both US and European patent rules.
Patent non-publication requests
Patent non-publication requests are particularly useful for business method type software patents, because you can preserve your work as a trade secret if you don’t get a patent.