Peer-to-Patent June Newsletter

["Peer-to-Patent" <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Dear Reviewers, Our work is not done! Although the pilot is no longer open to new applications, we still have a lot of applications in the pipeline that need to be reviewed.  There are approximately 55 applications still posted, and just last week we received a final batch of 24 applications from the USPTO.  That means we still have as many applications to be reviewed over the next several months as we did the entire first year of the project. So we really need your assistance. I also note the nomination of Dave Kappos to be the new Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO as discussed in the main article.  Dave has long been an advocate for Peer-to-Patent. While, as director, he will have to consider all aspects of continuing the Peer-to-Patent project, including the cost of the effort in the face of significant USPTO budget issues, we believe he will work with the USPTO staff to arrive at the best possible outcome.  Dave's career in intellectual property at IBM has been marked by innovative thinking, and he will bring that approach to the USPTO.  We wish him well in his new undertaking.  Finally, look for our second anniversary report on Peer-to-Patent to be released in the next two weeks.  It is worth the read.     Kind regards, Mark Webbink Executive Director Center for Patent Innovations @ New York Law School How are we doing? Do you have any suggestions for improving Peer-to-Patent?  Send us your questions or comments to: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx We value your time and privacy. If you would like to unsubscribe to these newsletters, simply follow the link located at the bottom of this email.  Thank you all for your outstanding contributions to Peer-to-Patent.

David J. Kappos nominated as Director of USPTO Nomination brings new hope for Peer-to-Patent By Kaydi Osowski After nearly six months of waiting, the United States Patent and Trademark Office will soon have a new director.  On June 18, 2009, President Obama announced his intent to nominate David J. Kappos as Director of the USPTO.  Mr. Kappos is currently Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of Intellectual Property Law at IBM, Corporation. Mr. Kappos' extensive experience in the patent field will be a welcome addition to the USPTO. He has long been an avid promoter of opening up the system and his international experience will likely lead to expanding cross-border examination collaborations.  His colleagues regard him as one of the brightest thinkers in the country in the area of intellectual property law. Mr. Kappos has also been a strong supporter of Peer-to-Patent from the beginning.  In his role at IBM, he directed the corporation in providing both financial and technical assistance in the development of the project. In March 2007, he was quoted in the Washington Post as saying, "[f]or the first time in history, it allows the patent office examiners to open up their cubicles and get access to a whole world of technical experts." During a May 8, 2009 Foley & Lander LLP web series, Mr. Kappos stated that Peer-to-Patent is "ready to move into production stage."  "[The project] really has proven to be a wonderful leverage point that brings really substantive applicable prior art and good comments to the attention of the patent office examiners...to enable them to apply [prior] art and do a good job of issuing good patents." Peer-to-Patent has high hopes following this announcement.  Mr. Kappos has a desire to foster innovation throughout the patent system and Peer-to-Patent is a prime example of how such advancements can be accomplished.  We, at Peer-to-Patent, eagerly await the confirmation of Mr. Kappos and look forward to continuing our work towards improving the patent process. Researching Patents ALEX: A New Tool for Patent Research By Andrea Casillas The introduction of Wikipedia allowed people to immerse themselves into new topics and research areas of interest simply by compiling an "On this day..." list and allowing visitors to follow links.  ALEX takes this concept and applies it to the patent world by allowing users to immerse themselves into technology simply by inputing key words.  ALEX was born from the question 'How do I find out about things that I am interested in but don't know about?'  Moreover, it aids patent researchers by asking 'What else can this be used for?' The ALEX system sets out to balance information from various search engines by bridging the technologies embodying separate languages.  This allows a more cultural-centric index to overcome problems that normally occur in automatic search engines. While in its early stages, ALEX has a number of useful tools.  Users are able to conduct keyword or key phrase searches and retain these highly detailed results.  After this hierarchal model is created, the user can add information or extend the model by using the quick tools, such as Wiki or Kosmix, associated with the key word or phrase.  ALEX then provides the opportunity to access user defined websites such as Google Patents and Scholar to further reference these search results.  All the while, this system saves all results and creates a historical reference page. ALEX provides the serious researcher a powerful tool to create sophisticated, repeatable searches and allows the utmost flexibility. To learn more, click here. Behind the Patent Application This Issue: Urban Mapping Inc. Geocoding based on neighborhoods and other uniquely defined informal spaces or geographical regions By Thomas Lemmo While there is an enormous amount of information at the finger tips of e-Citizens these days, organization and presentation of this data has become an increasingly prevalent concern amongst developers. A major issue confronting developers concerns presenting users with directory information for a specific geographic region. Currently there are many outlets to search according to geographical locations as long as the user conducts an address oriented search. In order to find results within a specific area the user must include the name of the street, state, zip code, municipality or other defined constraint that the user may not be familiar with. In the hopes of solving this problem, the Geocoding based on neighborhoods and other uniquely defined informal spaces or geographical regions patent application from Urban Mapping Inc. seeks to make searching within a geographical area simpler by using common terms to define the location.  The invention will allow the searcher to define the area using common terms that may be more familiar or used more often. For instance, if a user were looking for a Chinese restaurant in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan they could use the term "Lower East Side" instead of having to know the zip code of the neighborhood. The invention described in this application would be able to recognize the use of the neighborhood's name instead of requiring the rigid definitions assigned to the region. By using geocoding techniques the invention will define the region and tag it with search terms. This allows visitors and residents alike to more easily search within a designated area.  Urban Mapping Inc's patent application will be available for public review on Peer-to-Patent until September 24, 2009.

You are receiving this email because you are a valued member of the Peer-to-Patent community. Feel free to opt out of receiving future correspondence. Unsubscribe @xxxxxxxxxxx from this list. Our mailing address is: Peer-to-Patent IILP 57 Worth St New York, NY 10013 Our telephone: 212-431-2368 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2008 Peer-to-Patent All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile