New Faculty Proposal Preparation & Patent Submission Presented by:

1. New Faculty Proposal Preparation & Patent Submission Presented by: OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROGRAMS

2. OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROGRAMS • JOHN P. POLITANO JR • ASST. VICE-PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH • DIRECTOR, OSP • X7239 • CAROLYN LOCKYER • ASST. DIRECTOR, OSP • X7490 • Manfang Xu • Staff Accountant, OSP • X7279 • Kelly Goodlick • Senior Accountant, OSP • X7418 • DEB HARTEGAN • SUPERVISOR, GRANTS ACCOUNTING • X7269

3. Overview • OSP Website http://www.fit.edu/research/osp/ • What is a Proposal and what does it entail? It lists the work we propose to do and the required funding to perform the work. • The agencies we submit to: NSF/NIH/NASA/SBA/NOAA/ONR/DOD IMPORTANT NOTE: EVERY AGENCY IS DIFFERENT REQUIRING DIFFERENT FORMS.

4. Types of Grants • Types of Grants: • Federal, State, Private • Pass Through • Fixed or Cost Based

5. Preliminary Steps PI: • Locate FundingOpportunity. • Contact OSP. OSP Staff: • Assist in the development of the internal budget form. • Provide support on how to upload a proposal into the Federal online submittal portal (Grants.gov, NSF Fastlane or NASA) or other areas, if applicable.

6. Once the proposal is complete, OSP will review and submit in accordance with the agency’s guidelines. • If a Subcontractor is required for the project, OSP will draft and negotiate the subcontract, on behalf of the Institution. • The internal budget must be routed for signatures and returned, prior to submittal of the proposal.

10. University Contactfor Tech Transfer IP and Patents John P. Politano Jr. Assistant Vice President for Research Director, Office of Sponsored Programs Email: jpolitan@fit.edu Phone: 321-674-7239 Address: Keuper Bldg, Room 227 Additional FIT Intellectual Property http://www.fit.edu/research

11. PATENT SUBMISSIONS Stephen C. Thomas Reg. U.S. Patent Atty Intellectual Property Legal Services Group Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A. Melbourne (321) 215-0088 1901 S. Harbor City Blvd., Suite 720 Melbourne, FL 32901 (One Harbor Place Bldg.) e-mail: stephen.thomas@lowndes-law.com web: www.lowndes-law.com

12. LowndesDrosdickDosterKantor& Reed FloridaInstituteof Technology FacultyPatentBriefing Prepared by: StephenC.Thomas U.S. Reg. PatentAtty Prepared for: Mr.JohnPolitano Asst.V.PforResearch Director Sponsored Programs

13. www.lowndes-law.com Agenda • PatentApplicationRequests • What is an invention? • Who are the Inventors? • Whatlevel of disclosure is required? • Prior art& duty of disclosure • Typesofpatentapplications • Bars toPatentability • Common issues IntellectualProperty

14. www.lowndes-law.com Patent ApplicationRequests • Requestsfor patentapplicationsshouldbe made by: • CompletingtheInventionQuestionnairefoundathttp://www.fit.edu/research/osp(seehandout) • ProvidingthequestionnairetoMr.JohnPolitano, Asst.V.P.forResearch(seeFH2.19.2) • Following the submissionof the Invention Questionnaire the IP committeewillconsider it in due course and advise IntellectualProperty

15. www.lowndes-law.com Patent ApplicationRequests • Ownershipofdiscoveries and inventions • OwnedbyUniversity;assignedbyinventor; prosecutionofpatents determinedbythe committee,unless: • Universityhascontributednothingsubstantial; • Invention is notrelatedtoany Universityresearch; and • Invention wasdevelopedonfaculty member’s own time and without any expense to the University • (seeFH 2.19.2(2)) IntellectualProperty

16. www.lowndes-law.com What is an invention? • An IDEAis not an invention. • A CONCEPT is not an invention. • An inventionis: • invention=conception+reductiontopractice • Reduction topractice may be: • Actual(e.g.aprototype) • Constructive(e.g.awrittendescription) • Thepatentapplicationitselfmay serve asconstructive reductiontopractice IntellectualProperty

17. www.lowndes-law.com Who are the Inventors? • Anyone who contributes to either the conception orreductiontopractice • Mustbe an individual(nota businessentity) • A person who “helped” but did not actually contributeto either the conception or reductiontopractice is not and inventor • Incorrectinventorshipwill invalidateapatent IntellectualProperty

18. W www.lowndes-law.com hat levelofdisclosureisrequired? • Mustclearly setforth the inventionsuch that aPersonofOrdinarySkill in the Art (POSA) would, just fromreading the disclosure, know howtopractice (e.g. make and use) the invention. • Mustsetforth the best mode of the invention • –Cannotholdback“secret”bestmode.Thiswill invalidatethepatent IntellectualProperty

19. www.lowndes-law.com What levelofdisclosureisrequired? • Drawings mustbe clear and unambiguous. • Donotincludedimensionsunlesstheyare necessarytopracticetheinvention • Photographsaredisfavored • Generally they are not clearenough to be used • Theyreproduce poorly • They do not typicallyshow all thefeatures of the claimedinvention IntellectualProperty

20. www.lowndes-law.com Prior Art & Duty of Disclosure • What is prior art? • Basically,itiseverythingthat existsbeforeyour filingdate.Inventiondate isnolongeras importantasinthepast. • Priorartmaybeapatents,aprintedpublication,oranydisclosurethatteachesthesameorsimilarinvention. • Priorartmaycomefromanywhereintheworld, inanylanguage IntellectualProperty

21. www.lowndes-law.com Prior Art & Duty of Disclosure • In the universitysetting, prior art searching may be easier and harder at the same time • Easier, becausemostsubjecttechnologieshaveonlyexistedforafewyearsordecades • Harder,becauseinthehighlypublished environmentofacademia,theremaybemanypaperspublishedthatarerelevant(non-patentliterature,orNPL).AsearchoftheNPLshouldbe performedbytheprofessorpriortosubmitting. IntellectualProperty

22. www.lowndes-law.com Prior Art & Duty of Disclosure • Duty of Disclosure • Inventor/applicantmustdiscloseall materialsthat are materialto the patentabilityexamination beingconductedbytheUSPTO • Failuretoprovidewill invalidate the patentandmaybeconstruedasfraudontheUSPTO • Thisappliestonon-provisionalpatentapplications only • Bestpracticeistodiscloseeverything,evenif unsurewhether material toexamination IntellectualProperty

23. www.lowndes-law.com Types of Patent Applications • Utility(provisional, non-provisional) • Provisional(notexaminedbyUSPTO) • Placeholder, leastexpensivefiling • Allows12monthstodeterminewhethertofileanon- provisional. Expiresat12months. • Mustcompletelydescribetheinvention • Many provisionals areinadequateandleadtoafalse sense of securitybecausecareisnottaketogeneratea completely enabled disclosure. This is the provisional trap. • Doesnot,byitself,resultinapatent IntellectualProperty

24. www.lowndes-law.com Types of Patent Applications • Non-provisional • Moreexpensivethanprovisional • Inadditiontocompletedisclosuremustinclude claimssettingforththeboundariesoftheinvention.Theseclaimsareexaminedbythe USPTO • Mayclaimprioritytoprovisionalorothernon- provisional • Mayresultinapatent,ifallconditionsforpatentabilityare met IntellectualProperty

25. www.lowndes-law.com Types of Patent Applications • InternationalApplications(twotypes) • ParisConvention • PatentCooperationTreaty (mostcommon) • Mustbe filed within12 monthsof the earliest priority document(typicallya provisional) • Areprosecuted separately in each country. • Should identifyat the outset if international patent protection is desired. IntellectualProperty

26. www.lowndes-law.com BarstoPatentability • Prior art • Anticipationunder35USC102 • A singlereference that discloses all the elements ofa claimedinvention • Obviousnessunder35USC103 • One or more referencesthat,takenincombination, teachorsuggest all the elements ofa claimedinvention IntellectualProperty

27. www.lowndes-law.com BarstoPatentability • Disclosure prior to filingdate • PrintedPublicationbyinventor • 1 yeargrace • Offerforsale,Publicuse • Statutorylanguage is unclear. The graceperiod MAY HAVE been eliminated by therecent AmericaInvents Act. We have notseeacontrollingcaseonthisyet. • Bestpracticeisto file beforetheseeventsoccur. IntellectualProperty

28. www.lowndes-law.com Common Issues • Determining the scope of the invention • Doyouhaveaninvention,orjustanidea? • Reductiontopracticeisthekey • Oftentimes, ascientificpapersubmittedasapatentdisclosuremayonlydescribeanideaorsuggestion,notaninvention • Clearlydefineexactlywhattheinventionis beforesubmittinganinventiondisclosure • What is the best mode? Disclose it in the write up IntellectualProperty

29. www.lowndes-law.com Common Issues (cont.) • Incomplete disclosure • Asimplewrite-updescribingtheconceptoftheinventionisgenerallynot adequateasapatent disclosure • Incomplete drawings • “fuzzy”photographsprovidedinlieuofdrawings • Missingparameters(opticalwavelengths,power levels, geometries, parameterranges, etc.) IntellectualProperty

30. www.lowndes-law.com Common Issues (cont.) • Patentdisclosure written as a suggestionfor futureinvestigation(“we will investigate”, etc.) • Whilethisisnecessaryformwhenapplyingfor grantsorotherapprovals,itisaredflagtothepatentexaminerthattheinventionhasnotbeenreducedtopractice. • Incorrectinventorship • Typically,eitherfailingtonameaninventor,or naminganon-inventoroutofkindness IntellectualProperty

31. www.lowndes-law.com Howtoreduce patentcosts • Providecarefullywrittenandcomplete disclosure that clearly setsforth the invention • Think…ifyouhadneverheardofthisinvention, whatwouldyouneedtoknowtopracticeit? • Detailsmatter.Moredetailisbest.Sketchydetail mayleadtorejectionsoraninvalidpatent. • Reworkdrawingssothattheyareclear, detailed, andunambiguous.Avoidphotographsunlessabsolutelynecessary.CADdrawingsarepreferred. IntellectualProperty

32. Orlando, Florida | www.lowndes-law.com ContactInformation Stephen C. Thomas,Esq. Stephen.thomas@lowndes-law.comKara.lane@lowndes-law.comwww.lowndes-law.com 1901S.HarborCityBlvd,Melbourne,Florida32901 (321)215-0088 IntellectualProperty

33. www.lowndes-law.com IntellectualProperty