Patents areas

The 94 federal judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has its own court of appeals. With the Federal Courts Improvement Act ("FCIA") of 1982 (167), the U.S. Congress created the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and vested it with exclusive jurisdiction over patent cases. One of its objectives in doing so was to promote uniformity in the area of patent law and diminish the uncertainty created by inconsistent application of the patent law among the regional circuits (168). The Federal Circuit also hears appeals of patent matters from the PTO, the Court of Federal Claims, and the ITC, as well as appeals of a variety of nonpatent matters. Matters involving issues of patent law make up a substantial portion of the Court s docket, and the Court is considered to have specialized expertise in the patent area. 

Frank Weisenborn In Dr. Biel s discussion of the rational approach, I still don t think anyone has really said how it is or put it all together. I think it is a mixture of rationality and hope in that in many fields of medicinal chemistry we look for the sophisticated organic chemist to build a new heterocyclic molecule because we want to build a broad protection in terms of a patentable area, and then we look for an experienced medicinal chemist to attach the appropriate side chains. It is a... 

Useful report on the substance and political background of President Carter s initiatives relating to his domestic policy review of industrial innovation. While some of the measures received fairly universal approval, e.g., in the patent area, considerable disappointment was expressed In industrial circles that no tax measures were proposed to "address the disincentives to capital formation."... 

The synthesis of chlorine dioxide has eui extensive literature, especially in the patent area. This is doubtless because it is widely used as a bleach, particularly for wood pulp and flour. The primary source of chlorine dioxide is sodium chlorate. Sodium chlorite also serves as a source, but since this compound itself is always made from chlorine dioxide, its advantages derive from its ease of application or from the purity of the chlorine dioxide produced. 

It is interesting to note that three different companies, ICI in the UK and 3M and Union Carbide in the USA, all independently developed routes to polyarylethersulphones, filing patents within less than a year from November 1962. Each chose different polymers for exploitation the structures chosen are shown in Table I. Inevitably with such close overlapping of inventions in the field, there was a clash of interest between Union Carbide, ICI and 3M in the patent area. This was resolved by the US Patent Office Board of Interference Examiners (see Record for Interference Nos. 95,807 and 95,808 pages 983 and 1139) in 1970 and their decision. 

Patented Area Lighting for Commercial and Industrial Applications... 

The first criterion was associated with improved secondary and tertiary petroleum recovery processes. This is the justification for the patent appHcations issued to the Dow (50) and Exxon (51) corporations. The additional costs of production and the increased adsorption of such modified water-soluble polymers are detrimental to the commercial appHcation of such polymers and even the academic studies in this area have decreased in recent years. 

Insulation Boa.rd. The panel products known as insulation board were the earliest commodity products made from fibers or particles in the composite panel area. These are fiber-base products with a density less than 500 kg/m. Early U.S. patents were obtained in 1915 and production began soon thereafter. The initial production used wood fiber as a raw material, but later products were made of recycled paper, bagasse (sugar cane residue), and straw. Schematics of the two major processes still ia use are shown ia Figure 4. 

N). This area of the process has received considerable attention in recent years as companies strive to improve efficiency and reduce waste. Patents have appeared describing addition of SO2 to improve ion-exchange recovery of vanadium (111), improved separation of glutaric and succinic acids by dehydration and distillation of anhydrides (112), formation of imides (113), improved nitric acid removal prior to dibasic acid recovery (114), and other claims (115). 

In the area of municipal and iadustrial wastewater treatment, the principal environmental issue is the toxicity of residual flocculating agents ia the effluent. Laboratory studies have shown that cationic polymers are toxic to fish because of the iateraction of these polymers with giU. membranes. Nonionic and anionic polymers show no toxicity (82,83). Other studies have shown that ia natural systems the suspended inorganic matter and humic substances substantially reduce the toxicity of added cationic polymer, and the polymers have been used successfully ia fish hatcheries (84—86). Based on these results, the EPA has added a protocol for testing these polymers for toxicity toward fish ia the presence of humic acids (87). The addition of anionic polymers to effluent streams containing cationic polymers to reduce their toxicity has been mentioned ia the patent Hterature (83). 

In 1954 the surface fluorination of polyethylene sheets by using a soHd CO2 cooled heat sink was patented (44). Later patents covered the fluorination of PVC (45) and polyethylene bottles (46). Studies of surface fluorination of polymer films have been reported (47). The fluorination of polyethylene powder was described (48) as a fiery intense reaction, which was finally controlled by dilution with an inert gas at reduced pressures. Direct fluorination of polymers was achieved in 1970 (8,49). More recently, surface fluorinations of poly(vinyl fluoride), polycarbonates, polystyrene, and poly(methyl methacrylate), and the surface fluorination of containers have been described (50,51). Partially fluorinated poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polyamides such as nylon have excellent soil release properties as well as high wettabiUty (52,53). The most advanced direct fluorination technology in the area of single-compound synthesis and synthesis of high performance fluids is currently practiced by 3M Co. of St. Paul, Minnesota, and by Exfluor Research Corp. of Austin, Texas. 

Direct Fluorination. This is a more recently developed method for the synthesis of perfluorinated compounds. In this process, fluorine gas is passed through a solution or suspension of the reactant in a nonreactive solvent such as trichlorotrifluoroethane (CFC-113). Sodium fluoride may also be present in the reaction medium to remove the coproduct hydrogen fluoride. There has been enormous interest in this area since the early 1980s resulting in numerous journal pubHcations and patents (7—9) (see Fluorine compounds, organic-direct fluorination). Direct fluorination is especially useful for the preparation of perfluoroethers. 

Perfluorinated compounds are also potentially useful as inert reaction media, particularly when one of the reactants is gaseous. The high solubiHty of oxygen and carbon dioxide in perfluorinated Hquids has allowed their use as blood substitutes (41) and as oxygenation media for biotechnology (42). One product, Fluosol DA (43) (Green Cross Corp.), has been commercialized, and there is an abundant patent art in this area (see Blood, artificial). 

UOP Inc. is the key source of technology in this area, having numerous patents and over 70 units operating worldwide (12). The dehydrogenation catalyst is usually a noble metal such as platinum. Eor a typical conversion, the operating temperature is 300—500°C at 100 kPa (1 atm) (13) hydrogen-to-paraffin feed mole ratio is 5 1. 

A description or explanation of the background of the invention, N, may also be provided by the inventor. This background section discusses previous developments of inventors working in the same area of technology and may also Hst pubHcations or patents that have discussed these developments and predate the filing date of the patent appUcation. The background section may also point to deficiencies in the prior developments that the inventor intends to overcome. 

To complement the discussion of problems and prior pubHcation in the background of the invention, N, the inventor may generally provide a summary of the invention disclosed in the instant patent. The summary of the invention, O, should provide an explanation of the invention in the broadest and simplest terms and should also discuss how the invention disclosed in the patent solves problems remaining in prior work in this area of technology. 

Tlie next section of the patent is tided "The Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment", Q (Fig. lb), often a multipage work serving several functions. First, the detailed description should provide an illustration of the invention in both its broadest or simplest sense and in its most preferred sense. Any elements of the invention that the inventor beheves are crucial to the success or performance of the invention must also be included within this description. Further, tbi< description should provide an explanation of the invention that is definite and illustrative, so as to allow persons having nothing but die patent before diem to practice or use die invention in the manner intended. This description should be understood by those who work in the area that covers the subject matter of the patent. 

Any patent appHcations filed by others in the area of the invention before and after they become pubHcly available. 

Once this process has been completed for each of the essential elements, patent claims maybe drafted which cover the invention. These claims will cover, in the broadest sense, only those elements of the invention which are essential. Narrower, more focused claims, however, should also be included within the patent appHcation. These claims may focus on aspects of the invention that the appHcant beHeves are preferred, or may otherwise represent essential aspects of any commercial product that will stem from the invention. Finally, claims should also be drafted to cover alternative forms of the invention. Such alternative forms of the invention may not necessarily be considered to be preferred commercially, but they may present an area where a competitor could attempt to engineer "around" the invention. 

Patent documents differ from journal Hterature in several ways. First of all, they are legal documents whose disclosures support one or more claims that define an area of property rights. The language in patent documents can therefore be quite convoluted "patentese" as the appHcant strives to achieve the broadest possible scope of coverage. Examples provided in patents may never have happened. Based on the appHcant s understanding of the technical... 

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