*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************

THE ONLINE INVENTOR

(c) 2003 Market Launchers, Inc.

http://www.marketlaunchers.com/customer-testimonials.html

Editor: Paul Niemann

*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************

EDITOR'S NOTES:

HAPPY 4th OF JULY !!!!!!!!!

We have another great issue for you, but first … 

… ANNOUNCING MarketLaunchers.com's Independence Day special -- for those of you who DO NOT have a web page on our site yet: 

Long-time readers know the main benefits of having a web page listed on MarketLaunchers.com's Invention Database:

* The inventions on our site are seen by companies looking for new products. These include manufacturers, product scouts, investors, direct response TV companies, catalog companies and other potential licensees. 

* You can also use your web page as your own "online brochure." (This is true whether your web page is listed on MarketLaunchers.com or if you have your own web site, but having your own web site does not guarantee that anyone will find it. 

I'll be giving away 3 bonuses worth $195 as a "Independence Day" special promotion, valid until July 15: 

1. Two extra weeks as a "Featured Product of the Week" on the MarketLaunchers.com web site ($100 value -- the added exposure may be just what you need to attract the right company)

2. A copy of "Web Sites for Inventors" and a list of companies who have either licensed in new products from outside inventors in the past, or are believed to be open to looking at new products from outside ($75 value)

3. The past 2 year's worth of articles that I've written for Inventors' Digest ($20 value)

This "Fourth of July" special promotion is valid from today until July 15 and is being offered exclusively to those who receive THE ONLINE INVENTOR. There are 3 different web page packages available for your web page: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Prices start at $225 for one year (this includes having me build it for you).

Mention this ad and you'll receive the above 3 bonus items regardless of which package you choose. Since the 3 bonus items automatically come with the Gold package, you can deduct $50 from the price of your web page if you choose the Gold Package. 

Getting your own web page on one of the top web sites for inventors is simple - all you have to do is send in a picture or two and the description of your product, along with your order, and I'll have your web page up within 2 days of receiving your order. The order form is at http://www.marketlaunchers.com/forms.html, or you can call me at (800) 337-5758.

The "Independence Day" special starts today, July 4th and lasts until July 15. All orders must be postmarked by July 10 in order to receive the free items mentioned above.

Call me toll-free if you have any questions. 

Thanks,

Paul Niemann
http://www.marketlaunchers.com/customer-testimonials.html 
800-337-5758

P.S. Be sure to mention this e-mail when you order, in order to get the 3 free bonus items mentioned above. Thanks.

P.P.S. If you're not ready to get your own web page yet but still want to get the 2nd and 3rd bonus items mentioned above (a copy of "Web Sites for Inventors" and a list of companies ($75 value) and the past 2 year's worth of articles that I've written for Inventors' Digest ($20 value), you can get both for only $75 at http://www.marketlaunchers.com/gold.html

************************************************************

FAMOUS / INFAMOUS Quotes … 

"Don't cut back on basic research. It's necessary to the future of this country" -- Jerome Lemelson, holder of 583 patents

"One way to predict the future is to invent it" -- Alan Kay

************************************************************

Article # 1: "Provisional Patent Applications," by Michael Neustel, excerpted from "The Inventors Pocket Guide"

Article # 2: "New Product? Give It Nine Lives" by Marcia Yudkin

Article # 3: "Top 20 Corporations Receiving U.S. Patents in 2001"

************************************************************

Article # 1: "Provisional Patent Applications, An Attorney's Perspective" by Michael Neustel, Registered Patent Attorney, excerpted from "The Inventors Pocket Guide"

Overview: 

Since June 8, 1995, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has offered inventors the option of filing a provisional patent application, which was designed to provide a lower cost first patent filing in the United States and to give U.S. applicants parity with foreign applicants under the GATT Uruguay Round Agreements.

A "provisional" patent application is a U.S. national application for patent filed in the PTO under 35 U.S.C. §111(b). It allows filing without a formal patent claim, oath or declaration, or any information or prior art disclosure. It provides the means to establish an early effective filing date in a patent application and allows the term "Patent Pending" to be applied.

Benefits of a Provisional Patent Application:

There are several benefits to filing a provisional patent application. Below is a listing of benefits that are recognized by the USPTO:

* Provides simplified filing with a lower initial investment with one full ear to assess the invention's commercial potential before committing to the higher cost of filing and prosecuting a non--provisional patent application;

* Establishes an official United States patent application filing date for the invention;

* Permits one year's authorization to use "Patent Pending" notice in connection with the invention;

* Begins the Paris Convention priority year;

* Enables immediate commercial promotion of the invention with greater security against having the invention stolen;

* Provides the same confidentiality, access, and certified copies by PTO as §111 (a) non-provisional applications for patent;

* Allows for the filing of multiple provisional applications for patent and for consolidating them in a single §111 (a) non-provisional patent application;

* Provides for submission of additional inventor names by petition if omission occurred without deceptive intent (deletions are also possible by petition).

Provisional Application Requirements:

The provisional patent application must be made in the name(s) of all of the inventor(s). The inventor(s) named in the provisional patent application must have made a contribution to the invention as described. if multiple inventors are named, each inventor named must have made a contribution individually or jointly to the subject matter disclosed in the application. The provisional patent application can be filed up to one year following the date of first sale, offer for sale, public use, or publication of the invention. (Note: These pre-filing disclosures, although protected in the United States, may preclude patenting in foreign countries.) You should consult with a patent attorney if you should have any questions.

A filing date will be accorded to a provisional patent application only when it contains (1) a written description of the invention, complying with all requirements of 35 U.S.C. §112; (2) any drawings necessary to understand the invention, complying with 35 U.S.C. §113; and (3) the names of all inventors.

If any of these three items are missing or incomplete, no filing date will be granted. To be complete, a provisional patent application must also include (1) the filing fee as set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(k), and (2) a cover sheet identifying the application as a provisional patent application. The cover sheet is required so as to distinguish the provisional patent application from other applications and documents filed in the PTO. The cover sheet provides all of the information needed to process the provisional application promptly and properly and prepare the filing receipt.

"Patent Pending" Period:

The period of up to one year of pendency for the provisional application is excluded from the term calculation of a granted patent that relies upon the provisional patent application, thus providing a term endpoint that is 21 years from the provisional application filing date. If the inventor takes no further action, the application will automatics abandoned 12 months after the provisional patent application's filing date by operation of law or upon failure to correct informalities (e.g., pay filing fee or correct cover sheet error). Once a provisional patent application is automatically abandoned 12 months after the filing date it is non-revivable and you will not be entitled to the filing date of the provisional patent application.

# # # #

Neustel Law Offices, LTD
2534 South University Drive, Suite 4
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
Telephone: (701) 281-8822
Facsimile: (701) 237-0544
E-mail: [email protected]  
Website: http://www.neustel.com  

Randy Moyce is owner and Founder of Inventors HQ & 
Inventors Mentoring Services. http://www.InventorsHQ.com  
Author of The Inventors Pocket Guide: 
http://www.inventorshq.com/thebook.htm 


************************************************************

TIMEOUT FOR A MARKETLAUNCHERS.COM AD:

We're offering a new product which is ideal for the beginning 
inventor or the experienced inventor: 

THE INVENTOR'S 3-PACK, WHICH CONTAINS: 

* A copy of "Web Sites for Inventors," as mentioned above. 
This list of more than 50 links is "The Ultimate Links Page" -- 
pre-screened and arranged in an easy-to-follow format.

* A list of companies who have either licensed in new products 
from outside inventors in the past, or are believed to be open to 
looking at new products from outside ($75 value).

* The past 2 years worth of articles that I wrote for Inventors' 
Digest (12 great articles in all -- a $20 value).

The cost of the Inventor's 3-Pack is only $75, and it comes with a 
90-day money-back guarantee. This is a great deal, and you have 
absolutely nothing to lose. To order, visit 
http://www.marketlaunchers.com/gold.html 

The Inventor's 3-Pack is for the experienced or the 
inexperienced inventor:

Price is subject to change without notice at any time, so call me at 
800-337-5758 to get yours today.

************************************************************

Article # 2: "New Product? Give It Nine Lives," by Marcia Yudkin

The closeness between the words "new" and "news" provides a telling clue to how easy it can be to get media coverage for something that's new. By definition, the media are in the business of covering what's fresh, what's unprecedented and what has just happened. Follow a few simple steps and publicity can make your product launch a significant success.

First, carefully and honestly define specific markets for your product. Media that target those markets are those you should concentrate on. Forget about the mass media unless even a skeptic would have to agree that your product would matter to practically everyone.

Second, identify the primary benefit your product will bring to each target market. String that together with the identity of the corresponding population in a press release headline, using the formula "New [generic product description] brings [benefit] to [target market]." For instance:

New Bridal Shower Game Ends Gift-Opening Tedium, Makes Shower a Memorable Event for Hostess, Bride and Guests

Third, reword your headline for each target market. An editor's paramount question when screening release 
headlines, whether in a stack of faxes, in an email in-box or on the Web, is "Is it relevant to my readers?" Naming the readers in the headline answers that question without forcing the editor to think. For example, while the headline above would go to brides' magazines, the one below fits publications for wedding planners:

New Bridal Shower Game a Sure-Fire Add-on for Party Planners

Fourth, complete the releases and distribute them to the relevant media. The narrower a niche, the more you may want to supplement established industry distribution circuits with additional research and one-by-one mailing, emailing or faxing.

Fifth, get to work turning your Web site for the product into a magnet for folks searching for something like what you've just released. Brainstorm generic keywords by which people would search for your item and include as many of them as possible on the home page and throughout the site. Register your site or new product page not only with major search engines but also with specialized industry directories and submit your link at industry portals. Include customer or expert testimonials for greater credibility, and add links to media coverage when that starts coming in.

Whenever possible, link the timing of your product release to a holiday, the season, current events or a trade show to increase its newsworthiness.

Most specialized magazines feature selected new products near the front of each issue, often with a product photo. You needn't send product samples or photos everywhere to get such coverage, as editors will call for those if intrigued by the release. The more lively and reader-friendly the writing in your release, the more likely a busy editor is to choose your item from the candidates received.

After half a year or so has passed, your product will no longer count as "new." By upgrading the item in a relevant way, however, you can consider it a new edition and start the cycle over again.

# # # #

Marcia Yudkin < [email protected] > is the author of the classic guide to comprehensive PR, "6 Steps to Free Publicity," now for sale in an updated edition at Amazon.com and in bookstores everywhere. She also spills the secrets on advanced tactics for today's publicity seekers in "Powerful, Painless Online Publicity," available from http://www.yudkin.com/powerpr.htm 
http://www.yudkin.com/marketing.htm 

************************************************************

Article # 3: "Top 20 Corporations Receiving U.S. Patents in 2001"

Company:                                                          # of patents:

1. IBM                                                                3,411
2. NEC Corp.                                                     1,953
3. Canon Kabushiki Kaisha                                1,877
4. Micron Technology, Inc.                                1,643
5. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.                       1,450
6. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.         1,440
7. Sony Corp.                                                     1,363
8. Hitachi, Ltd.                                                   1,271
9. Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha              1,184
10. Fujitshu Limited                                           1,166
11. Toshiba Corp.                                              1,149
12. Lucent Technologies Inc.                             1,109
13. General Electric Company                          1,107
14. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.                   1,086
15. Hewlett-Packard Company                            978
16. Intel Corporation                                           809
17. Texas Instruments, Incorporated                    799
18. Siemens Aktiengeselischaft                           793
19. Motorola, Inc.                                               778
20. Eastman Kodak Company                             719

Sources: Technology Assessment and Forecast Report, U.S. PTO, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 2003 World Almanac and Book of Facts

************************************************************
************************************************************

Copyright 1998 -- 2002
All Rights Reserved

Click here to read the March 2003 issue