Digital patent marking method
First Claim
1. An improved method of patent marking products, comprising:
- a. providing digital data identifying one or more patents related to predetermined products in patent marking sense; and
b. facilitating access to said digital data such that at least the numbers of said one or more related patents can be ascertained.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of patent marking products comprises providing digital data identifying one or more patents related to predetermined products in a patent marking sense, and facilitating access to the digital data such that at least the numbers of the one or more related patents can be ascertained. One disclosed execution involves acquiring or developing a patent-product map which correlates product attributes, identifiers or other product data regarding predetermined products with the numbers of patents which relate to the products in a patent marking sense. The map is made available on a remotely accessible patent marking link such that upon accessing the link, patent marking information concerning the predetermined products can be ascertained. The maps are utilized to provide patent numbers correlated with products. In all more than 20 executions of the invention are disclosed.
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Citations
185 Claims
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1. An improved method of patent marking products, comprising:
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a. providing digital data identifying one or more patents related to predetermined products in patent marking sense; and
b. facilitating access to said digital data such that at least the numbers of said one or more related patents can be ascertained. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. The method defined by 33 wherein said storage media comprises solid-state semiconductor memory.
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38. The method defined by 1 wherein said providing access includes an intelligent agent or electronic robot capable of intelligently searching said digital data and retrieving at least the numbers of said related patents.
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39. The method defined by 1 wherein facilitating access to patent information comprises providing an email address at which said patent information is stored, and employing an autoresponder which responds to queries with said patent number which relates to said set of products.
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40. An improved method of patent marking products, comprising:
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providing a database of patent information;
in response to a query for identification of patent numbers corresponding to a particular product or feature, accessing said database, retrieving said identification, and supplying said identification to the requester; and
utilizing said identification in association with said products in a patent marking sense. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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46. A patent marking method comprising:
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acquiring or developing a patent-product map which correlates product attributes, identifiers or other product data regarding predetermined products with the numbers of patents which relate to said products in a patent marking sense; and
making said map available on a remotely accessible patent marking link such that upon accessing the link, patent marking information concerning the predetermined products can be obtained.
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54. A patent marking method comprising:
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a. acquiring or developing patent-product maps which correlate, in a patent marking sense, product attributes, identifiers or other product data on products from a plurality of product providers with patent data associated with a plurality of patents from a plurality of patent owners, said patent data comprising at least the patent number; and
b. utilizing said maps to provide patent numbers correlated with products. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. A method comprising
a. accessing one or more local or remote product databases containing product data on products from a plurality of product providers, said product data including product attributes or identifiers associated with particular products; -
b. accessing one or more local or remote patent databases containing patent data characterizing a plurality of patents from a plurality of patent owners, said patent data comprising patent number, patent owner, and one or more descriptors which characterize the respective patented inventions;
c. at least a portion of said product providers and said patent owners comprising the same entity, and at least one or more of said patents being relevant to one or more of said products in a patent marking sense;
d. correlating patent data and product data from said patent and product databases to create a patent-product map of a selected one or more of said patents which relate to a selected one or more of said products in a patent marking sense; and
c. utilizing said map to provide patent numbers correlated with products. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80)
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67. A patent marking method comprising:
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in a patent-product marking function or service;
acquiring or developing a patent-product map which correlates product attributes, identifiers or other product data with the numbers of patents which relate to said products in a patent marking sense; and
making said map available on a remotely accessible patent marking link such that upon accessing the link patent marking information can be derived concerning the mapped products; and
in a production or shipping line;
i. automatically accessing a memory containing at least a portion of said map or directly accessing said patent marking function or service;
ii. providing to said memory or said patent marking function or service a product attribute or identifier of a product upon which a patent marking is to be applied;
iii. applying to said product or its package patent data identifying one or more patents downloaded electronically from said memory or said patent marking function or service, which data relates to the marked products in a patent marking sense.
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- 81. A patent marking method comprising placing on or in association with products or their packages to be introduced into commerce a patent marking link adapted to be remotely accessed to learn the numbers of patents which relate to the marked products in a patent marking sense.
- 90. A method of patent marking comprising distributing with patented products associated storage media containing patent numbers which relate to the products in a patent marking sense.
- 95. A digital patent marking store adapted to be associated with a product to be patent marked, the store containing coded or uncoded digital data which identifies the number of one or more patents or links to one or more patents which relate to the associated product in a patent marking sense.
- 108. A product or product package having thereon, therein, or associated therewith a digital patent marking comprising digital data which identifies the number of one or more patents or links to one or more patents which relate to the product in a patent marking sense.
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117. A method comprising:
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a. accessing data on a plurality of patents of at least one predetermined patent owner;
b. acquiring data on at least one selected product of said predetermined patent owner to which said plurality of patents relate;
c. correlating said patents with said selected product of said predetermined patent owner in a patent marking sense, and producing digital data in the form of patent-product correlations; and
d. utilizing the patent-product correlations to patent mark said selected product or its package.
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140. A method comprising:
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a. accessing data on the patent portfolios of a plurality of predetermined patent owners;
b. acquiring data on selected products of said predetermined patent owners which relate to said patent portfolios; and
c. respectively correlating said patent portfolios with said selected products of said predetermined patent owners in a patent marking sense.
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147. A method comprising:
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a. distributing a product; and
b. distributing on or in associating with said product or package patent marking information as coded or uncoded digital data.
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154. A method comprising:
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a. distributing software, firmware, or other content digital data over a network; and
b. electronically distributing in association with the content digital data patent marking digital data representing at least the numbers of one or more patents which relate to said content digital data in a patent marking sense.
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160. A method of patent marking a product or its package, comprising acquiring digital data representing patent marking information relevant to said product, and applying or associating said digital data with the product or its package, said digital data being machine readable to obtain at least the numbers of patents related to the product in a patent marking sense, or a link to such numbers.
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167. A method comprising:
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a. acquiring a product; and
b. thereafter acquiring patent marking information intended for association with the product in a patent marking sense.
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173. A method comprising:
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a. distributing a product; and
b. thereafter providing, distributing, or otherwise making available patent marking information for application to or associating with the distributed product.
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181. A method comprising:
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a. distributing digital patent marking information for application to or associating with a product to which the information relates in a patent marking sense; and
b. thereafter updating the patent marking information.
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Specification