Description:
The in-house patent agent contributes to the creation and management of the company's patent portfolio.The position unites a command of electrical engineering fundamentals with an understanding of the patent process to produce high quality patent applications and to make recommendations for strategic business decisions.
As part of the patent team, the in-house patent agent contributes to the company's patent portfolio. The role includes preparing, drafting and prosecuting domestic and foreign patent applications either directly with the USPTO or with outside counsel. Specific responsibilities include writing patent specifications and claims, producing drawings for patent applications, organizing and analyzing submissions of new ideas, prosecuting patent applications with the USPTO, and providing technical support for patent prosecution when working with outside counsel.
The work involves interaction with engineers to receive and process new ideas into patent applications and to identify technologies which are candidates for patent protection.
The ideal candidate will be able to have technical discussions at a peer level with inventors and to conduct interviews with patent examiners at the USPTO. Responsibilities may also include working with paralegals and administrative support to file patent applications and any necessary paperwork related to prosecution directly with the USPTO.
Additional responsibilities include ongoing analysis of the patent portfolio to assess costs and benefits. As part of the patent team, the in-house patent agent participates at regular meetings with executive management to provide information and recommendations for strategic business decisions.
Requirements/Experience:
- BS, MS, or Ph.D. in electrical engineering or related technical field, with demonstrated competence in the theory and application of analog electronic circuits.
- Registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, with minimum 3 years of experience with patent prosecution.
- Highly developed technical writing and editing skills that include a superior command of the English language.
- Experience in composition of patent applications is ideal. Other applicable experience includes writing and editing articles for technical journals.
- Proficient in use of software tools such as Visio, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to prepare documents with drawings, images, and text.
- Experience with Patent Center and electronic docketing systems, such as Foundation IP is a valuable asset.
- Experience in the construction and evaluation of circuits in the laboratory is desirable.