The Abcs Of Patent Application

A patent application is defined as a request pending at a patent office for granting a patient for an invention. The concerned entity is often a national patent office, although it may also be a regional body such as the European Patent Office. Here are the basic steps in patent application according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Determine the type of IP protection and if the invention is patentable Find out if you need a patent or some other form of intellectual property (IP) protection. Get the answer to this by answering a number of questions, such as who can apply for a patent and how to know if an invention is patentable. Search to see if your invention has already been publicly disclosed. While at it, determine the kind of patent needed.

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Prepare and submit initial application Determine the cost, how long it likely takes, and expedited examination options. Submit the initial application with all the required parts for obtaining a filing date and include the correct fee.

Work with the examiner Once the application has been accepted as complete, it will be assigned for examination, where the designated examiner will review the contents of the application. If twice rejected, you may appeal the decision to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

Receive approval and maintain the patent Once everything is set and approved, you will get a Notice of Allowance, and utility and reissue patents are issued without around four weeks. The patent grant is mailed on the patent’s issue date. To maintain the patent, pay maintenance fees and check the status.

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Dr. Ron Blum is named as the inventor or co-inventor on over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide. There are presently nine different innovations or IP portfolios with Dr. Blum named as the sole inventor or a co-inventor. Read more about patents and inventions on this site.

The Pivotal Role Innovation Plays In a Company’s Success

Entrepreneurs who are innovators manage to look at problems differently, coming up with solutions which others can’t. In doing so, they offer an unlimited flow of value directly to their companies. For many reasons, innovation could be the top component for a company to succeed.

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Innovators in the business world develop new products, methods, and ideas on a daily basis. Understanding how innovation works and how much of a driving force it is to a business’s success would cause an entrepreneur to seek and innovate every chance they get. Innovation provides a company with the opportunity to grow by leaps and bounds. Businesses can expand and add more employees through innovation. This would allow them to accept more customers and acquire a larger share of the market.

As customer needs constantly change, innovation enables a business to meet them as they evolve. Innovators anticipate changes in the market and deliver solutions even before people begin to realize they need them. There is no way a company could meet its customers’ needs on a long-term basis if they are not ready for innovation. Companies that remain stagnant are set to fail.

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Talented, driven, creative, and innovative individuals dream of working for and with innovative companies. Without a history of innovation, it would be impossible for a business to attract a potential partner or employee who is going to develop the next big thing in the market. To recruit such talents, a company should carry an atmosphere challenges and encourages innovators to create on a regular basis.

Dr. Ron Blum is an innovator with a significant contribution to the Optics and Ophthalmics industry in North America. In the past, he led and managed the team that invented and developed the Definity (Progressive Addition Lens). Subscribe to this blog for more updates on innovation.

Why It’s Bad To Rub The Eyes

When parents tell their children to stop rubbing their eyes, they do so for a good reason. Eye rubbing does not only damage the curvature and structure of the eyes, but it also causes abrasions that could lead to infections, and later on vision impairment, or worse.

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There are different kinds of eye infections. Below are some of them.

Conjunctivitis

Viral and bacterial infections come in the form of conjunctivitis. Breaking it down further, conjunctivitis can be harmless (viral conjunctivitis) or dangerous to one’s eyesight (chlamydial conjunctivitis). Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis cause pink eye and can be treated with eye drops.

Chlamydial conjunctivitis, on the other hand, is much more serious. It is a sexually transmitted disease bacteria that if left untreated, can scar the surface of the eye. Unfortunately, newborns often contract chlamydial conjunctivitis if the mother has the disease in her birth canal.

Keratitis

Keratitis is an eye problem that may come in two forms: fungal or acanthamoeba. Both forms are found to come from problems with contact lenses, and when left untreated, may lead to blindness.

Fungal keratitis is caused by fusarium, a harmful fungus, yeast and filamentous fungi, and a host of other fungi. Acanthamoeba keratitis happens when amoeba enters the cornea. Just like other amoeba infections in the body, this happens when a person’s eyes are exposed to dirty water.

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Ron Blum, O.D., is a visionary, innovator, and businessman. He has had great success in building diverse management teams for developing products and executing business strategies. Learn more about Dr. Blum and his patents by checking out this page.

Patents and technology in the United States: An overview

Each year, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO issue hundreds of thousands of patents. In 2017, technology titan IBM once again topped the list of patents, while social media giant Facebook broke into the top 50. IBM has dominated the USPTO’s annual ranking and at the moment has more patents than Google, Oracle, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon, and Accenture combined.

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Anyone who owns or manages technology firms know how important patents are to the overall growth of the company. A huge amount of lawsuits filed in courts all over the country involve patent infringement. In fact, a patent is seen as a vital part in many of a company’s sales and operations.

Patent violation lawsuits can go as high as a billion dollars, as the world has seen back in 2012 when Apple filed a case against Samsung. The patent infringement revolved around mobile devices, and while financially, Samsung survived the lawsuit, the South Korean tech empire and other mobile phone manufacturers around the world needed to alter their devices to avoid another billion-dollar case. 

And although patents are filed in almost every industry in the U.S., the spotlight is mostly on technology since it affects other industries in more ways than one. 

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Dr. Ron Blum is the inventor or co-inventor of over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide. For more updates on Ron and his work, subscribe to this Twitter page.

In Front Of The Computer Screen All Day? Keep Your Vision Healthy

Working on a computer for hours can put incredible strain on one’s eyes. Not only do the eyes dry up, but they’re also continually moving and absorbing light from an artificial source for extended periods. It’s a good thing there are ways to keep the eyes, and in extension, the eyesight healthy even if one’s job is to stare at computer screens all day. 

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Blink every now and then. While blinking is a reflex action, a person can do it as a way to give their eyes a breather. When the eyes get tired or dry up, blinking can relax and lubricate them. A good way of keeping the eyes in tip-top condition is to stop work and blink 10 times each hour. 

Focus on a single object. It’s inevitable that one’s vision will blur after staring at text and numbers on a screen for hours. When this happens, the eyes should look away from the screen and focus on an object across the room. It’ll be blurred at first, but when it starts to get clearer, it means the eyes are regaining focus. 

Massage the eyes. Before anything, it’s important to know that massaging is different from scratching. Massaging involves soft movements using the hands to manipulate skin, muscle, and tissue around the eye sockets and on the bridge of the nose. This also promotes blood circulation in the region. Massaging also make the eyes moist. 

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Ron Blum is the founder of many companies, such as The Egg Factory, one of the oldest and most prolific innovation companies focused on Optics and Ophthalmic. Visit this page to read more about Mr. Blum.

Cool Wellness-Tech Innovations To Try Out

Tons of new health and fitness gadgets, apps, and online tools have become available in the past few years, ensuring that wellness is a top priority in this more interconnected world. Below are some of the most popular and most promising ones to try out.

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Spire

This small, wearable tech is designed to help people be more productive and sleep better. It is clipped to a belt or bra and connected to your smartphone. It tracks your movement, counts burned calories and vibrates when tense breathing is detected, reminding you to breathe deeply and avoid anxiety. It is packaged with guided meditations from world-renowned mindfulness teachers.

QardioBase

This wireless smart scale measures your weight, body mass index, and full body composition then automatically sends the measurements to the Qardio app. The entire family can create personal profiles and sync the scale to their devices, allowing everyone to meet long-term fitness goals. QardioBase is one of the best home scales available on the market.

Fitbit Blaze

Fitbit Blaze is a great wearable solution for both casual runners and those easing into a new exercise routine. It’s a fitness-first smartwatch that tracks activity and heart rate but also allows you to read messages and calendar alerts. It’s a reliable fitness tracker that’s also stylish.

Sensoria Smart Socks

Yes, even socks are now becoming smart. This pair comes with an anklet that magnetically snaps around your ankle, which then connects to a mobile app. They are infused with textile sensors that relay pressure information, giving real-time feedback on running, such as what part of your foot you’re landing on.

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Dr.Ron Blum is a visionary, innovator, and businessman who has contributed to the development of Optics and Ophthalmics in North America. He founded The Egg Factory, LLC in 1999. For related reads, check out this blog.

Tips For Improving Your Eyesight

Now more than ever, various everyday stimuli can harm the eyes: from looking at the PC monitor all day and playing console games by watching television and staring at tiny fonts and images on smartphones. Here then are some tips on keeping the eyes healthy and improving the eyesight.

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The first has to do with diet. Eating food rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and beta-carotene help repair the eyes. Eat more sweet potatoes, butter, papaya, blueberries, apricot, and grapes.

Secondly, don’t stay engaged in one eye-straining activity for long, especially in front of TV or computer screens. Take regular breaks of about 5 to 1o minutes to rest your eyes and relax eye muscles. Also, lower the brightness level of your computer screen and phone as bright screens increase eye strain.

Keep your eyes hydrated and increase your water intake. A good tip is to not just wash your face when you’re tired but keep your eyes open and splash water on them, too.

Note that the more sugar you eat, the worse your eyesight will become. So, avoid sugary foods whenever possible.

Finally, if you smoke, consider stopping the vice for your eyes’ sake. Keep in mind that smoking has been linked to increased risk of developing eye degeneration, cataracts, and optic nerve damage.

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Dr. Ron Blum is a visionary, innovator, and businessman who has contributed to the development of optics and ophthalmics in North America. He has had great success in building diverse management teams for developing products and executing business strategies. Visit this webpagefor more on Dr. Blum.