For many years trying provider of office automation systems, considerable efforts to convince, to save corporate law firm and patent attorneys to paperless file management systems, by touting the time and money with electronic files over the traditional file system-related patents issued. However, relatively few patent attorneys who have done, but the loyalty to the traditional three-sided patent manila file folder. Until recently I was one of patent attorneys. Now that Ihas the great efficiency gains and improvements can be discovered with these electronic systems is the question of why I remained faithful to the clearly outdated system of maintaining client records for patent applications. Given the remarkable efficiency and knowledge management improvements are possible with electronic patent file management systems, there can be no viable excuse for not introducing both companies or law firm patent attorneys on such systems. In retrospect, I think found that the weight andHistory, represented by the partially filled patent file folder where a sense of current performance, even if I deny a further trivial rejection of a patent examiner. The need for a clear sign of my efforts to prevail over the back pain that I caused in the exercise of several patent applications files that work on outside the office. However, after they confronted head-on, with the bureaucratic inefficiency of the traditional paper-patent file management systems, now I am aConversion to the undeniable benefits of electronic patent file systems.
Simply put, because the remarkable efficiency and knowledge management can be improved with electronic patent file management systems, it does not introduce any excuse for either viable company or law firm patent attorneys on such systems. When in the best light, patent lawyers who adopt an electronic system to decrease their customers and are viewed themselves a disservice. Viewed in the harshest light,These lawyers are unintentionally deceive their customers innovative methods to improve patent quality legal service while reducing costs.
My Awakening
My awakening came to the value of the patent electronic file management systems recently while leading a team of experts in patenting an Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) vendor of enterprise software. For this project, my team, a detailed comparison between a fully implementedpatent electronic file management system and a traditional paper-based system. Bound by the assignment of times to each of the administrative processes in eleven common tasks of patent applications, we discovered that the use of an electronic patent file management system significantly reduces the amount of administrative time. In particular, (the amount of management time as a substantive legal efforts against) was required for each task is reduced by about 60 percent to 85 percent,dependent on the prosecution case. These administrative tasks represent features such as dragging and moving files from office to office, copy, retrieving and storing documents in the Department computer databases, and inefficient communication between in-house staff and external consultants. Adoption of an electronic patent file management system can save anywhere from $ 150K to $ 220K per year.
Our analysis shows that for a fully staffed corporate patent department (egdocket clerk, paralegal and lawyers) that approximately fifty patent applications files and uses an external consultant for patent preparation and prosecution, the adoption of an electronic patent file management system can save anywhere from $ 150K to $ 220K per year (see Appendix). For a fully staffed corporate patent department submitting a similar number of patents, patent applications but the handles matters primarily in the house are the cost savings of $ 50 to $ 75K per year. Because the tasks are eliminatedby an electronic patent file management system of repetition and routine, these savings are fully scalable so that companies with higher or lower levels of submission.
Further cost savings will also follow from the adoption of a company's patent department of an electronic patent file management system, because increased slightly with the relevant documents at hand in an electronic form a significant efficiency in communication between staff and patent their internal business customers over patent issues .While employed as a Senior IP lawyer at a multinational corporation, I held regular meetings with my company, patent and R & D teams. To collect and provide the necessary information for the teams to make informed decisions that a paralegal and administrative staff had made considerable efforts to spend the copying, sorting and binding relevant patent documentation. In addition, because the information in the thick binder remained static, while the relevant field of patentsnot, these binders was once obsolete finished the regular meetings. The binder, therefore, required to be rebuilt from scratch for each session. Multiply these efforts for several companies, each with frequently changing patent applications, and you can see just how much work needed to my business and R & D team will keep you abreast of their patent portfolios. Had the administration of my corporate IP legal department in an electronic file patent management system, numerous investmentParalegal hours (and would have been tons) of paper, by using the same information to business my organization, the team for verifying stored on their laptops. With an electronic system could, our department personnel have avoided copying the repeated drawing of patent files to relevant documents and prepare a binder. The time-consuming nature of patent preparation committee alone would have justified the adoption of an electronic system for the management of records.
Information to the right peopleat the right time
Another, perhaps immeasurable benefit from electronic patent file management arises from the greatly improved access to valuable corporate asset patent information.
With traditional paper patent file management systems, patents essential to monitor staff access to patent information. The business with major interests in a company's patent issues, that is, enterprises and R & D teams - first ask the staff for their patent right to access suchInformation. For the organizations in which the patents are recognized as valuable corporate assets, is the requirement to have as your bank to ask for your balance. For those responsible for the management of enterprise resources, limited access to information is not acceptable.
No More gatekeeper
If a company views its patent portfolio as an asset, must be those responsible for the management of a company be able to quickly provide relevant information.An electronic patent file accessManagement system is a critical component for the managers to better identify and protect their intellectual property. If a company views its patent portfolio as an asset (such as on legal instruments against) those responsible for the management of these assets must have ready access to relevant information. In traditional paper-based systems, patent applications, patents, employees serve as guardians of the information for the entire group. With an electronic patent file management system, with anNeed-to-know may be granted access to information relating to a patent as required. This reduces the workload of staff and improve patent commitment of others in the organization with the patent process.
Managing the cost of the transition
Given the large cost savings, increased efficiency and significantly improve corporate knowledge management possible with the adoption of an electronic patent file management system, there would be little reason forCorporate patent departments receive the traditional method of management of patent documentation. Of course, the task of the active scanning patent files can be daunting in electronic form. But there are ways to minimize the entry-level costs. First, technology makes it easier than ever to go paperless. Most organizations already file patent applications and other patent documents electronically. This means that the majority of patent documents in electronic form and need not beindividually scanned into an electronic file. In the next few months, the U.S. Patent Office will be introducing an electronic reporting Office actions that are followed at a later stage of the electronic reporting system for the other official documents. The effective elimination of paper from communications to and from the U.S. Patent Office today, it is easily removed for future-oriented companies to patent paper-based file management systems. In combination with modern document management systems is generally inPlace where corporate and law firm settings are implemented, most organizations in a position to the electronic file patent management systems today, at a reasonable price and with minimal effort. To further reduce the entry-level costs, legal manager, you can choose only pending applications for entry into a new electronic patent file management system. Of course, should be re-docketed matters shall also be made fully electronic from the start. Issued cases may be added later with the system when time andTo provide resources. As an approach to the introduction of an electronic patent file management system can minimize the cost of conversion from a paper-based file management system to a purely electronic patent management system.
The role of external consultants
Outside Council saves money through electronic communication with customers, and there is no excuse for them to those savings on their clients.Corporate patent managers should expect their outside passCouncil to be ready to provide them with electronic patent-related communications on a low or no cost basis. Corporate patent managers should also be prepared to discuss with their outside counsel, where the inefficiencies of office and communication processes can be removed to reduce the overall patent procurement costs. If an external consultant, a customer wants additional fees for electronic communication fee should the customer take security seriously consider new patent counsel, which is morewilling to adopt innovative solutions. Outside Council saves money through electronic communication with customers, and there is no excuse for them to pass on those savings to their customers.
It's Time for All-IP Departments to adopt an electronic IP Management System
Although we represent technology savvy companies, patent attorneys are often somewhat resistant to change. This conservative nature may explain why until now the transition to electronic patent fileManagement systems are only slowly. With the remarkable efficiency and improvements over conventional paper-file patent management systems more and more clear, but there is no reason not to patent attorneys to electronic patent application file management system to accept today.
No comments:
Post a Comment