How many US patents has patent attorney Vic Lin obtained?
As of the most recent update of this post, the total number of granted US patents obtained for our clients is 919 and counting.
We are not talking about patent applications filed. These are actual US utility and design patents issued.
Of course, this total does not include all the international and foreign patents I’ve handled.
How to Use Patent Public Search (PPUBS)
Wouldn’t it be great if you could find how many patents have been obtained by a patent attorney or agent? Using the new tool by the USPTO called Patent Public Search (PPUBS), you can search for patent grants by practitioner name. On the welcome page, you will find two options: Basic Search or Advanced Search. While Basic Search might suffice for a quick and easy search, the results may be incomplete.
If you want complete results, choose Advanced Search. Be prepared, however, to use more complicated search strings in order to find patent grants by a patent attorney or agent.
Which patent database should you search?
To find granted patents, select the USPAT database which includes patents going back to 1970. For practical purposes, this should be sufficient for gauging the number of patents by a currently practicing patent attorney.
If you’re simply curious, you can find patents issued earlier than 1970 by checking the USOCR database. Not sure how helpful it would be to look up patents obtained by a practitioner over 50 years ago.
How do you search for the number of patents by patent attorney name?
You can use the following search string to find granted patents by my name: (first name).att. WITH (last name).att. This will retrieve at least a subset of issued patents by that practitioner’s first and last name. When I tried this particular inquiry, the search results were incomplete.
After corresponding with the USPTO Public Search Facility staff, they suggested tacking a second search phrase using the WITH2 command. This helps to find first and last names that may be separated by a middle name or initial. In other words, find the first name within two words of the last name. For example, some of my patent grants may identify me as Vic Y. Lin.
So the final search inquiry is: (first name).att. WITH (last name).att. OR (first name).att. WITH2 (last name).att.
How to Check if a Lawyer Is a Patent Attorney
While many lawyers like to call themselves an IP attorney, not everyone IP attorney is a registered patent attorney. You can check if a lawyer is a registered patent attorney by searching the USPTO Office of Enrollment and Discipline.
For example, here is what you will find when search for Vic Lin:
This information can be quite useful to those looking for a patent attorney. First, the Registration number confirms that a lawyer or agent is actually a patent practitioner registered to practice before the USPTO. Obviously, if an attorney’s name is not in this directory, they do not and can not file patent applications for others. They can still practice trademark or copyright law.
Second, the Status column tells you whether a practitioner is a patent attorney or agent. Patent agents are non-lawyers who can file patent applications for others. Patent agents, however, cannot otherwise engage in the practice of law. For example, patent agents cannot file trademark applications or represent clients in litigation.
Third, the Date registered as attorney identifies when a practitioner was first registered with the USPTO. This date indicates how long they’ve been practicing patent law. Since my patent registration date is in 1999, I’ve technically been practicing patent law since the last millennium!
What if more than one practitioner share the same name?
One benefit of the newer tool is the high number of searchable indexes. If the patent attorney you’re looking up has a common first or last name, consider adding more a specific searchable index to narrow the results. For example, you can add a firm name if you know the law firm that employs the patent attorney.
You can also use the Date registered an attorney to modify your PPUBS search results by adding a date range starting from the year of registration. This can help narrow the number of patents by the specific practitioner.
What is not included in a search by patent attorney name?
Some law firms choose not to show practitioner names on the patent certificates. In those cases, only the firm name is identified on the face of the patents. Therefore, a search for a practitioner’s name at such a firm may lead to little or no search results. You might be able to search for only the firm name.
PCT applications and foreign patents are not included in the PPUBS databases.
How many patents can we get for you?
Put our decades of patent experience to work for you. With a former USPTO patent examiner on our team, you can benefit from our unique combination of familiarity with the inner workings of the USPTO, technical expertise and prior patent infringement litigation experience.
Contact US patent and trademark attorney Vic Lin at vlin@icaplaw.com or call (949) 223-9623 to see how we can help you gain patent protection.
