I have invented a Foreign Language Teaching Method. It is about live
language training and has nothing to do with computers.
I am looking to patent this method in the US. When I searched patent
Firms on the web, I could not find any attorney in those firms who is
trained in linguistics. Most patent attorneys are trained in physical
sciences - engineering, chemistry etc.
Then I searched US Patent Office site to look for patents in the field
of language. I concentrated on the patents falling under the fields of
434/156 and 434/157.
(434=education and demonstration
156 Language instructions
157 Foreign languages)
After I found a relevant patent, I would go to the patent firm's web
site, request the firm for inventor's contacts and contact the
inventor for her/his opinion about the attorney.
However, I could not find a single attorney who had adequate knowledge
about linguistics. I tried to find an attorney who had drafted 2-3
patent applications in language training method assuming that would
have taught him enough about essentials of linguistics. I could not
such an attorney.
So, here is what I want. I am looking for a patent attorney who
a) is formally trained in linguistics OR
b) has worked on 2-3 patent applications in the field of language
training method OR
c) who is personally interested in linguistics though he/ she may not
have studied it in school. If not formally trained, I expect such
attorney to have adequate knowledge of Language Theories (L1 Theory,
L2 Theory, well-known language teaching methodologies; works of
Chomsky, Stephen Krashen, James Asher; language corpuses (British
National Corpus, Bank of English).
How do I find such an attorney who fits a) b) or c) or a combination? |
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
24 May 2003 17:19 PDT
Aaz-ga,
I'd suggest you have a look at Holland & Knight, specifically an
attorney there with linguistics background and a experience in
intellectual property. While she's not a patent atty, the firm does a
good deal of patent work -- seems likely she could hook up with the
appropriate expertise at the firm:
http://www.hklaw.com/Biographies/ExpandedBio.asp?ID=92672
"...She is a member of Women in Technology, the International
Trademark Association, and the International Association of Privacy
Professionals ("IAPP"). Ms. Masri serves as an editor for the IAPP
newsletter, "Privacy Officer's Advisory." Ms. Masri earned her B.S. in
Linguistics from the Georgetown University in 1989 and earned an M.S.
in Management from Boston University in 1993."
Let me know if this is on target in terms of the information you're
looking for, and what additional information you need to constitute a
full-fledged answer to your question.
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
25 May 2003 05:33 PDT
Many thanks. My request is for a PATENT attorney/ agent who has a
degree in linguistics 'OR' who has worked on 2-3 patent applications
in the field of foreign language training method (essence of patent
should be the 'method' not its digital embodiment ie, the patent
should be about language teaching/ training NOT technology) 'OR' who
has DEEP personal interest in linguistics (shown by adequate knowledge
of L1/ L2 Theories, language teaching methodologies; works of few
renowned linguists).
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
28 May 2003 21:18 PDT
Hello -
I received a response back from an patent attorney. Let me know if it
may work:
"...a patent attorney who has a background in software, including
voice recognition and language translation products. I have worked
with and
written patent applications for these type of products.
I don't have a background in linguistics per se, but I might be able
to have
some input into your situation. I am a big fan of Noam Chomsky. I do
have a
friend with a PhD in speech pathology, which I realize is not the same
area
as linguistics.
I speak English and some Japanese and Spanish, thus I take kind of an
amateur interest in linguistics. Having written >60 patent
applications, what I have found is that the attorney does not need to
become an expert in the subject matter of the application."
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
28 May 2003 21:19 PDT
That should say "from a patent attorney", and I apologize for the formatting.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
28 May 2003 21:20 PDT
And another response from a different individual:
"1. I am a patent agent, not an attorney; but, I work with a patent
attorney.
2. My background is not linguistics, per se, but I have taken several
courses in cultural studies and semiotics during my masters at Tisch Film
School, NYU; I had two years in PhD program at Courant Institute, NYU; and,
am currently completing my PhD in Cognitive Psychology and Artificial
Inteligence at Columbia. There I have a strong interest and focus in the
cognition of language."
Let me know if either of these might work.
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
29 May 2003 07:40 PDT
Many thanks for the efforts and the responses.
For the patent attorney: Voice recognition and language translation,
important in themselves, are not relevant to my requirement. Chomsky
has written on a wide variety of subjects. Which part has he read/ is
fan of?
For the Patent Agent: Can you request him/ her please to advise:
a) Semiotics - specifically what did the course(s) cover
b) Cognitive psychology - what is the focus of PhD
c) The size of the firm he works for? Does the firm do ONLY patent/IP
business?
d) Has he you drafted any patent application before? How many?
Regards
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
29 May 2003 09:03 PDT
Hello -
I will let you know what their responses are when I hear back from them.
Thanks,
jbf777
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
29 May 2003 13:11 PDT
For the patent agent:
> a) Semiotics - specifically what did the course(s) cover
The "subliminal" meanings that are not consciously noticed, but are
conitavely associated with the obvious surface messages (text and images)
we are bombarded with all the time.
> b) Cognitive psychology - what is the focus of PhD
How various types of information (e.g., text vs. general images vs. general
sound vs. language, etc.) are processed and stored. And, how the several
distinct types of processing differ. In particular, several implecations
are drawn about exposure of developing minds (children) to television and
computers.
> c) The size of the firm he works for?
Small. 1 Intellectual Property Attorney (Patent Attorney); 1 Patent Agent
(me).
> Does the firm do ONLY patent/IP
> business?
Yes.
> d) Has he you drafted any patent application before?
Yes. Drafted and prosecuted many to issuance.
> How many?
About 30, mostly in computer science and communications engineering, but
also games, automotive, consumer products.
============
For the patent attorney:
The material I remember best was a review of his book "Language and
Politics"
in the NY Times Book Review. I read this at least 9 years ago, possibly
1994.
The title of the book may have been "Language and Thought".
Please understand that I did not read this book, I only read a review of it.
I have also read of his political positions in magazines, although this
interests me less.
Because Chomsky is much more renowned for his political views than his
linguistics, it is much easier to get information about his politics than
his linguistics. I would actually prefer it be the other way around.
When I said I am a big fan, it was for one reason only and that is Noam's
dislike of television. I also read a collection of Noam's speeches regarding
the Clinton administration's skillful use of television, which I felt was
profound. This collection, which I no longer have, came out around 1993 or
1994.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
29 May 2003 13:15 PDT
[those were their cut-and-pasted responses, verbatim]
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
29 May 2003 19:51 PDT
I would discard Chomsky fan at this stage.
Re: the Patent Agent (with training in subliminal messages + storing/
processing of text/image/ sound/ language):
He is not trained in linguitics but his training is somewhat related.
However, I have some concern about a firm of such a small size. I want
to check the his credentials from 2-3 of his clients. US patent grant
documents (available on US PTO) list the name of the patent attorney/
agent. Can I request you to verify from US Patent Office site how many
patents he has done? If you cannot find any either under his (or his
firm's) name, you may possibly ask him direct the reason. If you find
any, please see if there is any patent handled by him (or his firm)
under the US PTO field 434/156 and 434/157? To avoid searching
yourself, you may ask him, if you deem proper, to supply a list of all
patents to issuance handled by him.
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
29 May 2003 20:03 PDT
Re: the Patent Agent (with training in subliminal messages + storing/
processing of text/image/ sound/ language):
Can you please ask him also if has adequate knowledge in any of the
following areas: Language Theories (L1 Theory, L2 Theory), well-known
language teaching methodologies (eg, Direct Method, Asher's TPR,
Krashen's Natural Approach); works of Chomsky, language corpuses
(British National Corpus, Bank of English)?
Regards
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
30 May 2003 23:50 PDT
Dear JBF-777, Are you still working on this?
Any luck with the Patent Agent (with training in subliminal messages +
storing/
processing of text/image/ sound/ language)
If he didn't respond, could you find any patents done by him/ his
firm/ his attorney colleague on USPTO website? Regards
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
31 May 2003 16:31 PDT
Hello -
Yes, sorry for the delay. I haven't received a response back from
him; I just re-emailed him though -- hopefully he'll respond.
Thanks,
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
31 May 2003 16:44 PDT
(1) I assume you tried but could not find any patent done by him on
USPTO web site. Am I right?
(2) Any other attorney beside this one?
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
31 May 2003 17:13 PDT
(1) That's correct. He needs to shed light on his exact affiliation
with the patents.
(2) Unfortunately, no. There may be other researchers working on your
question, however.
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
03 Jun 2003 05:48 PDT
He didn't get back to you regarding his/ his firm's affiliation with
30 patents that he says he has worked on but which do not show up on
USPTO website under his/ his firm/ his attorney colleague's name? Do
you intend to follow up on this please?
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
03 Jun 2003 07:45 PDT
Hi aaz-ga -
I apologize, but I haven't gotten an email response back. I have no
idea why. I have sent yet another follow-up email and a phone call,
and will let you know if I receive a reply.
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
03 Jun 2003 13:39 PDT
I received a response back. He was on vacation. He said he should
get back to me later today.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
04 Jun 2003 12:44 PDT
Hello -
Here's the latest response. Please be advised, I really can no longer
discuss this issue with him. If this information is sufficient enough
for me to pass on his contact information as an answer, please let me
know:
Yes, I have a background in formal language theory (from my 2 years in
the
PhD in Computer Science program at Courant Institute, NYU); and in
educational theory generally, not limited to teaching languages (from
my
two years in the EdD program in Instructional Design and Technology at
Teachers College, Columbia University, prior to my switching into the
PhD
program in Cognitive Studies in Education at Columbia University
proper).
Further, I have written applications in the 434 Class but, since they
related to AI and instructional technology and theory in general, and
not
LIMITED to foreign languages, they were not placed in the subclasses
156 or
157. As the USPTO is currently experiencing such severe delays that
first
responses are often delayed 2 to 4 years, and issuance for who know
how long, much of my current work is not publicly available. However,
I am sure your client will be satisfied with some things I can show
him under a confidentiality
agreement, if he want to proceed that way.
Before I proceed any further, or put any more time into further rounds
of EMails, I need to know whether what your client is doing would be a
conflict for me to get involved in. Since I HAVE done work in the
area, I
need to find out if represneting your client would be a conflict of
interest with the work I am doing on other projects. I would need
some,
vague, high-level non-confidential description of the area your client
is
working in to make that determination. That is, WHAT your client is
doing,
not HOW he is doing it. For example, he has some "new algorithm for
translating between English and Japanese" and NOT the details of what
that
algorithm is or how it is to be used.
P.S. "I have studied both French and Hebrew."
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
04 Jun 2003 12:45 PDT
[I apologize for the formatting]
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
04 Jun 2003 17:51 PDT
He wrote to you earlier that he '… Drafted and prosecuted many
[patents] to issuance.'
This means that the 'many' patents to the issuance got past the first
and many responses before they are issued. Why are they not available
on the Net?
The 2-4 years for the FIRST response may be an exception, not the
rule. I have a list of patents in 434/156 and 434/157 fields which
were ISSUED in 2-3 years.
I expect very low probability of conflict for two simple reasons - his
firm is too small; he says that his patents were not in 434/156 and
434/157 classifications. I expect my patent to be classified there.
I appreciate the time spent by you but he does not inspire confidence.
His contact will not serve as an answer. If you want to stop pursuing
the issue, I will understand.
Regards
PS Contents matter, not formatting. No need to apologize. But you may,
if you wish, record a small macro in Word to fix the problem. Paste
the email reply to Word, replace double 'paragraph marks' with
arbitrary characters eg ***, replace single paragraph mark with space;
replace *** with one or two double paragraph marks, replace double
spaces with single space…
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
04 Jun 2003 19:45 PDT
It occurred to me that even if I had patents you could look at on the
net, you'd be able to find out his contact information.
So here it is:
http://www.unipat.org
David Avellone is his name. Feel free to contact him directly. If
you end up using his services, let me know, and I'll post it as an
answer.
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
04 Jun 2003 19:45 PDT
I'm sorry, that's "David Geshwind"... he works with Anne Avellone.
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 06:55 PDT
I will not use him. There is not a single patent that I could find -
I searched against all (the company, the attorney, he himself) in
USPTO. There was inconsistency in his response. Once he writes '…
Drafted and prosecuted many [patents] to issuance.'; then: "...much of
my current work is not publicly available..." There may be some
explanation for all this but he did not provide it.
I intend to close the question. I don't have an answer but I wish
Google had a system for allowing me to part-pay for your efforts.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 07:16 PDT
Hello aaz,
Sorry you haven't yet found the information you were looking for, but
I did notice your comment about "partial payment" to jbf77-ga. I just
wanted to let you know that you can change the price of your question
to whatever you feel would be appropriate, and then post a remark to
jbf77-ga that it's OK to "answer" the question and collect the fee.
I'm sure your consideration would be much appreciated.
pafalafa-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 08:48 PDT
To: jbf777-ga
I will accept your comment as answer for the changed price.
FYI: I will post the question again - modified and different price.
To pafalafa-ga: Thanks
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 09:51 PDT
Hello -
Thanks very much for your consideration, but you don't have to do
that. It's no big deal.
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 09:52 PDT
Also, you might want to still contact him directly, because, as you
said -- there may be an explanation for the seemingly inconsistent
comments.
jbf777
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 19:03 PDT
I was being polite. I don't want to contact him.
You have done some work. You may allow me to pay you. Pl post a line
as an answer. Regards
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 22:57 PDT
Possible leads:
Linguist, born in 1965 in Mobile (Alabama/ USA).
English, French, German
Parallel to her studies of English and general linguistics at the
University of Berne, she pursued a career with a patent attorney law
firm in Berne. She began working in the patent administration
department before moving to the legal and trademark department, where
she managed her own client portfolios. With more than 12 years of
experience in the field of intellectual property, complemented with
further studies at the law faculty of the University of Berne, she
joined the company in March 2000, in the administration department and
as a translator.
-
He has a BA (mathematics) and MS (physics) from St. John's University
in New York, and a JD from the University of California Hastings
College of Law) in San Francisco. He was a patent attorney for
several corporations in the San Francisco Bay Area before joining
Lockheed Corporation in 1980, where he became Chief Patent Counsel.
With the merger of Lockheed and Martin Marietta Corporation in 1995,
he moved to the corporate headquarters of the new Lockheed Martin
Corporation in Bethesda, Maryland near Washington, DC, where he
currently resides. He plans to retire and return to Palo Alto,
California this summer. He began studying the Irish language at All
Hallows High School in the Bronx, New York, where the Christian
Brothers offered classes in the language in the 1950s. He has taught
Irish at various times and places over the years, and plans to become
more active in that regard after he retires.
Interested?
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
05 Jun 2003 23:26 PDT
She is neither a patent attorney nor a patent agent. She is in
Administration. She works as a Translator. In previous jobs, she was
possibly in Administration as well. I want to apply for a patent in
the US. She is posibly in Berne (or somewhere in Switzerland).
Learning Irish does not make one a linguist.
Am I missing something?
Best regards
|
Request for Question Clarification by
jbf777-ga
on
06 Jun 2003 09:26 PDT
Since it seems the number of individuals that qualify for this are
probably countable on one hand, I figured I would try to get at least
in the ballpark that's next to the ballpark. :) Perhaps these
individuals could know someone.
I'm going to contact her and see if she knows anyone. This has been
one of the more interesting challenges.
jbf777-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
aaz-ga
on
08 Jun 2003 17:59 PDT
I intend to close this question today. Pl post a line as an answer.
I have posted a new question (as I said I would) for the Patent
Attorney/ Agent. You may work on that question if you so wish. That
may be worth your time.
Regards
|
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