PTAB Inventor Hour

Inventor Hour webinars are for independent inventors and those new to Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) practice. The sessions cover PTAB proceeding basics, i.e., ex parte appeals and America Invents Act (AIA) trials, as well as other useful information for practicing before the Board such as oral hearing protocols, statistics, and more.

For notification of upcoming Inventor Hour webinars, please visit the USPTO Subscription Center, and be sure to select the “Patent Trial and Appeal Board” box when subscribing.

Upcoming events

Jun 27, 2024 - Virtual

PTAB Inventor Hour - Episode 29

Past events

May 23, 2024 - Virtual

PTAB inventor hour will feature an interview with a special guest, Shubo (Joe) Zhou, Ph.D., Supervisory Patent Examiner, who will speak on plant patents and his experience as an examiner.

Learn about best practices for conducting conference calls with Judges during an America Invents Act (AIA) proceeding & an introduction to PTAB proceedings involving design patent applications.

Mar 28, 2024 - Virtual

A review of a PTAB Case File (Ex parte Albritton, Appeal No. 2008-005023), including practice tips to help you succeed in ex parte appeals & a showcase of an inventor in history: Maria Beasley.

Learn about how to request a conference call with judges during an America Invents Act (“AIA”) proceeding & how to access AIA documents and decisions using the USPTO website.

This episode will feature an interview with the Office of Innovation Outreach's NaThanya Ferguson, about the USPTO’s Women’s Entrepreneurship (WE) initiative's mission to encourage and empower women founders across America.

This episode will feature "A Day in the Life: Patent Examiners” segment, and details about the First-Time Filer Pilot Program.

Learn more about PTAB's sibling tribunal, the Trademarks Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), from TTAB judge Melanye Johnson.

In this episode, Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Chief Judge Boalick will help us celebrate Inventor Hour’s second anniversary and discuss some PTAB-focused inventor resources.

This program will walk through the free legal help available through the PTAB Pro Bono Program along with the eligibility requirements.

This episode will feature special guests Deborah Stephens, Deputy Chief Information Officer and Mariessa Terrell, Attorney Advisor for Trademarks Customer Outreach.

May 25, 2023 - Virtual

Special guests Phillip Kauffman, Lead Administrative Judge, for our “Meet a Judge” segment, and Mariessa Terrell, Attorney Advisor for Trademarks Customer Outreach, who will cover Trademark Fundamentals.

Apr 27, 2023 - Virtual

An interview with Elizabeth Dougherty, the USPTO Eastern Regional Outreach Director. She will share information about services available to inventors.

Mar 23, 2023 - Virtual

An interview with Jolyn Eley from OPSE and an introduction to the newly launched IP Identifier tool by Supervisory Patent Examiner Ram Shukla and Senior Trademark Policy Advisor Hellen Bryan-Johnson.

PTAB Inventor Hour Episode 15 will include an interview with special guests Robert Berry and Sara Butts, from the Patent & Trademark Resource Center.

Jan 26, 2023 - Virtual

Learn about various services for inventors from the Office of Innovation Outreach & other USPTO webpages, how to protect your invention, arguing claims in an ex parte appeal at the PTAB & attending an in-person hearing.

Oct 27, 2022 - Virtual

Join the USPTO on Thursday, October 27 at noon ET, for Episode 13 of the PTAB Inventor Hour webinar series to learn more about ex parte appeals, America Invents Act (AIA) proceedings, and PTAB operations.

A conversation with inventor Carmine Denisco of United Inventors Association & learn about crafting the argument section of an appeal brief & discovery in AIA trials.

An interview with two pro se inventors, Steve Leslie and Dr. Yvonne Young, who won before the PTAB in an ex parte appeal & their experiences preparing for and presenting their appeal at PTAB.

Learn about ex parte appeals, America Invents Act (AIA) proceedings, and hearings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

A conversation with inventor Brian Fried of the National Inventor Club. Learn about an appeal brief & when patent applications included submission of a physical model of an invention.

A conversation with Administrative Patent Judge Terrence McMillin. Learn about when to file an ex parte appeal or file a petition to the Director, AIA oral hearings & an overview of the USPTO Law School Clinic Program.

Learn about inventor eligibility for the PTAB Pro Bono Program, patent practitioner qualifications to volunteer for the PTAB Pro Bono Program, & the matching process and best practices for pro bono representation.

Learn about the role of the Chief Clerk Erica Swift, an overview of the Patent Pro Bono Program, the consolidated trial practice guide, & an ex parte appeal where evidence led to a favorable Board decision.

Episode 5 will include a conversation with an Administrative Patent Judge about their role at PTAB and how PTAB fits within the hierarchy of the patent adjudication forums.

Episode 4 will cover these topics: Meet a Supervisory Patent Attorney; Hearing Byte; Trial Byte; How PTAB Fits In; Inventor Case Study

Meet a judge and more at this webinar for independent inventors and those new to Patent Trial and Appeal Board practice.

Meet a member of the Board Operations Division and more at this webinar for independent inventors and those new to Patent Trial and Appeal Board practice.

Aug 26, 2021 - Virtual

The first webinar in this series for independent inventors and those new to Patent Trial and Appeal Board practice.