A patent engineer or patent scientist is a

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

who is typically involved in preparing and prosecuting

patent application A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for an invention described in the patent specification and a set of one or more claims stated in a formal document, including necessary official forms and re ...

s. The terms are usually applied to patent professionals with

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

backgrounds that do not require either attorney or

patent agent A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing patent applications and op ...

qualifications, but still work with patent applications. In general, the position involves many of the technical aspects of

patent prosecution Patent prosecution describes the interaction between applicants and their representatives, and a patent office with regard to a patent, or an application for a patent. Broadly, patent prosecution can be split into pre-grant prosecution, which i ...

, including doing background and

prior art Prior art (also known as state of the art or background art) is a concept in patent law used to determine the patentability of an invention, in particular whether an invention meets the novelty and the inventive step or non-obviousness criteria ...

searches, preparing the description and

drawings Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, c ...

for patent applications, and giving technical expertise during invention evaluation. Positions of this nature may focus a great deal on research and development while including patent considerations, emphasizing their technical background rather than legal or patent agent qualification. Patent scientists and engineers often pursue either patent agent qualification and/or attend law school (this applies in the U.S. but not in Europe) to become patent attorneys."''It is possible to enter the European Patent Attorney examination after three years of experience as a patent engineer.''" in http://www.ip.philips.com
''Join the Intellectual Economy! Enjoy technology, but crave more? A career as Patent Engineer offers you a unique combination of business and technology.''
2004. Consulted on May 23, 2007.

References

{{reflist Legal professions Scientist, patent Engineering occupations

See also

References