WDC Patents - Building Intellectual Assets for Our Clients

WDC Patents has a process for crafting patents that have high economic value. If you want to learn how this can be applied to your inventions, please contact us.

What makes WDC Patents Different? In addition to a broad experience in writing claims, Winthrop Childers has experience in business development and technology development. This added experience is helpful for drafting claims that have the highest economic value to a business.

Why is a patent agent’s business development experience important? With any business, whether start up or established, there must be a business model answering the question--how do we make money? A patent should have claims protecting the business model. While technical details are important to a patent, it has little value if the claims don't protect a business model.

Winthrop Childers, with his experience in business development, understands the importance of writing claims that are critical to the way your business generates cash flow.

Why is a patent agent’s technology development experience important? Most patents cover technology related inventions, products, or processes. The key issue with a patent is "design-around". One danger in writing claims is to limit them in some way that allows a copycat competitor to find an easy way to get around the claims. With a broad technical background, Winthrop Childers can anticipate design-around alternatives and write claims to cover them.

What is a good patent worth? It all depends upon the business model covered. Think of Qualcomm’s original CDMA patent. Arguably, this patent may have been worth more than a billion U.S. dollars. On the other hand, what is a complicated patent having 200 claims worth when none of the claims covers a commercially viable product? Or what if designing around the claims is trivial? Valuing a patent can be done based upon the value of the business covered and the structural impediment it represents. Careful consideration of the business models and design around risk before writing a patent application can make a big difference.

What other key factors make a good patent? See Key Factors in Patent Preparation in the learning center for some more information on writing a good patent application.

What is my next step? If you have not done so already, consider writing an invention disclosure. Having your disclosure written in a bound laboratory notebook, dated, signed, and witnessed is strongly advised. Then, contact us to see how WDC Patents can help you.