Unified Patents has the complete and sole decision-making authority in selecting any Contest winners for projects on the Patroll website. In order to assist our Researchers in submitting Responses, we put together a list of some important criteria that Unified may consider when making these determinations.
Keep in mind that the criteria on this list are not exhaustive and that Unified may consider other factors in addition to those listed below. The satisfaction of each of these criteria does not guarantee that your submission will be selected as a winning Response. The purpose of this list is merely to help our Researchers understand how their submissions will be evaluated.
- Adherence to Contest rules: Responses must comply with our Terms of Use, Researcher Agreement, and all Company policies in order to be selected as a Contest winner. In addition, each Contest may have additional rules or requirements in the Contest description section. In order to increase your likelihood of being selected, make sure to carefully read the Contest description before submitting your Response and make certain that you have satisfied any special requirements.
- Quality of the prior art reference: Finding a prior art reference that closely matches each limitation of the targeted patent is the cornerstone of creating a strong Response. Implementing an organized prior art search strategy is the first step to finding a quality reference (for more, see How to find prior art). In addition, you should make sure that your reference matches the Contest description and satisfies any publication date requirements.
- Depth of Analysis: Once you have found a quality reference, you should explain how that reference discloses each limitation of the targeted patent. The depth and accuracy of your analysis of the prior art may influence the likelihood that your submission is selected. In general, submissions with greater depth and accuracy will be given preference over others.
- Example: If the target patent discloses "a method for processing data, the data residing in a data field, comprising...," it would be good to say "The reference discloses a system for automatic web data compression." However, it would be better to say "The reference discloses a 'system architecture design and support for automatic web data compression' (see p.11) and 'data block streaming of web information' (p.12)."
- Research Tip: Use of specific quotes and page numbers, as in the example above, will help improve the depth and accuracy of your submission.
- Attention to Detail: Paying attention to any specific Contest requirements, avoiding grammatical and spelling errors, and using consistent formatting and clear language will improve the readability of your submission and speed up the review process. In addition, utilizing any template forms provided on theContest page (such as a claim chart template) will assist the Company in evaluating your response during the review process.
For more tips about prior art searching or to learn more about the guidelines for Contest submissions, visit the links below:
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