Patent laws are different in many countries, and inventors are sometimes at a loss to understand which basic requirements should be satisfied if an invention is to be granted a patent. This is particularly true for inventions implemented on a computer. While roughly a third of all applications (and granted patents) relate, in one way or another, to a computer, applications where the innovation mainly resides in software or in a business method are treated differently by the major patent offices in the US (USPTO), Japan (JPO), and Europe (EPO).

The authors start with a thorough introduction into patent laws and practices, as well as in related intellectual property rights, which also explains the procedures at the USPTO, JPO and EPO and, in particular, the peculiarities in the treatment of applications centering on software or computers. Based on this theoretical description, next they present in a very structured way a huge set of case studies from different areas like business methods, databases, graphical user interfaces, digital rights management, and many more. Each set starts with a rather short description and claim of the "invention," then explains the arguments a legal examiner will probably have, and eventually refines the description step by step, until all the reservations are resolved. All of these case studies are based on real-world examples, and will thus give an inexperienced developer an idea about the required level of detail and description he will have to provide.

Together, Closa, Gardiner, Giemsa and Machek have more than 70 years experience in the patent business. With their academic background in physics, electronic engineering, and computer science, they know about both the legal and the subject-based subtleties of computer-based inventions. With this book, they provide a guide to a patent examiner's way of thinking in a clear and systematic manner, helping to prepare the first steps towards a successful patent application.

Patent laws are different in many countries, and inventors are sometimes at a loss to understand which basic requirements should be satisfied if an invention is to be granted a patent. This is particularly true for inventions implemented on a computer. While roughly a third of all applications (and granted patents) relate, in one way or another, to a computer, applications where the innovation mainly resides in software or in a business method are treated differently by the major patent offices in the US (USPTO), Japan (JPO), and Europe (EPO). The authors start with a thorough introduction into patent laws and practices, as well as in related intellectual property rights, which also explains the procedures at the USPTO, JPO and EPO and, in particular, the peculiarities in the treatment of applications centering on software or computers. Based on this theoretical description, next they present in a very structured way a huge set of case studies from different areas like business methods, databases, graphical user interfaces, digital rights management, and many more. Each set starts with a rather short description and claim of the "invention", then explains the arguments a legal examiner will probably have, and eventually refines the description step by step, until all the reservations are resolved. All of these case studies are based on real-world examples, and will thus give an inexperienced developer an idea about the required level of detail and description he will have to provide. Together, Closa, Gardiner, Giemsa and Machek have more than 70 years experience in the patent business. With their academic background in physics, electronic engineering, and computer science, they know about both the legal and the subject-based subtleties of computer-based inventions. With this book, they provide a guide to a patent examiner's way of thinking in a clear and systematic manner, helping to prepare the first steps towards a successful patent application.

Outlining 100 concepts and phenomena that science has not yet been able to fully explain, this survey examines topics such as the origins of the universe, the possible existence of wormholes, animal migrations, sexual orientation, diseases, cold fusion, and a host of others. In looking at the farthest reaches of time and space; the Earth and the solar system; the human body, health, and life; and technological innovations and challenges, this book demonstrates that for all of the many mysteries science has helped resolve, many others remain--and in some cases, the answers are tantalizingly close.

Exploring the histories behind 100 scientific myths with clear and simple language, this book separates scientific truth from fictitious invention. Since every myth is based on some truth, the goal is to discover at which point the facts were altered by imagination and how much of the myth is true. Among the myths explored are the beliefs that human beings use only 10 percent of their brains, that there are more births during a full moon, that ostriches bury their heads in the ground, and that water drains in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere. "Explorando las historias detras de 100 mitos cientificos con un lenguaje claro y simple, este libro separa la verdad cientifica de la invencion ficticia. Ya que todo mito esta basado en alguna verdad, la meta es mas bien descubrir en que punto los hechos fueron alterados por la imaginacion y cuanto del mito actual es cierto. Entre los mitos explorados se encuentran las creencias de que los humanos solo usan 10 por ciento del cerebro, que en luna llena nacen mas criaturas, que los avestruces esconden la cabeza bajo tierra y que el agua de la pila gira al reves en el hemisferio sur."