The Patents for Humanity program for 2014 renewed by the U.S Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) rewards businesses, inventors, non-profits, and universities that are using their intellectual property portfolio to bring life-saving technologies to underserved people in the world.
The program addresses global challenges in five categories that includes medicine and other related technology such as vaccines, diagnostics, or medical devices. Other categories include nutrition, sanitation, household energy, and using technologies to raise living standards.
The Patents for Humanity Award will receive public recognition at an award ceremony sponsored by the USPTO. Awardees will also receive a certificate to accelerate certain matters before the USPTO that would include patent applications, ex parte re-exam, or an ex parte appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
Honorable mentions in 2014 will receive accelerated examination of one patent application and a featured write-up on the USPTO web site. A portion of honorable mentions may be awarded for their best up and coming technologies. The USPTO expects to award roughly ten Patents for Humanity Awards and up to twenty honorable mentions in 2014.
The program is accepting applications from April 15 to September 15, 2014. The competition is open to any patent owners, patent applicants, or patent licensees.
Go to www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/patents_for_humanity.jsp to view the USTPO’s Patents for Humanity web site. For more information, email Edward Elliott at edward.elliott@uspto.gov or call 571-272-7024.