Home Job Dust Over Here Y''all!!!

[noelwr]

cool! at what point do you get hired/paid?

just wondering because I would start worrying that they might steal my ideas, but I don''t know how this business works, and would love to be enlightened.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 1/29/2010 3:06:44 AM
Author: noelwr
cool! at what point do you get hired/paid?


just wondering because I would start worrying that they might steal my ideas, but I don''t know how this business works, and would love to be enlightened.

Agreed, I would copyright these promptly. Add a (c) symbol, your name and date and then mail it to yourself. Don''t open it when you get it. The postmark on the envelope proves the date of copyright. This is just a poor-man''s version of copyright protection, but it''s what I''ve been told to do with any writing I''ve done prior to sending it out to publishers. It''s just another level of protection for you.

 

[wannaBMrsH]

HH! I nearly spit out my coffee!

When I first moved in with DH, he had one filing cabinet full of unopened mail to himself. I had no idea what it was for and I thought he should open it all. He had to explain to the whole process to me of why he mails all improvements or works of authorship to himself first and then forwards them with the patent applications on behalf of his employer to the company attorneys.

One of the first companies he worked at when he was out of college didn''t credit him in a patent application and it still burns him to this day that he can''t use it on his resume (even though he really doesn''t think it''s a great product at all!) so he''s just always gotten in the habit of not only emailing it to himself (for the time-stamp) but also actually printing everything and mailing it to himself.

His study is bigger than mine, but he has filing cabinets full of unopened mail that date back 10-12 years! I''d never heard of that before and I thought it was great that someone else does the same thing!

 

[katamari]

Date: 1/29/2010 10:19:15 AM
Author: wannaBMrsH
HH! I nearly spit out my coffee!


When I first moved in with DH, he had one filing cabinet full of unopened mail to himself. I had no idea what it was for and I thought he should open it all. He had to explain to the whole process to me of why he mails all improvements or works of authorship to himself first and then forwards them with the patent applications on behalf of his employer to the company attorneys.


One of the first companies he worked at when he was out of college didn''t credit him in a patent application and it still burns him to this day that he can''t use it on his resume (even though he really doesn''t think it''s a great product at all!) so he''s just always gotten in the habit of not only emailing it to himself (for the time-stamp) but also actually printing everything and mailing it to himself.


His study is bigger than mine, but he has filing cabinets full of unopened mail that date back 10-12 years! I''d never heard of that before and I thought it was great that someone else does the same thing!

I totally do this! It is also very, very important in my field to have records and being associated with an idea (especially when it is "new") can make your entire career. Of course, I am super duper anal, too, which probably explains some of the obsession.

So, yes, Smurfy. Totally do that. You never know who is lurking.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Wow I never even though of doing that, thank you for the ideas guys. I''m on it right this moment!!!

 

[vc10um]

Date: 1/29/2010 10:19:15 AM
Author: wannaBMrsH
HH! I nearly spit out my coffee!


When I first moved in with DH, he had one filing cabinet full of unopened mail to himself. I had no idea what it was for and I thought he should open it all. He had to explain to the whole process to me of why he mails all improvements or works of authorship to himself first and then forwards them with the patent applications on behalf of his employer to the company attorneys.


One of the first companies he worked at when he was out of college didn''t credit him in a patent application and it still burns him to this day that he can''t use it on his resume (even though he really doesn''t think it''s a great product at all!) so he''s just always gotten in the habit of not only emailing it to himself (for the time-stamp) but also actually printing everything and mailing it to himself.


His study is bigger than mine, but he has filing cabinets full of unopened mail that date back 10-12 years! I''d never heard of that before and I thought it was great that someone else does the same thing!

I know this is really late after the fact, Mrs.H, but as a person who grants US Patents, what his old company did was completely and totally illegal and if he had any part in innovating the patented device (ie. the device as described in the claim portion of the application) and was not given credit for it, that patent is technically invalid--but that can only be known if he comes forward. I don''t know how long it''s been out there for, so its protection period may be running out...but, like I said, they didn''t just screw him, they broke the law. If he has any proof at all of being involved in that invention, I''m sure he has some sort of legal recourse, though I don''t work on that side of Intellectual Property.

Additionally, though he may have had a hand in the innovation of the device, if none of the portions of the invention that he helped with were claimed, then he actually doesn''t have any right to that patent. Just an FYI.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I''m always surprised at how many different interesting people are on PS!
Vc10um- is the method of sending yourself the files in the email and regular mail a valid way of proving you helped in developing it? I''m sure it is but it''d be good to get your opinion as well

 

[wannaBMrsH]

Thanks vc10um.

He is still in the same industry and the company is a big one that his current company still does business with, so he wouldn''t rock that boat. But it does bother him that they took advantage of the fact that he was "new" and didn''t really know what was up. He used to write white papers and such as well and then find them published with a boss''s name. That company actually has a reputation for it.

But he learned his lesson and watches himself now.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 1/30/2010 10:20:55 AM
Author: vc10um

Date: 1/29/2010 10:19:15 AM

Author: wannaBMrsH

HH! I nearly spit out my coffee!



When I first moved in with DH, he had one filing cabinet full of unopened mail to himself. I had no idea what it was for and I thought he should open it all. He had to explain to the whole process to me of why he mails all improvements or works of authorship to himself first and then forwards them with the patent applications on behalf of his employer to the company attorneys.



One of the first companies he worked at when he was out of college didn''t credit him in a patent application and it still burns him to this day that he can''t use it on his resume (even though he really doesn''t think it''s a great product at all!) so he''s just always gotten in the habit of not only emailing it to himself (for the time-stamp) but also actually printing everything and mailing it to himself.



His study is bigger than mine, but he has filing cabinets full of unopened mail that date back 10-12 years! I''d never heard of that before and I thought it was great that someone else does the same thing!

I know this is really late after the fact, Mrs.H, but as a person who grants US Patents, what his old company did was completely and totally illegal and if he had any part in innovating the patented device (ie. the device as described in the claim portion of the application) and was not given credit for it, that patent is technically invalid--but that can only be known if he comes forward. I don''t know how long it''s been out there for, so its protection period may be running out...but, like I said, they didn''t just screw him, they broke the law. If he has any proof at all of being involved in that invention, I''m sure he has some sort of legal recourse, though I don''t work on that side of Intellectual Property.


Additionally, though he may have had a hand in the innovation of the device, if none of the portions of the invention that he helped with were claimed, then he actually doesn''t have any right to that patent. Just an FYI.

True, unless he signed a non-compete agreement/contract in which he signed over any rights to inventions or ideas patented while under the employment term. This clause has been in the last three employment contracts I''ve signed.

 

[vc10um]

Date: 1/30/2010 4:41:06 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk

Date: 1/30/2010 10:20:55 AM

Author: vc10um

Date: 1/29/2010 10:19:15 AM


Author: wannaBMrsH


HH! I nearly spit out my coffee!




When I first moved in with DH, he had one filing cabinet full of unopened mail to himself. I had no idea what it was for and I thought he should open it all. He had to explain to the whole process to me of why he mails all improvements or works of authorship to himself first and then forwards them with the patent applications on behalf of his employer to the company attorneys.




One of the first companies he worked at when he was out of college didn''t credit him in a patent application and it still burns him to this day that he can''t use it on his resume (even though he really doesn''t think it''s a great product at all!) so he''s just always gotten in the habit of not only emailing it to himself (for the time-stamp) but also actually printing everything and mailing it to himself.




His study is bigger than mine, but he has filing cabinets full of unopened mail that date back 10-12 years! I''d never heard of that before and I thought it was great that someone else does the same thing!

I know this is really late after the fact, Mrs.H, but as a person who grants US Patents, what his old company did was completely and totally illegal and if he had any part in innovating the patented device (ie. the device as described in the claim portion of the application) and was not given credit for it, that patent is technically invalid--but that can only be known if he comes forward. I don''t know how long it''s been out there for, so its protection period may be running out...but, like I said, they didn''t just screw him, they broke the law. If he has any proof at all of being involved in that invention, I''m sure he has some sort of legal recourse, though I don''t work on that side of Intellectual Property.



Additionally, though he may have had a hand in the innovation of the device, if none of the portions of the invention that he helped with were claimed, then he actually doesn''t have any right to that patent. Just an FYI.

True, unless he signed a non-compete agreement/contract in which he signed over any rights to inventions or ideas patented while under the employment term. This clause has been in the last three employment contracts I''ve signed.

While you may sign over your rights, you should still be listed as an inventor on the document. Signing over your rights means that the patent is assigned to your company, but your name should still be listed on the front page.

Smurfy--the mailing of the documents to oneself is most effective in matters of copyright and trademark. In patent matters, especially in more scientific and engineering type fields, people tend to rely more on things called lab notebooks which are signed and dated daily by the inventor(s) during the innovation process.