Austin, Texas, United States
I am a patent attorney focused mainly on computer-related inventions. I received a PhD in Computer Science & Engineering in 1982. My research and teaching in the University of Texas system were primarily directed to database design and implementation as well as search algorithms. I also taught classes in computer languages, compiler design, architecture design (with microcode and assembler), networks (topologies, messaging, signaling), web apps, numerical analysis, and operating system design. My 40+ years of experience with computers, data, and strategic system design, make me ideally suitable to help companies protect and understand the context of their artificial intelligence, big data, and IoT related products. My decades working with some leading patent firms in the US (litigation, complex opinions, patent prosecution) gives me a perspective that few can match, as I have significant actual "in the trenches" experience, over many years, in both computer technology (systems programmer/analyst plus university teaching/research) and related IP law. As discussed in my amicus brief for Alice, in December 1981, I completed and defended my Ph.D. dissertation for a data structure for multikey retrieval. The underlying research product included a data structure for clustering and storing data in a novel arrangement on a device, to enable users to search and retrieve the data more efficiently and effectively than with prior arrangements that were known at the time. At that time, I had perceived that numerous real-world entities having multiple attribute values (e.g., a person having age, location, income range, family size, or a catalog item with a color, size, category, etc.) could be modeled as points in k-space (k being the number of such attributes). Using various distance (or similarity) metrics, it can be advantageous to store "close" (or "similar") such points as "clusters," for more efficient retrieval. Many prior techniques involved N^2 operations, while my structure required only N log N operations, which could mean a difference between 11.5 days vs. 20 seconds of processing time. For the longer computation time, the result could be effectively "useless" for the user. I ultimately became passionate about obtaining legal protection for such techniques, to promote faster, more efficient innovations in computing.
U.S. registered patent attorney with many years of solid experience in patent preparation and prosecution (including ongoing close interaction with USPTO examiners and numerous successful appeals when needed), as well as claim charting for complex technology, complex opinion work, due diligence, and patent litigation work. Special emphasis in drafting and prosecuting computer/software-related patent applications to survive challenges under 35 USC § 101, most particularly with regard to the more recent USPTO challenges under 35 USC § 112 (under 2019 Revised Guidance for Examiners). Presenter of numerous CLE talks on the history of patent eligibility of software-related inventions. Former full-time university faculty in Computer Science & Engineering - advantageous for proper "attention to technical detail" in patent work for computer/software-related patents, as well as networks (e.g., underwater networks, efficient 5G, etc.), processors (e.g., cache, memory, GPUs, CPUs, architectures, etc.), system architectures, and head-mounted displays (e.g., optics technology, networks, etc.).
Patent Attorney
Opinion work and patent prosecution, including working closely with inventors, foreign associates, and in-house counsel to draft and prosecute patent applications, including substantial drafting of successful appeal briefs . Substantial work with various areas in Research Group of major company widely known for software. Subject matter included substantial database technology, hardware, and software technology related to imaging, gaming, geotracking, robotics, virtual reality, virtual keyboards, gesture interpretation, searching, geo-tracking, social networking, speech/voice recognition, security, big data visualization, AI, deep neural networks, cloud computing, e-commerce, operating systems, chip system management, networking technology (wireless networks, telecommunications, etc.). Worked with in-house counsel to develop claims to achieve business objectives of the client (including substantial claim charting on various products), and to maximize monetization.
Patent prosecution for major software company (including sensor network topologies, database technologies, etc.), major search engine company (including search/sort/hash techniques, index structures, etc.), major wireless device company (including rush filings prior to standards meetings), and major company designing/developing semiconductor and infrastructure software products..