Education
University of Cincinnati, Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, 1987
Kathleen is an experienced patent agent with product development and manufacturing background in automotive and appliance fields.
She has prepared and prosecuted utility and design patent applications and has searched and written opinions in the areas of prior art (novelty), invalidity, infringement analysis, clearance, state of the art and landscape.
She works seamlessly with engineering, manufacturing and international organizations to identify and patent core technology and analyzes competitive intellectual property to provided strategic solutions in support of IP strategy.
She is able to identify key concepts in sparse invention disclosures, assist inventors to expand the invention, search concepts for prior art, prepare, and prosecute patent applications that protect concepts for the client.
Kathleen has extensive product knowledge for automotive, manufacturing, product development, appliances, as well as mechanical, electrical, electronic, and electro-mechanical areas. She has developed a patented technology, which initiated a paradigm shift for top-load washing machines by allowing for greatly reduced water consumption, resulting in new designs for the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, China, India, New Zealand and Australia markets. She is an inventor on six U.S. patents and numerous international patents.
Representative Matters
- Prepared and/or prosecuted U.S. patent applications including continuation and divisional applications. Filed 82 responses, received 21 Notices of Allowance, and prepared 30 divisionals/continuations in 2017.
- Analyzed competitive intellectual property to answer strategic questions.
- Interfaced with IP coordinators, in-house attorneys, law firms, and product development organizations.
- Expanded prior art searching to include recommendations of patentability and identifying potential clearance issues.
- Prepared patent applications and responded to office actions. Revised drawings with Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
- When presented with an invention disclosure for a tube with two bends, realized that the tube was acting as a linkage that carried fluid.
- Drafted a patent application for an at least partially elastically rigid tube with at least two formed bends and prosecuted the case through Notice of Allowance.
- Handled post-Notice of Allowance processing including 312 amendments, continuations, divisions, and payment of issue fees.
- Completed patentability, product clearance, invalidity and general landscape searches.
- Summarized competitive development trends allowing for strategic analysis of competitive activities.
