Allentown, Pennsylvania, sits within a Lehigh Valley economy where manufacturing and life sciences play a significant role, with more than 700 manufacturers and more than 180 life-sciences establishments operating across the region. As Pennsylvania’s third-largest city, it also has a substantial commercial and industrial presence within the region.
At Barsik Law Offices, we help local inventors, entrepreneurs, engineers, and businesses evaluate new products, processes, equipment, and other innovations for potential patent protection. From our nearby Bethlehem office, we help Allentown clients evaluate their inventions and pursue appropriate patent protection through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Innovation and Patent Protection in Allentown
The region’s innovation economy includes significant manufacturing operations and continued investment in life sciences. Mack Defense operates a dedicated heavy-truck production line in Allentown, Mack Trucks assembles Class 8 vehicles in Macungie, and Eli Lilly has announced a more than $3.5 billion investment in a new Lehigh Valley facility for injectable medicine and device manufacturing.
The region also has a long history of patented innovation: Easton-based Victaulic traces its origins to a 1919 patent for the mechanical grooved pipe coupling that became central to its business.
For local inventors and businesses, work in manufacturing, engineering, life sciences, and technology may produce new machinery, medical devices, manufacturing methods, components, software-related technology, and improvements to existing products. We help clients determine whether those innovations may be appropriate for patent protection and how that protection could support their broader plans.
How We Help Allentown Inventors and Businesses
An invention may emerge from an established company, a growing business, an independent project, or work performed by engineers and other technical professionals. Protecting it may become important before a product or technology advances toward production, disclosure, licensing, or commercialization.
At Barsik Law Offices, our patent practice includes:
Software Patents
Provisional Patents
Utility Patents
Design Patents
We begin by understanding your invention and what you want to accomplish with it. Depending on your circumstances, we may review existing technology, assess whether patent protection is appropriate, prepare an application, or address issues raised by a USPTO examiner.
A patent is not available for every new idea, and submitting an application does not guarantee approval. We help you understand the relevant considerations so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
Taking a Local Invention Through the Federal Patent Process
Although your invention may be developed in Allentown, patent applications do not go through a city, Lehigh County, or Pennsylvania patent office. Patents are administered federally through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The patent process can include searching for prior art, preparing and filing an application, examination by a patent examiner, and responding to issues the examiner raises. We can prepare your application, communicate with the USPTO, respond to examiner concerns, and explain what each stage means for your invention.
Because patent prosecution takes place through a federal system, you can work with us from Allentown without relying on a local court or government office to pursue your application.
When Should You Consider Patent Protection?
You may begin considering patent protection when you have an early design, a working prototype, a product approaching production, or even an application already pending before the USPTO.
What has already happened with your invention can matter. Public disclosures, sales activity, publications, demonstrations, and other events may affect patent considerations. If you have discussed or used the invention outside a confidential setting, tell us what occurred and when so we can evaluate how it may affect your options.
A prior-art search may also identify existing patents and publications relevant to your invention. We can assess that information alongside what you have developed and help you decide what to consider before taking the next step.
Patent Issues That Can Affect Your Next Steps
Patent needs can vary across sectors. A manufacturer developing a new component or process may face different considerations from a life-sciences business working on a medical device or an independent inventor developing a consumer product.
We consider what you have developed, how it differs from existing technology, and what you hope to accomplish with the invention. We also look at how the invention was developed and who was involved. For example, a new product, process, or device may result from the work of multiple employees, engineers, researchers, contractors, or business partners. That can raise questions about inventorship, ownership, and the effect of employment, contractor, or other existing agreements.
Addressing these issues early can help clarify who has rights in the invention and identify matters that may need attention before moving forward with a patent application. We can review the circumstances surrounding your invention and help you determine how they may affect your next steps.
Patent Attorney Serving Allentown, Pennsylvania
Our attorney, Kattina Barsik, is an intellectual property and registered patent attorney with longstanding ties to the Lehigh Valley. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Genetic Engineering from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, and her practice includes patent filing and prosecution, patentability searches and opinions, and patent infringement analysis.
Located at 306 S. New Street, Suite 110, Bethlehem, PA 18015, our office is a short drive from Allentown via U.S. Route 22. This gives local inventors, entrepreneurs, and businesses convenient access to our office when an in-person meeting is appropriate.
You do not need to know whether your invention qualifies for a patent before contacting us. If you have developed a new product, process, device, or other invention in the Allentown area, contact us to discuss what you have created and how we may help protect it.