At Barsik Law Offices, we help inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and businesses throughout Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, protect new products, processes, and designs. From our Bethlehem office, we serve clients across Lehigh and Northampton counties, including Allentown, Easton, and surrounding communities.
The Lehigh Valley area supports established companies, emerging businesses, and independent inventors working in fields where intellectual property can become a valuable asset. If you have developed an invention, we can help you evaluate whether patent protection may be appropriate and guide you through the federal application process.
Patent Guidance for the Region’s Innovation Community
Lehigh Valley has a long manufacturing history and a growing presence in research, technology, and life sciences. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development identifies advanced manufacturing, life sciences, food production, logistics, and technology among the industries contributing to the region’s economy.
Work within these fields may produce new machinery, medical devices, laboratory equipment, manufacturing methods, consumer products, or improvements to existing technology. Patent protection may be relevant whether you are developing an invention independently, launching a startup, or creating new technology for an established business.
The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation also identifies life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and professional and creative services as important sectors for the area. We help clients within this business and innovation community understand whether their work may qualify for patent protection and what to consider before disclosing or commercializing it.
Patent Matters We Handle
Your invention may be the result of years of development or a sudden solution to a practical problem. Before publishing, demonstrating, manufacturing, licensing, or selling it, you may need to understand what can be protected and whether previous disclosures could affect your options.
We assist clients with:
Patentability searches and opinions
Patent application preparation and filing
Patent prosecution before the USPTO
Patent infringement analysis
We begin by learning how your invention works, what makes it different, and what you hope to accomplish. We can then identify potential concerns and explain the options that may fit your situation.
Not every new idea qualifies for a patent, and filing an application does not guarantee approval. Our goal is to give you enough information to make an informed decision before committing time and resources to the process.
Local Access to the Federal Patent System
Although our office is in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, patents are governed by federal law. Applications are submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office rather than a Pennsylvania agency or a court in Lehigh or Northampton County.
This allows you to work with a law firm located within the Lehigh Valley while pursuing federal patent protection. The same USPTO process applies whether an invention was developed by an Allentown manufacturer, an Easton entrepreneur, a local scientist, or an individual working from home.
The USPTO patent process generally involves evaluating the invention, reviewing similar work, filing an application, and responding to a patent examiner. We explain how these steps apply to your invention and handle the legal and procedural work involved.
How We Help Protect New Inventions
A patent application must explain the invention and define the protection being requested. We can help determine which type of patent may apply and prepare the description, claims, and other required application materials.
When appropriate, we may conduct a patentability search to identify previous patents, published applications, products, or other information that could affect your application. If the USPTO later raises objections or rejects one or more claims, we review the examiner’s concerns and prepare a response. That may involve legal arguments, claim amendments, technical clarification, or communication with the examiner.
Our services remain focused on the needs of your particular invention rather than following the same filing approach in every case.
Preparing to Discuss Your Invention
You do not need a completed prototype or a fully developed patent strategy before contacting us. We can begin with the information you have and help determine what else may be useful.
Before your consultation, consider gathering:
Notes, sketches, photographs, drawings, or prototypes
A description of how the invention works
Information about the problem it is intended to solve
Examples of similar products or methods
Dates of any public disclosure, demonstration, sale, or offer
Agreements involving employers, contractors, partners, or co-inventors
Records from previous patent searches or applications
The Lehigh Valley area’s manufacturing, research, and startup activity means inventions may be developed through employment, collaboration, or work performed for a company. If another person or organization contributed to the project, we may need to examine questions involving inventorship, ownership, or existing agreements.
Timing can also matter if you have already shown or discussed the invention outside a confidential setting. Tell us what happened and when so we can evaluate whether it may affect your options.
Working With Our Lehigh Valley Patent Law Firm
Our Bethlehem office gives inventors and businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley a local point of contact for federal patent matters. We work with clients at different stages, from evaluating an early idea to responding to an Office action in an existing application.
We take time to understand your invention and goals, explain the available options, and keep you informed as the matter progresses. You can contact us even if you are uncertain whether your idea is ready for a patent application.
Patent Law Attorney Serving Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
At Barsik Law Offices, we provide straightforward guidance on patents, copyrights, and trademarks for creatives, scientists, practical problem-solvers, and other inventors. Our practice focuses heavily on intellectual property law.
Our patent attorney, Kattina V. Barsik, is registered to practice before the USPTO. She earned a J.D. and an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law and holds a bachelor’s degree in genetic engineering. Her scientific and legal education supports our work with inventions involving detailed technical subject matter.
We help inventors and businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley evaluate new ideas and pursue available patent protection. Contact us to discuss your invention and possible next steps.