Inventions that are novel, non-obvious and useful can be patented. This includes new processes, machines, articles of manufacture, compositions of matter, and improvements to existing inventions.

The cost of patent filing and prosecution varies depending on the complexity of the inventions, the number of claims, and the chosen patent attorney. Typical costs range from $30,000 to $50,000 for a single patent in single jurisdiction. As more filings are made costs increase exponentially.

The process of filing and prosecuting a patent application can take several years. The initial filing typically takes a few days to weeks to prepare. At Tulane, our first filing is often a provisional application, which lasts for one year. If advanced, a non-provisional is filed which followed by examination by the patent office, which can take several years.

Public disclosure includes any presentation, publication, or use of the invention that makes it available to the public. Once an invention is publicly disclosed, it may lose its patent eligibility in most countries.

A patent filing consists of a specification, drawings, and claims. The specification describes the invention in detail, the drawings illustrate the invention visually, and the claims define the legal scope of the invention.

Inventors typically assign all rights to their inventions to their employer or institution as part of their onboarding paperwork. The same is true at Tulane. This employee invention assignment is formalized through ongoing assignment paperwork during the patent application process. Tulane licenses its interest in the assigned IP to commercializing entities.

The University's IP policy outlines the revenue sharing agreement for inventions owned by the University. Generally, inventors receive a share of any net revenue generated from the licensing or commercialization of their inventions.

Patent claims define the legal scope of protection for an invention. The goal is to draft claims that are broad enough to protect the invention from infringement but narrow enough to be patentable.

Patent family development refers to filing independently patent families for an invention in multiple countries. This allows for broader protection of the invention and increases the potential for licensing and commercialization.

OIPM offers various resources to assist faculty and staff inventors with the patenting process. These resources include educational workshops, individual guidance and assessment on ideas and invention at the disclosures and conception stages, and assistance with IP strategy development and protection.

Per the Graduate Thesis and Dissertation Digital Deposit Policy, we allow for no embargo, a 6-month embargo, or a 12-month embargo of the full text of a thesis or dissertation, upon request during the submission process. Students self-submit via https://libguides.tulane.edu/theses/submit. They must be currently enrolled as the submission form requires them to log into their library account.  Students who are no longer enrolled can contact the library directly via digital@tulane.edu. Upon approval of a submission, an email is auto-generated and sent to the student. An example is below. The email indicates approval and provides a link to the thesis/dissertation where the student can immediately view the record and confirm the embargo themselves (see an example version of the email featuring Brennan’s work below). Should the embargo not be active, students will immediately see a PDF preview (another example: https://library.search.tulane.edu/permalink/01TUL_INST/1jgl1pd/alma9945646649906326. The submission approval contains our department email digital@tulane.edu should any issue be identified.