JR Team Members and Interns Visit The USPTO

On Wednesday, July 18, 2018, Jones Robb team members and our summer interns enjoyed a tour of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). The tour was coordinated by the PTO’s Office of Education and Outreach and offered a variety of learning experiences for both seasoned professionals and interns alike. A visit to the Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum, a chance to view the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) hearing space, the opportunity to learn about plant patents and the paper collection of these patents housed in the public search room are just a few of the stops we made on the tour. The tour concluded with a presentation detailing the many types of careers offered by the PTO (did you know that the PTO hires economists?) and a group activity in which the Jones Robb group were separated into teams, each of whom had the opportunity to walk a few steps in our clients’ shoes. Each group identified an existing problem or need, designed a product or solution, and pitched their idea to the other teams. Who knew that our summer interns were so inventive?