Presentation Title: In Re Blue Buffalo and Functional Language Murkiness

Jennifer Bales was employed as an engineer with Hughes Aircraft Company prior to law school at the University of Colorado. While at Hughes, Jennifer developed systems for digital signal processing, image processing and radar, while attaining a master’s degree in optics from University of Southern California. Jennifer has extensive experience obtaining and enforcing patents in the fields of signal processing, optics, optoelectronics, radar, and lidar. She is currently a partner in the intellectual property firm Macheledt Bales LLP.

Presentation Title: Using Petitions to Keep from Getting Stuck

David Boundy is a partner at Pierson Ferdinand LLP. Mr. Boundy practices at the intersection of patent and administrative law, and consults with other firms on court and administrative agency proceedings, including PTAB trials and appeals. In 2007–09, Mr. Boundy led teams that successfully urged the Office of Management and Budget to withhold approval of the USPTO’s continuations, 5/25 claims, information disclosure statements, and appeal regulations under the Paperwork Reduction Act. He may be reached at DavidBoundyEsq@gmail.com

Presentation Title: An Introduction to Standards Essential Patents

Devin Brennan is the co-founder of Flare, an IP boutique firm, where he leads the preparation and prosecution team for several large companies. Before Flare, he transitioned from engineering into patent law, culminating in his promotion to Principal Patent Agent — the first partner-level patent agent position at an AM Law 200 firm. His work spans standards essential patents (SEPs), semiconductors, and cybersecurity.

Presentation Title: Updated Prosecution Strategies for a Rapidly Changing Patent Office

Tom Cecil is a registered patent attorney, owner of Cecil Law PLLC, and an adjunct professor of patent law at the Texas A&M University School of Law where he supervises the patent clinic. Tom has a background in electrical and computer engineering and assists clients of various sizes obtain IP protection, primarily in the electrical arts. Tom also has over a decade of complex IP litigation experience and applies lessons learned in litigation in his prosecution practice today.

Presentation Title: Strategies for Writing Winning Pre-Appeal and Appeal Briefs

Srini Chakravarthi, Ph.D. is a partner at Slater Matsil, LLP, where he focuses on patent portfolio management including patent prosecution, licensing, and enforcement support, and leads a practice group specializing in semiconductors, circuits, signal processing, networking, and AI. With nearly two decades in IP practice and over a decade as an engineer and researcher, he is a named inventor on 25 U.S. patents and holds engineering degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology (B.S.) and Boston University (Ph.D.). He serves as Co-Chair of the Dallas Bar IP Section CLE Committee and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Texas A&M Law School.

Presentation Title: Nuts & Bolts Session – Ex Parte Reexamination

Bio coming soon….

Presentation Title: What a Difference a Year Makes: Changing Examiner Metrics and Impact on Your Practice

Lee is a registered patent attorney and focuses his practice on strategic patent procurement and client counseling. He has helped clients pursue patent rights in many electrical and mechanical disciplines, including oilfield equipment and services, HVAC systems, software, semiconductors, medical imaging, liquid crystal displays, and consumer electronics.

Presentation Title: Professional Responsibility and Practice Before the USPTO

From Jan 2011 to the present, she serves as a senior staff attorney at the USPTO Office of Enrollment and Discipline where she investigates grievances and complaints alleging misconduct by patent and trademark practitioners; conducts moral character and “fitness to practice” applications for individuals seeking registration before the USPTO; and was the primary architect in establishing a Diversion Program for impaired practitioners, which now has become a formal rule.

Presentation Title: Nuts & Bolts Session – Ex Parte Reexamination

Jon Hobbs, PhD, is Director at IP Solution in Atlanta specializing in patent prosecution across diverse technologies, products, and processes. Jon serves on the IP section committee of the Atlanta Bar Association, and is on the editorial board of the Atlanta Lawyer Magazine, and the Atlanta AFCEA chapter.

Presentation Title: Patenting from In-House:  Getting Patents with Jury Appeal

A company should care that its patents will be, if eventually necessary, litigated as successfully as possible. To improve on this company objective, when an in-house patent practitioner procures patents, whether by themselves or through outside practitioners, they could further take additional measures to orient their company’s patents, so they have jury appeal. Such additional measures include techniques that range from reducing unnecessary cognitive load to jurors to engaging their higher human functions.

Presentation Title: Patent practice essentials in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia

John is a patent attorney in Australia and New Zealand with about 25 years’ experience. John has a PhD in chemistry with a focus on drafting and global prosecution for Australian and New Zealand companies in therapeutics, food technologies, and materials area. John is also the current President of the Australian Institute of Patent and Trademark attorneys. (IPTA)

Presentation Title: In Re Blue Buffalo and Functional Language Murkiness

Michael G. “Mike” Locklar represents clients in a variety of fields, including chemicals, oil & gas, software, computers and computer hardware, electronics, consumer products, and medical devices. In his 23 years of IP practice, Mike’s practice has included litigation, prosecution, and transactional work.

Presentation Title: Nuts & Bolts Session – Ex Parte Reexamination

Bio coming soon…

Presentation Title: Examiner Typology: A Humorous Look at Some Types and Stereotypes

Gary ONeill is Managing Director of Examiners Edge®️ Patent Agency and a licensed US Patent Agent. He has over 25 years of experience in areas of patent practice spanning private law firms, boutique IP businesses, and government, including as a former US Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from NYU Polytechnic, a Master’s degree in Theology from Calvary Seminary, earned the Senior grade of the Institute of Elec/Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and serves on the international board of Elsevier’s Invention Disclosure Journal.

Presentation Title: Coming Soon

Bio coming soon…

Presentation Title: Intersection of AI, Ethics and the USPTO

Tammy Pennington Rhodes is the Principal at Supercharger, where she plays an active role in AI search strategy designs for the many AI powered services provided by Supercharger and counseling clients on AI effective and efficient search strategies. Prior to Supercharger, she represented clients in complex patent litigation as well as managed a diverse prosecution portfolio.

Presentation Title: The Power Law Curve of Patent Valuation

Kip has been practicing intellectual property law for over 15 years and is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. ​ Kip previously worked at several patent law boutiques, where he assisted numerous technology companies with preparing and prosecuting patent applications. His extensive experience spans various technology areas, including displays, projectors, xerography, electric vehicles and batteries, digital cameras and optics, games and artificial intelligence, cellular networks, cybersecurity, virtual/augmented reality, and semiconductors.

Presentation Title: Effective Examiner Interviews

Mr. Young is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS in Computer Engineering and a MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. He worked as an engineer and engineering manager at HP, Pixar, Intel, and Gateway and has been named as an inventor on more than 50 issued US patents. Mr. Young passed the Patent Bar in 1999 and has been a full-time Patent Agent in solo practice for over 16 years.