experienced counsel for patent drafting, prosecution, and intellectual property strategy
AddyHart’s patent prosecution practice assists clients through all stages of the patent process, from invention disclosure and patent drafting to prosecution before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and patent offices around the world. Our attorneys take a strategic approach to portfolio development—helping clients protect innovation, manage risk, and build intellectual property assets that support long-term growth and enterprise value.
Experience Matters
Our attorneys possess technical backgrounds spanning software, cloud computing, data analytics, industrial automation, medical devices, and other advanced technologies. Because we understand both the technical and commercial realities of innovation, we focus not simply on obtaining patents, but on developing intellectual property strategies that support business growth, licensing opportunities, investment objectives, and long-term portfolio value.
Patent Drafting
Strong patents begin with a thorough understanding of both the underlying technology and the business objectives driving innovation. Our attorneys work closely with inventors and technical teams to identify key inventive concepts, anticipate future developments, and prepare patent applications designed to provide meaningful and lasting protection.
Learn how differences in disclosure requirements can affect claim scope in U.S. and Chinese practice.
Patent Prosecution
Obtaining a patent requires more than filing an application—it requires strategic advocacy throughout the examination process. We represent clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in responding to Office Actions, conducting examiner interviews, navigating restriction requirements, pursuing appeals, and developing prosecution strategies that strengthen overall portfolio value. Our attorneys are particularly experienced in addressing complex issues of patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 and other evolving areas of patent law.
Explore our analysis of how Japanese technicality doctrine offers a new perspective on U.S. patent eligibility.
Transparent Pricing
We believe clients should understand the expected cost of patent prosecution before work begins. Many of our most common services are offered at predetermined professional fees, allowing clients to budget with confidence and avoid unexpected billing.
Utility Patent Application Drafting
$5,500 - $7,500 USD
Strategic preparation of utility patent applications designed to protect commercially valuable innovations while supporting long-term portfolio development.
Office Action Responses
$1,250 USD
Substantive responses to USPTO Office Actions addressing patentability, eligibility, and examination issues.
Restriction Responses
$250 USD
Strategic responses to USPTO restriction requirements, including election of inventions and preservation of future filing opportunities.
Read: Restriction Requirements as Substantive Limiters: Lessons from Focus Products v. Kartri
Standard Office Action Turnaround
No Additional Rush Fee
We target delivery of draft Office Action responses within two weeks after receiving the USPTO communication and the information needed to prepare the response.
Any applicable USPTO extension-of-time fees remain the client’s responsibility.
Read: The Three-Month Date Is a Backstop, Not a Filing Target
Design Patent Application Drafting
Quoted in Advance
Preparation of design patent applications to protect the ornamental appearance of products while complementing broader intellectual property strategies.
Read: One Design, Two Regimes: U.S. and EU Design Protection After LKQ
Continuation Application Drafting
$500 USD
Preparation and filing of continuation applications to preserve strategic claim opportunities, maintain pending application families, and support long-term U.S. patent portfolio development.
Information Disclosure Statements
$0 USD — AddyHart professional fee only; USPTO and third-party costs are separate
Preparation and filing of routine Information Disclosure Statements (IDSs).
Ex Parte Appeals to the PTAB
$3,500 USD
Preparation and presentation of an ex parte appeal from an adverse examiner decision, including the Appeal Brief, Reply Brief, and oral argument within the agreed scope.
AddyHart professional fee; applicable USPTO fees are separate.
U.S. National Stage Filing (35
U.S.C. § 371)
$500 USD — AddyHart professional fee only; USPTO and third-party costs are separate
Assistance with U.S. national stage entry from international (PCT) applications, including preparation and filing of required documents.
Read: Choosing Between a § 371 National Stage and a Bypass Continuation in U.S. PCT Practice
Examiner Interviews
$250 USD
Direct engagement with USPTO examiners to clarify issues, advance prosecution, and improve the path toward allowance.
Ministerial Tasks
$0 USD — AddyHart professional fee only; USPTO and third-party costs are separate
Including issue fee payments, Requests for Continued Examination (RCEs), and similar administrative filings.
Read: Lean Patent Operations: Jidoka, Automation, and AI in Patent-Prosecution Workflows
Application-drafting fees are established in advance based on the technology, complexity, number of embodiments, and anticipated scope of the application.
We target delivery of draft Office Action responses within two weeks after receiving the USPTO communication and the information needed to prepare the response. Routine administrative work—such as issue-fee processing, preparation of standard Information Disclosure Statements, and filing an instructed Request for Continued Examination—is not used as a separate source of professional fees.
Listed amounts are AddyHart professional fees for standard matters within the described scope. USPTO fees, drawings, searches, translations, experts, vendors, appeals, petitions, declarations, litigation, and extraordinary matters are excluded unless expressly stated. All representations are subject to conflicts clearance and a written engagement agreement
Relevant Team
The professionals below bring complementary experience in application drafting, USPTO examination, examiner interviews, appeals, and portfolio development across electrical, software, mechanical, materials, chemical, and life-sciences technologies.
Brandon R. Theiss
Partner · Registered Patent Attorney · Licensed Professional Engineer
A licensed professional engineer and former industrial-control and medical-device engineer, Brandon advises on patent prosecution, § 101 strategy, portfolio development, and post-grant proceedings involving AI, software, cloud systems, medical devices, and automation.
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Tom J. Filarski
Senior Counsel · Registered Patent Attorney · Chemist & Chemical Engineer
A chemist and chemical engineer with four decades of experience, Tom develops and coordinates patent strategies for medical devices, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, polymers, semiconductors, energy technologies, and manufacturing systems.
View Tom's Profile
Scott D. Paul
Partner · Registered Patent Attorney · Materials & Mechanical Engineering
A materials and mechanical engineer, Scott has prosecuted more than 2,000 U.S. applications, drafted more than 600 applications, and filed more than 1,000 PTAB appeal briefs involving AI, semiconductors, cloud systems, medical devices, and advanced manufacturing.
View Scott's Profile
Janet Pioli
Senior Counsel · Registered Patent Attorney · Molecular Biology & Biotechnology Background
A registered patent attorney with more than 30 years of experience and a molecular-biology and biotechnology background, Janet advises on portfolio development, clearance, due diligence, prosecution, and appeals involving medical devices, diagnostics, biotechnology, industrial equipment, and consumer products.
View Janet's Profile
Robert Hyun Chang
Of Counsel · Registered Patent Attorney · Materials Engineer
A registered patent attorney with more than 25 years of intellectual-property experience and degrees in metallurgical and materials science engineering and physics, Robert helps technology companies draft and prosecute U.S. patent applications, build and monetize portfolios, and develop claim and licensing strategies grounded in complex technology and commercial objectives.
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Danielle Gross, Ph.D.
Registered Patent Agent · Ph.D. in Biochemistry · Life Sciences & Medical Devices
A registered patent agent with more than a decade of prosecution experience and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Danielle helps life-sciences and technology companies draft and prosecute U.S. patent applications, build portfolios, and develop claim strategies grounded in complex science.
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Ganesh J. Prabu
Technical Advisor · Wireless Engineer · Patent Analysis and Licensing Support
Ganesh J. Prabu is a wireless engineer and technical advisor with more than two decades of experience, including roles at Motorola and BlackBerry. He supports patent prosecution, licensing, and litigation through technical analysis of 5G, LTE, and IoT technologies, claim-chart development, reverse engineering, and evidence-of-use analysis.
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Heather King (Allebach)
Paralegal Lead · Patent & Litigation Operations
Heather coordinates portfolio onboarding, USPTO filing formalities, client reporting, foreign correspondence, requests for instructions, portfolio transitions, and implementation of client-specific prosecution procedures.
View Heather's Profile Meet Our Full TeamRelated Publications & Insights
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Read Article →Related Divergent Patent Law Blog Articles
Choosing an ISA After the Korean Fee Increase: A practical comparison for US PCT applicants
Executive Summary: Korea’s announced increase in its U.S.-dollar international search fee from $783 to $867, effective November 1, 2026, gives U.S. PCT applicants a reason to reassess ISA selection based on costs through the intended national-stage entry. Under the article’s standard-fee assumptions, the USPTO gains a $79 total-cost advantage over Korea for a small entity entering the U.S. national stage and offers the lowest illustrated total for a micro entity. IPOPHL meritPCT & International Filing