Google’s Attempt to Patent Intel Gotten in Job Interview

Patent Attorney Chicago, IL

In an interview with patent education site Patent Pandas, Jie Qi, cofounder of edu-tech electronics biz Chibitronics, told her tale of how after inviting her to meet with company executives allegedly Google tried to patent her ideas for electronic books with embedded circuitry.   

In March 2014, Qi says, she was working on her doctorate at MIT’s Media Lab,developing techniques for integrating electronic circuits into paper books. She received an invitation to visit Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, which was headed at the time by Regina Dugan.  During her job interview with Google she claims, she shared what she had been doing to develop interactive books and storytelling methods.

Google then proceeded to file a US patent application related to her work, a fact she didn’t realize until 2016. That’s when a friend mentioned that some of the individuals who had met her at Google had filed a patent application on interactive pop-up books embedded with circuitry.   

“These patents covered many of the same things that [I] had discussed, that I’d showed them, with no mention of my or others’ work in the field,” wrote Qi in her post.”I found out from a friend who followed a pop-up book blog – someone there was excited that Google was researching book technologies and happened to publish a blogpost about it.”   

With the support of MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito, Google offered to add Qi as an inventor of the patent. She declined, she says, because others who had worked on the project would not be included. Receiving credit as an inventor is not the same thing as being the patent assignee, the owner. While an inventor may get the credit on the patent, they don’t have the right to use the patented technology themselves.   

Dugan left ATAP shortly thereafter and ATAP’s legal counsel ended up sending the US Patent Office the prior art documentation supplied by Qi and her colleagues – the existence of prior art allows a patent examiner to decline to grant a patent because it establishes that the idea being considered for protection is not original. Ultimately,Google ended up abandoning the patent application after the controversy.  

But this was not the end of Qi legal saga about the circuit stickers!  Qi had decided not to patent her idea because as an educator she wanted to allow the public to innovate based on her idea.   This noble idea backfired on Qi when the backer of a crowdfunding campaign, Liteseeds, to develop LED stickers was allowed to file a patent on the idea without the involvement of Qi or her colleagues.In her biography page on the Liteseeds website, she even cites my first advisor Leah Buechley as inspiration without any mention our prior work in paper circuitry.

Sadly this is not an isolated incident leading some to speculate Silicon Valley has sunk to new lows in its race to patent key tech first doing whatever it takes to win. Developers Ryan Spahn recounts a similar experience with Google ATAP (part of its Motorola Acquisition) in 2013.

Spahn says in 2013 he began work on a project called SpeakerBlast, which connects internet devices so they can play audio in sync with one another. After Samsung in March that year said it would build similar capabilities into its S4 device, Google got intouch to discuss implementing the capability in the Moto X phone and a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) was signed the following month.

“They asked if we ever thought about selling our technology to them before the meeting and at the meeting they baited us for how our tech worked, saying we’d like to work with you, tell us how it works,” Spahn wrote. “Once we did, they left the room (Dugan’s Second right hand man at the time and another) and three minutes later, [they] showed us the door saying the ‘race is on.'”  According to Spahn, Google has since been awarded patents for syncing audio across phones.

Spahn continued. “I felt it was not professional and I met with many other companies like Samsung [that] acted with the utmost respect towards us. Yet, Google, whose motto is ‘Don’t be evil,’ can’t act in the same fashion?”

If you have any patent or copyright questions, a patent attorney Chicago, IL relies on from The Law Offices of Konrad Sherinian, LLC can discuss your situation and provide legal guidance.

Tips for How to Handle a Car Accident if it Happens to You

 Car Accident Lawyer

Being in a car accident can feel like a jolt of shock to our body and mind, as we are flooded with stress and worry about the severity of our injuries, losses and damages. With so much going on, it can be difficult to remember everything you learned about what to do if a car accident were to occur.

Anyone who has been part of a car collision can turn to an attorney for advice and guidance. In the days and weeks after a car accident, you may have too much on your plate to deal with. It can be tough to juggle insurance, doctor appointments, work, and other life responsibilities all at the same time. They can help ease the burden of what has happened, in addition to protecting you as you try to get back onto your feet.

Try to Remain Calm and Level-Headed

Breathe slowly and deeply, take a moment before you get out of the vehicle, or do whatever else is necessary to lower your heart rate. Being in a state of panic won’t help the situation, and it may even prevent you from handling the scene accordingly.

Check Yourself for Injuries

Don’t forget that an adrenaline rush after the car accident can mask your symptoms. If you think you may be injured but don’t feel aches and pains yet, consider calling for an ambulance so you can receive the treatment you need. Get a follow-up appointment with your doctor as soon as possible in the days after too, to ensure your injuries have not worsened. If you experience any of the symptoms listed below, it may be best to get yourself to the nearest emergency room versus waiting for a regular appointment:

• Severe headaches that have not decreased in intensity
• Abdominal pain
• Passing out, dizziness or disorientation
• Deep purple, green and yellow bruising
• Difficulty breathing
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Tingling sensations or numbness

Notify Your Agent

If you can, submit a car accident claim to your insurer that same day. An insurance agent can help you work through your options, and give you advice on what steps to take next. After filing a claim with your own insurer, do not provide a statement to any other representatives who may contact you. An attorney can help protect you from being tricked by the other driver’s insurance company or an adjuster, who may call and try to get you to say something that hurts your claim.

Car accidents are not to be taken lightly, and many people do not realize just how important it is to contact a legal professional for insight. Victims of car accidents may find themselves shelling out money for medical bills and vehicle repairs. A car accident attorney Des Moines, IA offers can help you fight for compensation for repayment of these losses.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at Johnston Martineau, LLP for their insight into personal injury claims and how to handle a car accident.

Insider Information Lawyers Know About Malpractice

Medical Malpractice Attorney Chicago, IL

Would you like to know insider information about your malpractice claim that lawyers usually only tell their friends and family?  Read on, we spill some of the helpful tips that can make the difference between a substantial payout and your case being dismissed.

Many law firms already have hired relationships with doctors and nurses to help perform initial reviews of cases.  These medical professionals are trained in chart review how to look for signs an error or negligence may have happened directly causal to symptoms you suffer from.  You can help this process through doing your own careful documentation in a typed or handwritten log of key events in a timeline of your claim.

Sadly, there is no legal published list stating how many times a doctor has been sued in the past or was a part of a medical malpractice settlement.  Only In recent years have doctors received patient ratings that show up during internet searches. At times just one very ill patient or one with unrealistic expectations can skew the results for a given doctor to a low score.  Also be aware that these scores are very subjective. Some of the most skilled physicians aren’t necessarily the most personable. Sometimes patients are rating based on bedside manner and not just clinical results.

Next, the geographic location where your claim happened matters. Veterans Administration hospitals is held liable for medical malpractice under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Their rules and procedures will be handled differently from that of an average public or private hospital. Malpractice claims are filed in the county where your event occured. Cook County is known to be the most supportive in Illinois for plaintiffs to file, but the success rate for cases that goto trial is still only around 20%.  Don’t be surprised if it is more beneficial for your possible recovery to accept a settlement. But only make this decision after being sure you trust your legal team. Only they know the best legal strategy given all the complex factors that come into play in cases such as these.

In rural counties in Illinois, the success for plaintiffs is very low.  This is one reason why when you select where to go for future complex health treatments it is often wise to seek several opinions.  Also it is a good idea to consider travelling to a well-regarded teaching or urban hospital. In many cases the doctors there will be more experienced due to a higher volume of cases treated.   

You hold responsibility for your own treatment. One example of failing to doso can be if you left the hospital early AMA, Against Medical Advice, what insurance companies call comparative negligence. This means if you found to be 50% responsible, then you may only recover 50% of the associated damages in an injury claim. If found more than 50% at fault, you will get nothing.  In the future, bring a witness with you to procedures where you may have poor memory of directives the doctor gave or be coming out of anesthesia.

There are very few firms that have a track-record of winning medical malpractice cases. Hiring inexperienced firms can ruin your chance of winning your case.  Make sure you interview a potential medical malpractice attorney Chicago, IL offers at The Law Offices of Konrad Sherinian, LLC carefully.

Toys to Teach Kids STEM Skills

Patent Attorney Chicago, IL

By Krista Sherinian

It’s been said when children learn through play they absorb new information twenty times faster than using standard classroom methods.  Given it is predicted that the jobs of the future haven’t been fully conceptualized due to how fast technology is evolving it is wise to teach kids a variety of tech skills from coding to how to interact with artificial intelligence and robots.

Instead of traditional dolls that focus on style and accessories why not buy the girl in your life a Inventor Action Figure?  Created by Goldie Blox, they have a variety of toys that promote girls developing engineering and problem solving skills while having fun learning through play.

For example, the toy kits use pulleys, cranks, and other mechanisms to operate the toys such as a Spinning Machine or a Builder’s Survival Kit.  The Girl Scouts partnered with Goldie Blox to offer specially priced kits that troops can use to earn Mechanical Engineering badges through individual and groups challenges using the kits.  With many STEM fields still male dominated it helps that toys assist girls in visualizing themselves in these roles in a successful manner.

SnapCircuits kits use snaps, wiring into simple mechanisms and a project book.  What’s interesting is kids can build a number of projects from the same kit. They have the satisfaction of making lights turn on with switches or hooking up the power circuit to operate a motor with a fan. K’NEX is also a toy with project kits teaching teens to create things like amusement park ride replicas, track toys using sturdy plastic parts that link to metal battery powered mechanisms.  For kids that enjoy building toys like Legos, K’NEX is a natural progression.

Most exciting of all is ways to combine gaming devices with a motivation for parents and kids to work as a team to build complex projects using cardboard and other building materials to hold various disconnected touchscreens that interact with Nintendo Switch. For example, the traditional gaming remote becomes housed in a cardboard sleeve that allows new movements than a joystick. Predictions from tech parent blogs are rolling in about other platforms such as Shapeways possibly creating other post-market ways to use these systems with components made from 3D printers. The Nintendo Labo can construct models, vehicles, robots and a piano complete with 3D cardboard keys folded from pre-fab kits. Could this be the next trend in gaming since the Wii made kids more willing to exercise while they game?

If you have questions about intellectual property or technology laws contact an patent attorney Chicago, IL offers at The Law Offices of Konrad Sherinian, LLC  today.

Criminal Charges Filed Against Vicious Dog Owners in Texas

Personal Injury Lawyer

Fox 4 News is reporting that two people have been charged with felonies in connection with a mauling in September by two of their dogs in Arlington, Texas.

The 58-year-old victim, Milton Sturges, was viciously attacked by two pit bulls while he was handing out flyers and lost his nose and ears as a result. In an affidavit provided by police, doctors who treated Sturges labeled the incident as the worst dog mauling they have ever seen. As a result of the brutal attack, police in Arlington tracked down the owners of the dogs, 39-year-old Michelle Taylor and 37-year-old Lerondrick Taylor, and arrested them over the incident. Michelle Taylor turned herself in, and Lerondrick was already in custody on unrelated charges.

Lieutenant Chris Cook with the Arlington Police said the department believes the dogs were getting out of the house and roaming the area on a regular basis. Cook noted that it is lucky no children were killed or seriously harm by the dogs, whom police say the owners were unable to control.

To stop the attack on Sturges, police officers were forced to fire on and kill the animals. Although the attack took place near the end of September, it took the investigators on the case some time to determine where the animals had come from. Police documents show that the owners tried to use another dog to prove to police that their animal was alive and well and that the attacking dogs did not belong to them.

According to investigators, it was the uncovering of removed Facebook posts that allowed them to trace the two vicious dogs to the home of the Taylors, even though they had deleted the Facebook account previously.

One witness, who declined to be named but did speak to the area news, said she saw the dogs actually latch into Sturges during the attack, which was incredibly violent. Lt. Cook also added that the victim nearly died from his injuries and will have a lot of facial scarring for the rest of his life due to all the medical procedures needed to restore his face.

In Texas, there is an “attack by dog” charge that can be used to elevate dog bite cases from civil proceedings to criminal ones. Due to the severity of the mauling, the Arlington Police decided to use this state law for the first time, which has resulted in felony charges against the Taylors. The couple is now facing a fine of of up $10,000 and a possible jail sentence of two to ten years.

Sturges is currently recovering at his home, and police say he was pleased to hear they made the arrests in his case.

When animal owners are not responsible, someone else often pays the price. If you have been attacked by a dog and suffered injuries or losses because of it, you may be entitled to compensation from the person responsible for that animal. Talk to the best dog bite lawyer Denver, CO offers about your case today to protect your rights.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at the Law Office of Richard J. Banta, P.C. for their insight into dog bites and personal injury claims.