When designing new products and or modifying existing ones, companies must be careful not to infringe others' patents. Catching an infringing design late in the product cycle can mean costly re-design or, worse, patent litigation.
Companies face a dilemma.
Pushing forward with new designs without clearance is risky. But reviewing all new designs is costly and wastes valuable time in moving products to market. The VPA interviews the inventor, much as a patent lawyer would. After collecting initial information, the VPA helps the inventor conduct an intelligent search of an Internet database of patents from around the world. The VPA interacts with the inventor to determine whether or not patent lawyers at GE need to review the matter immediately.