Patent Attorney for Inventors and Startups Anywhere in the United States
If you have invented something new and valuable, a patent gives you the legal right to stop others from making, using, or selling your invention without your permission. I am Tony N. Woolard, a patent attorney registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Registration No. 79,956). Patent law is federal, so I represent inventors, startups, and businesses in every state, not only Connecticut.
What I File
Utility Patents: New and useful processes, machines, manufactured items, or compositions of matter. Protection runs up to 20 years from the filing date.
Design Patents: The unique ornamental appearance of a manufactured item.
Provisional Applications: An early filing date at lower cost, with Patent Pending status and a 12-month window to decide on the full application.
PCT International Applications: Coverage in roughly 38 European countries plus Canada, China, and others, pursued instead of or alongside the U.S. filing.
Affordable Flat Fees
Attorney fees are affordable flat fees quoted in writing before any work begins, set for independent inventors and startups rather than large companies. USPTO fees are separate and passed through at cost.
Provisional patent application: inexpensive flat attorney fee, scaled to the complexity of the invention. USPTO micro-entity filing fee is separate.
Non-provisional U.S. application: flat attorney fee quoted after a free review of your invention. USPTO fees at cost.
PCT international application: flat attorney fee quoted in writing. Government fees at cost.
Patentability search with written opinion: low flat fee.
Freedom-to-operate analysis: flat fee quoted in writing.
A small one-time engagement retainer is credited toward the total. Payment plans of 3, 6, 9, or 12 months are available, and the consultation is free.
How the Process Works
Patentability Assessment: I evaluate whether the invention meets the requirements of novelty, non-obviousness, and utility.
Prior Art Search: A search of issued patents, published applications, foreign patent literature, and non-patent sources such as product catalogs and public 3D model repositories, with a written opinion analyzing your claims element by element under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103.
Drafting and Filing: I prepare the claims and specification and file the application with the USPTO.
Prosecution: I handle all communication with the examiner and respond to office actions. Office action work is my favorite part of this practice; a rejection is usually a legal argument waiting to be made.
Why a Life-Sciences Background Matters
Before law, I spent three years as a postgraduate researcher in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Yale School of Medicine and earned a Master of Liberal Arts in Biology, magna cum laude, from Harvard. I am also a Certified Patent Valuation Analyst. Medical devices, biotech, and laboratory inventions are a natural fit, and I can read your technical disclosure the way the examiner will.
Common Questions About Patents
Can you file my patent application if I am not in Connecticut?
Yes. Patent law is federal, and I am registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Registration No. 79,956), which allows me to represent inventors from any state.
How much does a patent application cost?
My attorney fees are flat and quoted in writing before any work begins, and they are set to be affordable for independent inventors and startups rather than large companies. The fee depends on the type of application (provisional, non-provisional, or PCT) and the complexity of the invention, and you will have the exact number after a free consultation. USPTO government fees are separate and passed through at cost; micro-entity and small-entity discounts apply to most individual inventors and startups. Payment plans of 3, 6, 9, or 12 months are available.
Should I start with a provisional patent application?
A provisional application locks in your filing date, lets you mark the invention Patent Pending, and costs less. It gives you 12 months to decide whether to file the full application while you keep developing the product or seeking funding. I am glad to talk through whether it fits your situation during a free consultation.
Do I need a patentability search before filing?
It is not required, but it is often worth doing before investing in a full application. My patentability search with a written attorney opinion is an inexpensive flat fee. It covers issued U.S. patents, published applications, foreign patent literature, and non-patent sources, and analyzes your claims element by element for novelty and obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103.
What happens if the USPTO examiner rejects my application?
A rejection, called an office action, is a normal part of patent prosecution and is usually a legal argument waiting to be made. I manage all communications with the examiner, respond to office actions, and advocate for the broadest protection available for your invention.
What kinds of inventions do you work with?
I handle utility patents, design patents, provisional applications, and PCT filings. My background is in the life sciences: a Master of Liberal Arts in Biology from Harvard and three years as a postgraduate researcher at Yale School of Medicine, so medical devices, biotech, and laboratory inventions are a natural fit.
Have an invention worth protecting? Book a free consultation. There is never any pressure, and you will know the full cost before anything begins.