USD Magazine, Spring 2003

...PATENT an Invention?

Lisel Ferguson '99 U,D.) is a patent attorney with Perkins & Miltner in San Diego.

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• Pay a professional. To parent an invention, no matter how cool, it must be novel, non-obvious and useful. To find out if your idea firs the bill, hire a registered patent attorney to do a parent search. • Zip your lip. Keep your idea under wraps. Once you rel! people about your great gadget, you on ly have a year to file for a patent. After char it's considered public domain. ·

David Francisco '97 teaches a wine class at Orange County's Saddleback College, and conducts private tastings. For information, log on to www.wine-educator: com. Q: Do I need to spend a lot to buy a good bottle of wine? A: No, th ere are many wonderful wines under $ 10. Take the advice of local wine reta ilers, who often produce monrhly newsletters listing "best buys" and staff favo rites, and who sometimes have tasting bars or weekly tastings ro sample recommendations. Pay atten– tion ro wine ratings. Many criti cs rate wines on a I00-point scale, and any wine rated above 86 poinrs, under $ I 0, shou ld be good. Q: What are some of the best recent vintages? A: Bordeaux 2000 has been call ed the greatest vinrage ever for the region, known for dry red wines made prima– rily from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlor grapes. 200 l German Rieslings are widely considered rhe best in decades. Tuscany, Italy, had one of its greatest vinrages in 1997. Much of the C hianri is no longer available, but yo u can find some outstanding Brunello, which is a very full-bodi ed red th at benefits from aging. The best recent vintage for California was 1999. Q: What's appropriate wine protocol in a restaurant? A: There are some typical rules to be aware of, but don't be intimidated by the process. When a waiter o r somme– lier brings our rhe borrl e, he'll show you rhe label so rhar you can confirm it is what you ordered. The waiter will rake the cork our of the bottle and place it near you. The purpose of this is nor so that you can smell rhe cork, but to ensure rhe co rk marches rh e

bottle. This tra- dition began over a century ago,

when servants sometimes drank rhe best wine from rhe wine cell ar and replaced ir wirh something different. They gor caught if rhey put the wrong co rk back in th e borrle! Finally, rh e waiter will pour a taste of wine into yo ur glass. People commo nly believe this gives th em the opportunity to determine if they like rhe wine, bur rhe purpose is to ensure the wine has no apparent faults. The wine can be returned if it has turned to vinegar or has offensive smells. It should nor be returned simp ly because you do not like it. Q: How do I really know the wine is good? A: Good wines have an aroma rhar is pleasa nt and engaging, and have amounrs of alcohol , tannin and acidi ty that balance our o ne another. To dis– tinguish these features, allow rhe win e to stay on your palate fo r a brief moment. Higher alcohol levels pro– duce a weight o r warmth on your palate. Acidity is best distinguished on the sides of the tongue as a tingling sensation . Tannin produces a drying sensation. The best wines will make an initial impression when tasted, fo l– lowed by developmenr on rh e palate and a lingering finish.

• Think anti-theft. If you partner with a company because you can't afford to patent your idea on your own, enter into a nondisclosure agreement that stipulates the idea was yours, so the company can't claim it. • Put your money where your mouth is. Patenting an idea is expensive. The appli– cation is $500 for small inventors and companies with fewer than 500 employ– ees, and $1,000 for large inventors. Inventors who can't afford the application fee or the related attorney fees - any– where from $5,000 to $10,000 - can file for a provis ional patent, which costs a mere $80, lasts for one year and allows for additional rime to invest in your idea. • First-timer tips. Learn more by logging on to the U.S. Parent and Trademark Office Web sire at www.uspto.gov.

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SPRING 2003