Akron Inventor's Club

Did you know that there are over 2700 accredited businesses in Akron, Ohio that have the Better Business Bureau seal of approval? What does that mean? How can it help you as an inventor, business owner or just someone who is thinking of buying something or hiring a business to do something for you? Judy DeShon from the Better Business Bureau will be our featured speaker. She will explain all this and much more. The BBB Accreditation Seal shows your commitment to integrity, ethical business practices, and customer service. Learn how to join the BBB community of trustworthy businesses. Judy will tell us all about the Better Business Bureau, their many services and how to earn your BBB seal. Doors open at 5:30pm for refreshments and networking, meeting begins at 6:00pm.

Conventional wisdom says that utility patents are out of reach for most individual inventors. And at an average cost of $30,000+ for an issued patent, that may be true. But there are some early steps you can take to claim ownership of your invention— even before you are rich enough to afford an attorney for that all-important patent examination with the USPTO. Our meetings speaker is Cathy Lippert, co-founder of Seventh.ai. Cathy will tell us about the provisional patent application process with the US Patent and Trademark Office. This is something you can use to file yourself to get your patent pending. There are templates and tools out there to keep you on the rails, so even your attorney will love you for being better prepared when the time comes to file for a non-provisional utility patent. In the meantime, avoid pesky NDAs, and buy yourself some time to commercialize your invention! But also be aware of the pitfalls. Provisional patent applications let you commercialize FIRST and worry about legal fees for patents later. Come find out what the ground rules are to get your best protection at the earliest possible date. About our speaker Cathy Lippert, co-founder of Seventh.ai. After 30 years in the software industry, most recently on the management team of two successful Cleveland-based startups, Cathy, together with her business partner Alex Polyansky have embarked on a new enterprise to help commercialize IP. They are offering a TurboTax-like wizard for provisional patents. Seventh.ai applies artificial intelligence to democratize the search and protection of intellectual property. Alex, CEO of Seventh is a registered patent agent and a former patent examiner with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Cathy, COO holds two utility patents of her own, and also mentors other startups at JumpStart and Bounce. Doors open at 5:30 pm for networking. "Provisional Patent Applications: Affordable Secret to Protecting Your Invention" talk will start at 6 pm. Informative Q & A session at the end. Please RSVP Akron-Summit County Public Library 60 South High Street Akron, Ohio 44326 For more info: www.akroninventorsclub.org­

This special meeting will feature 2 programs! Attorney James Sandy will present "Top 10 Legal Issues Facing Small Businesses" and Patent Attorney Mark Weber will present "An Intellectual Property Primer for Inventors and Entrepreneurs". This evening is presented in conjunction with the Akron Bar Association and the Business & Government Division of the Akron-Summit County Public Library as part of their fall Legal Clinic series.

A need to know information session about websites and website development. Does your company/invention need a web presence? How much should your website cost? What are the risks with outsourcing? Is the company your hiring outsourcing? Do you need a web designer, a web developer or full web development/software company? Is the company you are working with qualified? What laws exist to protect small business owners from being exploited by web development companies? Michael Stratton, Founder of Sunny Tree Software will be our featured speaker. His presentation will cover these topics and more. Michael work as a software engineer is focused on websites and web application development. His educational basis in computer science and mathematics is the source of his success. Some of his notable projects include: Environmental Assessment Software used to automate the processes of an EPA regulated consulting organization, Web Based Geographical Information System used to assist utility companies in creating, editing and updating GIS gas pipeline data, Browser based JavaScript calculators utilized for assessing financial data, Custom web application development using the MVC Software Architecture Model, Artificial Intelligence: Natural Language Processing, Website Development for Nonprofits World-wide (Wordpress, Drupal and Joomla), Computer forensics, expert court witness, Software as a Service applications (SaaS). Learn more about Michael and his company at https://sunnytree.org Doors open at 5:30 pm for networking. "Website Software Development for Inventors" talk will start at 6 pm. Informative Q & A session at the end. Please RSVP Akron-Summit County Public Library 60 South High Street Akron, Ohio 44326 For more info: www.akroninventorsclub.org­