Frequently asked questions
What Inventor Assistance Foundation does, what it charges and how to begin.
Inventor Assistance Foundation provides patent application preparation, USPTO Office Action responses and intellectual property strategy for AI, software and software-implemented technology. Its work is led by Jurgen Vollrath, an engineer, inventor and patent attorney.
A patent application is $4,000, including the claims, the first Office Action response and any restriction or election requirement. Each later Office Action response, and any response on an application prepared elsewhere, is $1,500. A restriction or election requirement on an application prepared elsewhere is $1,000. Strategic consultations, business strategies and agreement review and preparation are $850 per hour. USPTO fees and third-party costs are separate, and the scope of each matter is agreed before work begins.
Artificial intelligence, software and software-implemented technology: inventions where the inventive step is carried out in software, from machine-learning methods to enterprise systems and software-controlled devices.
No. Its services are paid at the published fees. Inventors who need free help may qualify for the USPTO Patent Pro Bono Program or can use the USPTO Pro Se Assistance Center.
Yes. Jurgen Vollrath is a patent attorney, engineer and inventor. His career includes senior patent leadership at SAP, licensing and IP due diligence work at National Semiconductor and leadership of a law firm patent practice in San Francisco.
The work starts with the business value of the patent: what it covers, who might need access to it and how it could support a product, a licensing opportunity or a transaction. Claims and Office Action responses are shaped around the scope worth keeping.
Jurgen Vollrath is Co-inventor and Co-Founder of ClaimMark, a software company that makes AI tools for patent drafting and Office Actions. Inventor Assistance Foundation uses ClaimMark-P for AI-assisted drafting; Jurgen reviews and decides on all of the work. ClaimMark is a separate company, and legal services are separate from ClaimMark product access.
Send a general note through the contact page or email jurgen.vollrath@iaf-inc.com. Keep confidential invention details for a private conversation.
See the USPTO’s programs for independent inventors.
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