Step One
Introductory call
We discuss the product, the technology, and the competitive landscape: what's worth protecting, what might be better kept as a trade secret, and whether patenting is the right approach at all.
Patent work built to withstand scrutiny
—from application through appeal
Searchlight helps startups and technical companies obtain and defend meaningful patent rights—from application and claim strategy through prosecution, PTAB appeals, and Federal Circuit review. Engagements are scoped and priced in advance, with fixed fees available for defined matters.
For Companies Building Real Technology
Searchlight is built for companies whose value depends on the technology they're building: software infrastructure, AI systems, developer tools, robotics, hardware, semiconductors, energy technology, medical technology, and other products where the technical details matter.
If the invention is important enough to protect, the patent work should be serious enough to survive scrutiny.
The Process
Step Two
Confidential technical intake
After an engagement is in place, we go deeper. That can start with product notes, architecture diagrams, demos, founder walkthroughs, or technical documentation. Source code can be helpful, but isn't required.
Step Three
Patentability and prior-art review
Searchlight stress-tests the invention against existing patents, publications, and technical materials before committing drafting effort.
Step Four
Claim strategy
We decide what the application should try to protect and how the claims should be structured.
Step Five
Draft, file, and prosecute
Searchlight prepares the application and moves it through the Patent Office as the matter develops.
Lawyers call this patent prosecution. In plain English, it's the work of turning real technical progress into patent rights that may actually matter.
Patent Appeals
When an examiner or the Board has rejected important claims, Searchlight can assess the record and handle an ex parte appeal before the PTAB or judicial review at the Federal Circuit. The analysis focuses on the issues that matter on review: claim construction, what the prior art actually discloses, preservation, and the governing standard of review.
For Federal Circuit matters, Searchlight can handle the appeal from the notice of appeal through briefing and oral argument. Existing prosecution counsel can retain the client relationship and all underlying prosecution work.
Engagements
Every matter is scoped at the outset. Searchlight offers fixed-fee arrangements for defined prosecution and appellate work, so the client knows the scope and price before work begins.
Government filing fees, formal drawings, and foreign-associate fees are separate. Patent protection outside the United States is handled with trusted local counsel.
If you need help obtaining or defending patent rights—
Send a short, non-confidential description of the technology, application, or decision at issue and your timing. I'll review it personally and reply with next steps.
Correspondence