Toback, Alan J.

Pete Thurlow is a patent attorney and IP coordinator for the Firm's worldwide patent prosecution group. Pete has significant experience in all aspects of patent prosecution, including post-grant reissue, and ex parte and inter partes reexamination proceedings. He also provides litigation support for patent litigations in the district courts, the International Trade Commission (ITC), and before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). In addition, Pete provides due diligence counseling for matters involving initial public offerings and venture capital investments.

As a patent prosecution attorney, Pete's experience includes working with inventors, reviewing invention disclosure statements, preparing new patent applications, filing U.S. and PCT patent applications in the USPTO, responding to office actions issued by the USPTO, conducting interviews with USPTO examiners, and preparing reissue, ex parte, and inter partes request for reexaminations. Pete recently prepared a 200-page request for ex parte reexamination in which the USPTO's Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted the request based on all the requested substantial new questions of patentability. He also has significant experience providing legal opinions in the mechanical, medical device, and electrical arts, including patentability, infringement, and validity opinions. Pete's responsibilities in this area include working with engineers and other technical staff on new product developments and design-around opportunities. His prosecution experience also includes a myriad of administrative matters, including working on document management flows, docketing systems, "paperless" scanning technologies, and administrative procedures to ensure the smooth functioning of the Firm's patent prosecution group.