Matthew Dowd of Dowd Scheffel argues a patent appeal at the Federal Circuit

Recently, Matthew Dowd of Dowd Scheffel argued a patent appeal at the Federal Circuit that was highlighted in a post about the appeal on the highly-acclaimed blog Patently-O. The court reached a decision on the appeal. The original invention of the two inventors (Joseph Conrad and Kurt Briscoe) was a urine-deflector for potty training young children. The inventors discovered that the original invention had a less-than-optimal design with a crease which collected urine are produced an odor. To improve this, the inventors filed for a new patent for his seamless design. Although the Federal Circuit affirmed the Patent Office’s rejection of the new patent application, the court's decision will prove useful for the inventors to obtain patent claims on their improved device in the future. The court’s decision can be read here.