This Week's Program: 
Dick Schulze -- US Patent System
 

Upcoming Events:
11/16:  Tom Myers -- Community Services Agency
12/19:  Holiday Party

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President Sam “woke up” the microphone at exactly 12:15 p.m.  He asked MIKE STADLEN to lead the pledge and then KURT HUEG brought us all back to toddler time with a snappy rendition of “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

 Past President AL TRAFICANTI gave us a reflection on the election with a couple of quick quotes: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”  From Winston Churchill; “Elections are a good deal like marriages; there’s no accounting for anyone’s taste.  How about this one? “Every time we see bridegroom we wonder why she ever picked him, and it’s the same with public officials.”  Will Rogers.

 Armistice Day commemorated the end of World War I.  Now, the holiday, Veteran’s Day is to honor all veterans.  At Past President Al’s invitation, many LARC members were honored with an ovation.

 President-Elect JOHN MOSS introduced visiting Rotarians and exchanged flags with visitors from Iceland and India.  President-to-be John announced that next week’s program will feature Tom Meyers, CEO of Community Service Agency.  The club will be dark for Thanksgiving, and then, Ken Graham of El Camino Hospital will bring the club up to date on the Hospital project.

Rotarian MIKE STADLEN brought a banner back from the downtown Sidney, Australia Club. In an email, MIKE told us about the meeting:

 "It was a really fun experience, and they put little flags in front of the non-Australian guests to identify them.  It was quite a bit more expensive than our meals however.  They charge $35 AUD per person, which translates to about $28 USD.  But it truly was a very elegant lunch!"

JOHN MOSS advised that the handbook is nearly complete.  He informed the club that the board had voted to publish the constitution and bylaws on the website in order to save funds.  John says that eventually the club will publish a separate book for these documents.

 President Sam invited all Rotarians to participate in having dinner with RI President Bill Boyd at the Santa Clara Marriot on January 3, 2007.  Sam said this is our chance to get to know Rotary from the top down.

 SANDY WHIPPLE reminded everyone that dues are due and so is payment for the annual Kickout dinner, which was several months ago!

 MARLENE COWAN informed the club that four Rotarians had participated in the STRS program.  Seth Manning advised that the focus was on developing new Rotary Clubs, but that he learned many effective things to apply to his own business.  He encouraged others to participate next year.

 Marlene also announced that the Area 10 fellowship event will be held November 19, 2006 and will feature the Gilbert & Sullivan play “The Sorcerer” at the Dinkelspiel Auditorium followed by dinner at Lucy Stern.  Contact Marlene right away to make reservations.

 Marlene also announced that the Community Volunteer Service Award will be presented on Dec.1, 2006.  Two Rotarians will be honored.  Come and see!

 MATT CABOT, director of club operations, asked all club members to contribute $20-$30 per person to thank our servers.  He will be passing the hat on December 1^st and 8th. Pony up!

 JANE REED announced a program about memory impairment at 1:45 p.m. on November 16, 2006 at the Pilgrim Haven fellowship hall.  It is free of charge.  She also invited everyone to travel to the Yucatan with the World Community Service committee to help with the Chicxulub project February 2-8, 2007. Three days are for work and then time for some play, too.  A great way to get involved!

 Social Czar STEVE GRUBER announced that the 57th annual holiday party will be held at the Jesuit Retreat House on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 at 6 p.m.  The cost will be $45 per person.  Attendance is limited to 150 guests and signups are on a first-pay, first-served, basis.  In other words, you cannot sign up on a clipboard at the meeting; you should bring a check to the meeting and give it to Steve Gruber, or mail it to him at 5050 El Camino Real, Suite 111, Los Altos, 94022.  You can also sign up by going to the website, clicking on "members" on the blue line near the top of the page, and then clicking on "Credit Card Form" on the drop-down menu.  Print out the credit card form and give it to Sandi Whipple. This year's holiday party features the best dinner buffet in Los Altos, quality wines, and a special holiday drink created by Kendra Gjerseth. (Note:  This is not a fundraiser, unlike a similar event seven years ago.)

 DICK HASENPFLUG (more about him later) announced that, with the passage of the school support bond measure, the Citizens Advisory Committee needs a volunteer to serve on the oversight committee.

 SAM HARDING reminded everyone to look for their Rotary Foundation envelopes in the mail.  The club goal this year is for 100 percent participation for the Foundation.  Please contribute.

 Finemaster, MEL KAHN, nabbed a few $2 bills for failure to provide proof of voting.  Then he got $25 from LEN MCBIRNEY, STEVE SHEPHERD, LARRY CHU, MONA ARMISTEAD and ROY LAVE, $20 from MARLENE COWAN, RICK GLAZE, SETH MANNING, and AL TRAFICANTI.  JEAN MORDO became a Pooh Bah for $90.

 But the Big News

Rotarians, KATIE NUTTER and DICK HASENPFLUG are getting married next month!  Katie said she had nothing to say, except “I’m the little woman nowadays.”

 PROGRAM:

JOHN MOSS introduced our speaker attorney, Dick Schulze.  Dick works with John as a patent attorney at Agilent.  After beginning his legal career as an Air Force JAG attorney, Dick spent 25 years on active reserve. He spent six years in private business practice in San Diego before establishing his Intellectual Property practice.  His first case was a hot dog vendor at the fair!  In 1988 he joined HP and became the managing counsel in 1996.  Dick is a professional snowboard instructor, owns a place in New Zealand so he can snowboard year round, and is a former Lions Club president.

 Patent means “open letter” – “To all who shall see these letters, greetings.”

 The first patent was issued in 500 B.C. by a Greek king to the king’s chef for oysters stuffed with honey.  The king thought the dish was so good he granted the chef the right for one year to exclusive use of the recipe.

 Next: 1620 - Massachusetts – for a method of heating houses.

 Then:  U.S. 1790 - Method of making potash to Samuel Hopkins, signed by George Washington.

Today, a patent gives you the right to exclude others from making or using, selling, offering for sale, the particular invention you wish to protect.  Thousands of applications for patents are received each year by the U.S. Patent Office which is charged with the duty to review and grant patents.

 A patent claim defines what is patented.  For example, a rodent trap armed with a pistol was one such patented invention.  A claim must be something new and useful.  It must be a process, a machine, a manufacture, a composition of matter or any new or useful improvement.

 To be patentable, a claim must state something new, i.e., not invented before; useful, i.e., must perform a function; must not be “obvious” to the average person, which may be a judgment call by the reviewer.

 In 1836, one patent was issued.  In 1870, 100,000 patents were issued.  In 1911, One million were awarded. By 1999, Six million were granted.  By 2006, seven million more were awarded.  On November 7, 2006, 7.1 million patents had been issued.

 The average time to obtain patent approval is now about 29.1 months from the date of application.  This is due to ever-increasing complexity of the items being patented.  The patent office is hampered by the federal practice of diverting the fees paid for patents to the general fund.  Patent applicants must pay $1,000 for large company patents and $500 for small company or individual patents.  This gives the inventor the right to control use of the patented product or process for 20 years on a renewable basis – every four years, or lose the right to enforce the patent.

 There are 2.4 million patents in force today – one-third of every patent issued in the history of the patent office are still active today.

 President Sam thanked Dick for a very informative and interesting program. 

 Then he told a terrible joke which shouldn’t be repeated here, but will be anyway. 

 Sam said; a woman’s husband had died and she was viewing him at the mortuary in his casket.  In the coffin, he was dressed in a fine black suit.  She always felt he looked better in blue, so asked the mortician if he could change the suit.  The mortician agreed.  He said another man had died and he was wearing a blue suit, he would talk to the other family about making the switch.  The next day the woman returned to see her husband and he was wearing a beautiful blue suit!  He looked so good, she commented to the mortician.  The mortician replied, “No problem, I just switched the heads.”