Putman v. Dudas

MEMORANDUM & OPINION

LOUIS F. OBERDORFER, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Harold Putman tried to patent an “automatic transaction machine,” commonly known as an automatic teller machine or ATM, with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. When the patent examiner rejected all fifty-six claims in his application, Plaintiff appealed to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. The Board affirmed the patent examiner in part. In doing so, the Board concluded that Plaintiff had not properly briefed his appeal and therefore declined to consider either his appeal brief or his reply brief. This…