In-House Patent Counsel - Power Equipment

Draft and prosecute patent applications in the thermal, mechanical, aero-mechanical and electro-mechanical arts. Specializing in gas turbine and power generation technologies. Drafted over 300+ utility patent applications and prosecuted more than 250 patent applications. Other work includes but is not limited to drafting, filing and prosecuting Trademark and Copyright applications.

Drove intellectual property information gathering activities with regard to current and future product applications for the GE Energy Competitive Assessment Team with a primary focus on Combustion Technology. Interviewed inventors to document and describe the scope of inventions, developed high value invention ideas with inventors while ensuring quick conversion to formal Invention Disclosure Letters (IDL's) for assessment by GE Energy patent review board. Supported IP "landscaping" events for GE Energy business, recognize and prioritize IP development of Energy critical inventions and provided assistance in the analysis of patents and pre-patent filing reviews. Participated in right to practice, prosecution, and patent research. Compiled Patent search extract reports for IP Counsel & Engineering Leadership review. Performed competitor analysis and evaluation of intellectual properties to recognize, prioritize and support potential Energy Technology competitor infringements of GE patents. Supported NPI tollgate steps for patent clearance & IDL submittal related activities using patent surveillance process to identify patents of concern and related strategies to deal with any patents of concern.

Manage multi-million dollar supply contracts with commercial and military aircraft manufacturers. Manage supplier risk by utilizing knowledge of the UCC and Common Law to analyze, negotiate and draft terms and conditions for global supply contracts. Negotiate annual pricing. Support global supply chain. Draft and execute non-disclosure agreements and amendments to existing contracts. Support sales & marketing teams during contract negotiations. Serve as the Intellectual Property liaison between local site and the parent company. (Hamilton Sundstrand) Work directly with inventors, review patent disclosure documents and make patentability recommendations.

Managed plastics supplier relationships for projects in high volume production. Daily interaction with suppliers from China, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, etc…• Allocated raw materials and supplier resources to meet global supply chain demand.• Served as the liaison between manufacturing site and supplier.• Conducted end-of-life cost saving activities relating to existing products.• Traveled internationally to assess supplier’s capacity for existing and future products.• Participated in global contract negotiation preparation for plastics and keypads.

Served as a law clerk in the areas of Personal Injury, Workmen’s Compensation, and Social Security Disability.• Prepared insurance brochures for settlement packages, assisted with trial preparation, participated in pre-trial mediations and created medical summaries from client medical files.

Material supply and procurement manager for multi-million dollar mobile computing projects.• Managed supply chain for wireless mobile computing projects.• Interacted on a daily basis with manufacturing facilities located throughout the world with a primary focus on “Lean Manufacturing” techniques and end of life cost analysis.NOTE: Left position to attend law school full time.

Directed assembly, quality and testing related to electro-mechanical interface devices for commercial and military aviation fuel control systems.• Led project to replace all test fittings for high pressure hydraulic test stands.• Served as liaison between engineering and mechanical/electrical refurbishment team.

Addressed all mechanical design issues related to high volume manufacturing of consumer electronic devices.• Utilized knowledge of design and manufacturing techniques to maximize cost savings and to implement product design improvements.• Created cost savings through implementation of quality assurance processes, improved product documentation and assembly process improvements.

Designed, tested and solved manufacturing issues related to new product introduction for 50 and 60 cycle F and H series combustion systems.• Served as liaison between combustion design, test and manufacturing.• Provided mechanical design assistance to procurement and manufacturing for part acquisition and dispositions.• Led multiple projects to address critical design issues on engines in the field. Failure to solve such problems would have resulted in tremendous loss of profit for the customer.• Certified Green Belt in Design for Six Sigma.

Conceptualized, designed and created individual parts for complex electronics packaging assemblies.• Designed injection molded plastic parts, die cut conductive gaskets and pads, stamped metal springs, surface mounted shield cans, electronic interconnect systems including cables and custom connectors.• Created mechanical layout of PCB's including connector and component placement recommendations. • Produced and maintained 3D models and 2D drawings for parts and assemblies.• Utilized GD&T principles for tolerance analysis of parts and assemblies.• Employed Finite Element Analysis using ANSYS software,.• Conducted mechanical verification of new designs.• Maintained daily interaction with suppliers, manufacturers and toolmakers for design assistance, quotes and procurement of parts and prototypes.