P C - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Professional Engineer in the State of Texas
Alex Knapp is a licensed patent attorney and professional engineer practicing intellectual property law. Alex has patent prosecution experience in a variety of technical areas including computer networking, data center infrastructure, and mobile computing. In addition, Alex has technical expertise in the chemical and mechanical arts.
In 2013, Alex received his Juris Doctorate from Baylor Law School. While at Baylor, Alex received the highest grade in the class in first year contracts, completed Baylor's nationally ranked practice court program, and participated in pro bono work with the Texas Access to Justice Commission. In addition, Alex clerked two terms for the 412th District Court in Brazoria County, Texas.
From 2006-2010, Alex worked for Dow Chemical as an engineer in Dow's performance plastics business. While at Dow, Alex led improvement projects, managed capital budgets, and oversaw day-to-day operations of a specialty copolymer plant. In addition, Alex completed a three month assignment in Tarragona, Spain and completed training in Terneuzen, The Netherlands.
In 2005, Alex graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Spanish. Alex was selected by the Dwight Look College of Engineering to receive the Outstanding Senior Engineer Award and was also selected by the Department of Mechanical Engineering to receive the Thompson Award for outstanding machine design. While at Texas A&M, Alex was a member of the Corps of Cadets, President of Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, and an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Alex is also a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas.
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Austin Gottfredson serves as a Technical Advisor specializing in patent preparation, prosecution, and analysis primarily in the field of physical and quantum technologies. Austin also has expertise in the areas of algorithm development, waves and optics, plasma physics, and nuclear fusion technologies. Austin received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Weber State University in 2021, graduating summa cum laude and with departmental honors. Furthermore, Austin was awarded a Masters degree in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2023.
While at Weber State University, Austin was awarded the Presidential Scholar award for academic excellence throughout his years at the university. Some of Austin's projects include analyzing human motion data to make adjusting prosthetics easier and exploring quantum algorithms. Austin was awarded the Jim S. Bateman Undergraduate Research Award for researching indirect detection of dark matter.
While at the University of Texas, Austin carried out research relating to compact particle accelerators and micro-instabilities in magnetically confined nuclear fusion. His specialized courses include quantum physics, plasma physics, nonlinear optics, and advanced semiconductor nanotechnology. In addition to research and class responsibilities, Austin taught five semesters of the waves and optics lab for physics majors and was a teaching assistant for a couple of introductory physics classes.
Austin enjoys playing the French horn in community settings including the Red River Ensemble based at the Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Mr. Moore specializes in intellectual property with an emphasis in patent prosecution and counseling, primarily in the electrical and software arts. He has experience in cellular and wireless technologies, including 4G and 5G as well as Social Wi-Fi and 802.11. In addition, he has experience in computer-based measurement and automation, graphical programming, and 3-D graphics. Clients range from Fortune 100 to local inventors.
Before practicing law, Mr. Moore worked for over a decade in advanced technology and testing for a leading supplier of automotive tires. His research focused on tire-ground-vehicle interaction and included development of test equipment for use in both the laboratory and the field. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees, both in Mechanical Engineering, from The University of Akron in 1999 and 2001, respectively. Mr. Moore's graduate research focused on theoretical and computational mechanics.
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Job Titles:
- Patent Agent
- Registered Patent Agent
Catherine Gerhardt is a registered Patent Agent and has prepared patent applications related to computer hardware and software, as well as other technologies. Mrs. Gerhardt received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering with Honors from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2016. At the University of Texas at Dallas, Mrs. Gerhardt was involved in research focused on mechanical testing of metals coated with ionic liquids for dental implants. Mrs. Gerhardt was the captain of the Women's Cross Country team, as well as the team lead for her Senior Design project designing a home security system employing Bluetooth technology.
Prior to joining the firm, Mrs. Gerhardt was employed as a product engineer for a startup here in Austin, working on orthopedic implants with a focus on spinal implants. In addition, Mrs. Gerhardt assisted in the research and development of stem cell therapy devices, specifically employing autologous stem cells in the repair of cartilage and bone in knee, hip, and spine.
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Craig Jones specializes in computer software, architecture, networking and data storage. He serves as a Technical Advisor. Mr. Jones received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1986.
Mr. Jones served as a design engineer for Dell Computer Corporation for 15 years where he founded two Operating Systems groups, served as an embedded software engineer developing BIOS and high function firmware, was a lead engineer for three generations of RAID products, was a member of technical staff and the Dell Patent Committee, and was Dell's leading software inventor. Mr. Jones also co-founded StorageGear, a startup developing a NAS product using InfiniBand. Mostly recently, Mr. Jones worked for National Instruments developing advanced PCI Express switch products and was the inventor or co-inventor of five patents.
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Mr. Munyon specializes in patent prosecution and counseling. He represents some of the world's largest companies and patent holders, as well as midsize and venture-stage enterprises. In advising his clients, he draws heavily on his appellate and litigation background.
Mr. Munyon has a diverse technical practice that includes a focus in computer hardware and software. He procures patents for clients in numerous areas of computer technology, including processor and system architecture, graphics, security, networking, storage, integrated circuit design, as well as database, e-commerce, and cloud computing systems. He also has significant experience in the energy industry and with mechanical devices and systems.
Mr. Munyon regularly prepares patent opinions relating to noninfringement and invalidity. He also performs a variety of other services for his clients, including patent portfolio analysis, pre-litigation counseling, and licensing work. Additionally, he has had success both in attacking and defending patents in Patent Office post-grant proceedings.
Mr. Munyon began his career with International Business Machines in Austin. There he was responsible for providing worldwide technical support for the full range of IBM's RS/6000 line of Unix workstations. He subsequently joined the Somerset Design Center, where he was a member of the joint IBM/Motorola team that developed the successful G3 PowerPC microprocessor.
After law school, Mr. Munyon clerked for the Hon. William C. Bryson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. He then practiced as a patent litigator with Kirkland & Ellis and Dewey Ballantine. The latter stint included trial experience before the International Trade Commission.
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In the prosecution area, Mr. Goetzel handles new applications, responses to office actions, declarations of continued use, renewals, and amendments to existing registrations. He has prepared agreements such as contracts, licenses, assignments, work for hire agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and employer-employee covenants. In addition, Mr. Goetzel has built up a worldwide network of attorneys and trademark agents that allow his clients to file applications through our offices in just about any country of interest to the client.
In the litigation arena, Mr. Goetzel has handled hundreds of cases in state and federal courts all across the United States, in diverse areas such as automotive products, computer hardware and software, electronic devices, books, music rights, bakery items, exercise equipment, fishing tackle, medical devices, and telecommunications equipment, to name just a few. In 2004, Mr. Goetzel was one of the attorneys honored by "Kroll on Track" for his involvement in the "Thought Leading Computer Forensic Case of the Year."
Mr. Goetzel has also been responsible for opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, domain name arbitration matters via ICANN's Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, and has served as local counsel for outside attorneys before the Western District of Texas.
Gareth Sampson specializes in chemical, semiconductor, and materials processing. He serves as a Registered Patent Agent.
Dr. Sampson graduated with High Honor from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering in 1992, receiving an Honorable Mention Award for a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.
Dr. Sampson received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998. During this time he designed and constructed a high vacuum reaction and analysis chamber to study atom and ion reactions with silicon surfaces. His doctoral research focused on hydrogen atom and argon ion reactions for the removal of carbon-based adsorbates on silicon surfaces. Dr. Sampson authored two publications that have appeared in scientific journals. Dr. Sampson is a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and the American Chemical Society.
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Gentry McLean's practice at KHMRG is focused on patent prosecution and counseling. She has prepared, prosecuted and litigated patents in subject areas including semiconductor devices and fabrication, electronic circuits, computer hardware, networking technology, digital rights management, processor architecture, and software applications.
Dr. McLean's academic research involved epitaxial growth of semiconductor materials for electronic and optoelectronic devices. After earning her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, she performed postdoctoral research at the Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung in Stuttgart, Germany. Dr. McLean was an assistant professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she taught courses in semiconductor devices and electronics.
Dr. McLean began her patent law career as a technical advisor and patent agent at Conley Rose & Tayon in Austin. After law school, she served as a law clerk for the late Honorable Will Garwood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She practiced as a patent litigator with Vinson & Elkins before returning to a prosecution focused practice.
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Mr. Myung specializes in patent preparation, prosecution, and counseling. Mr. Myung has prepared and prosecuted patents in a wide variety of technology areas, including software as a service, serverless computing and other cloud-based technologies, mobile applications and services, Big Data processing, digital signal processing, sensor systems, oil field service technologies, among others. In addition, Mr. Myung has technical expertise in the biomedical and material science arts.
In 2018, Mr. Myung obtained his Juris Doctor degree from University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Prior to law school, Mr. Myung graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Bioengineering & Material Science Engineering. Mr. Myung is admitted to practice before California State Courts.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Myung worked at a boutique intellectual property law firm with clients ranging from individual inventors to Fortune 500 companies. In addition to patent prosecution, Mr. Myung has experience with infringement analysis, trademark prosecution and pre-trial litigation.
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Mr. Hood has over 28 years of experience in patent prosecution and counseling, primarily in the electrical and software arts. In particular, Mr. Hood has significant patent prosecution experience in the areas of cellular / wireless communications, computer system architecture, computer-based measurement and automation, graphical programming, 3-D graphics, computer peripherals, networking, and object-oriented software. In addition to his patent prosecution experience, Mr. Hood's practice also includes counseling clients regarding various aspects of patent protection and enforcement.
Mr. Hood received his Bachelor of Science degree and his Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Rice University in 1988 and 1989, respectively. He earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center in December 1992. Mr. Hood's Master's program focused in the areas of digital signal processing and computer architecture.
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Job Titles:
- Undergraduate Research Award
Mr. Stevens serves as a Patent Agent specializing in patent procurement, portfolio management, and patent acquisition in a number of diverse industries. In that capacity, Mr. Stevens assists his clients in obtaining patent protection on various technologies, including areas such as wireless communication, computer architecture, and computer automation, among others. Notably, Mr. Stevens has managed a team of patent attorneys and agents in maximizing the value of a multi-billion dollar patent portfolio related to cellular communication, particularly focusing on procurement of patents applying to standards-related cellular communication.
In 2005, Mr. Stevens received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Chemistry from Rice University, graduating magna cum laude. He has authored or co-authored publications in the fields of biochemistry (DNA Computation), nanotechnology (functionalization of fluoronanotubes, also covered in U.S. Patent Number 7,452,519), and organic chemistry (synthesis of heliquinomycin and lactonamycin). Mr. Stevens has also worked on the computationally complex problems involved in protein folding with Professor Cecilia Clementi at Rice University. Additionally, he has been involved in numerous web-based startup companies and also has experience in the area of Information Technology, including work for Sigma-Genosys and BioTX Automations. Mr. Stevens also has extensive experience in financial areas, including security analysis and company valuation.
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Luke Langsjoen is a registered Patent Agent specializing in patent preparation, prosecution, and analysis in the fields of wireless telecommunication technologies, digital signal processing, semiconductor processor design, application-layer software development, distributed/parallel computing algorithm design, encryption, geophysical data analysis, quantum computation, compressive sensing technology, computer-aided-design (CAD) modelling, and convolutional neural networks. Dr. Langsjoen's extensive academic training in analytic theoretical physics and quantum field theory makes him particularly well equipped to handle mathematically complex and highly technical material.
Dr. Langsjoen's doctoral dissertation, titled "Field Theoretical Investigation of Fluctuation-Induced Phenomena", studied formal divergences in the Casimir effect and phase transitions in condensed matter systems. After obtaining his Ph.D., Dr. Langsjoen conducted research as a postdoctoral research associate in the field of quantum computation at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. Dr. Langsjoen's work at UW studied quantum and thermal noise as a source of qubit decoherence in semiconductor quantum computational devices, and he has written and published multiple academic papers in top tier peer-reviewed physics journals.
Mr. Seegers received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering, summa cum laude, from Texas A&M University, where he specialized in computer architecture and software engineering. At Texas A&M, Mr. Seegers was a member of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi, and participated in several student service projects (such as The Big Event) to help the College Station community.
Mr. Seegers has a broad software background, having worked with numerous programming languages including C, C++, Java, Swift, Ruby, Python, Haskell, and JavaScript. Mr. Seegers has experience with website design, application development, and video game design. Mr. Seegers has particular familiarity with cryptographic concepts and algorithms such as RSA encryption, AES encryption, zero-knowledge proofs, and steganography.
Mr. Seegers is also well-versed in various aspects of computer and processor architecture, including arithmetic-logic unit design, delay and power estimation, clock distribution, logic effort, and gate sizing. As a student, Mr. Seegers designed a processor pipeline in Verilog (a hardware description language) that implemented the MIPS instruction set.
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Matt Washburn specializes in intellectual property with an emphasis in patent prosecution and counseling in the electrical and computer-related arts. In particular, he has significant experience in cellular and wireless technologies, including 4G, 5G, and IEEE 802.11, as well as other areas of computer technology. He has procured patents for clients ranging from Fortune 100 to local inventors.
Before practicing law, Mr. Washburn worked as an FPGA Engineer with Applied Signal Technology, Inc., focusing on reconfigurable broadband telecommunication systems. He also served as an Electronic Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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Mr. Phipps specializes in legal counseling and patent portfolio development and management. Mr. Phipps has prepared and prosecuted patents in numerous technology areas including medical devices, datacenters, cameras, virtual design, cyber security, telecommunications, financial transactions, cooling systems, HVAC equipment, hydraulic fluid pressure sweeps, perforating devices, well bore and well head tools, projectiles, defense technologies, and lubricant additives. Mr. Phipps has also handled trademark prosecution and licensing negotiations.
Prior to working at Kowert, Hood, Munyon, Rankin, & Goetzel, P.C., Mr. Phipps was a partner at Loza & Loza, LLP and a senior patent counsel at Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP.
Mr. Phipps is also actively involved with the Knights of Columbus, St. Mark Catholic School in Plano, TX, and his three kids' multiple extracurricular activities.
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Michael Saizan practices intellectual property law, with an emphasis on patent preparation and prosecution in the computer/software/electronic arts including computer systems, software design, web development, networks, storage systems, consumer electronics, and microprocessor architecture.
Michael attended The University of Texas at Austin on an academic scholarship awarded by the Cockrell School of Engineering, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1995. From 1996 to 2006, Michael worked as a computer engineer at Motorola, a software consultant, and an internet application developer at National Instruments. As a software consultant, he developed web and database applications using SAP and Oracle/SQL and obtained Java certification.
In 2008, Michael received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Houston Law Center. During law school, Michael prepared and prosecuted patent applications as a law clerk at Patterson & Sheridan in Houston. In his career, Michael has prepared and prosecuted patents for numerous corporations, including Amazon, Apple, Autodesk, IBM, Microsoft, Netflix, and NVIDIA. Prior to joining the firm, Michael worked as an associate at Lee & Hayes in Austin.
Mr. Davis has a diverse technical practice with a primary focus on computer hardware. He procures patents for clients in numerous areas of computer technology, including processor architecture, graphics, low-power design, branch prediction, cache coherency, ALU design, clock distribution, storage, circuit simulation, SIMD, networks for supercomputing, security, and database systems. He also has experience in geophysical surveying, global navigation satellite systems, software, cloud computing, and physical equipment.
Mr. Davis also provides guidance relating to patentability, portfolio analysis, non-infringement, and post-grant procedures.
While at the University of Texas, Mr. Davis worked at Applied Research Laboratories, Centaur Technology, and Intel. His work included system-on-a-chip validation, test automation, x86 validation, and GPS software development.
Mr. Davis began his patent prosecution career after receiving his undergraduate degree in 2011 and worked in patent prosecution during the majority of his time in law school.
Patrick Williams serves as a Technical Advisor specializing in patent preparation, prosecution, and analysis primarily in the field of wireless telecommunication technologies. Mr. Williams also has expertise in the areas of image processing, radio-frequency system design, electro-optical/infrared systems, advanced and high voltage electronics, pulsed laser systems, and RF experimentation. Mr. Williams received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Texas A&M University in 2012 and has authored or co-authored publications in the fields of pulsed power and astronomical instrumentation.
While at Texas A&M, Mr. Williams was part of a joint UT-Austin-Texas A&M collaboration which developed 70 Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit Spectrographs (VIRUS) for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). Additionally, he designed and installed electronics and housing for the Dark Energy Calibration system (DECal) at the 4-meter Blanco telescope at Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Chile and performed image processing/data analysis of high redshift Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies using data from the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Williams worked as an Electronic Warfare Engineer for the non-profit research and development contractor SRC, Inc. where he managed and conducted engineering research for battlefield sensor systems including electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems, radars, weapon systems, and platforms for the U.S. Armed Forces. Additionally, Mr. Williams served as Senior Test Engineer for the Austin based Applied Physical Electronics, L.C. where he designed and tested advanced electromagnetic and optical systems related to EMI/EMC testing and high-speed pulsed power RF systems for the U.S. and allied defense sectors. Most recently, Mr. Williams worked as a Principal Engineer for BAE Systems where he performed engineering analysis and design as well as providing hardware and software support for advanced EO/IR systems from early product concept through detailed design, integration, test and sustainment phases.
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Paul Seegers serves as a Patent Agent.
In 2007, Mr. Seegers received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas in Austin, where he specialized in embedded systems and computer architecture.
As a student, he was accepted to the UT in DC program, where he interned with Marathon Oil. He also studied abroad at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he studied computer networking and computer modeling/simulation.
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Robert C. Kowert is a founding shareholder of Meyertons, Hood, Kivlin, Kowert & Goetzel, P.C., Now Kowert, Hood, Munyon, Rankin & Goetzel, P.C. He specializes in intellectual property with an emphasis in patent prosecution and counseling in the computer/software/electronic arts including computer systems, storage systems, software, microprocessor architecture, digital electronics, network and communication systems, and semiconductor fabrication processes.
Mr. Kowert has worked at Dell Computer Corporation and National Instruments Corporation as a senior design engineer. At Dell and National Instruments, Mr. Kowert designed circuit boards, integrated circuits, and software for high performance computer systems and interfaces. While at National Instruments, Mr. Kowert became a registered patent agent and served as the organizer and chairman of National Instruments' patent committee. Mr. Kowert is the author of several technical publications and the inventor on six issued United States Patents. He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
In his career, Mr. Kowert has counseled, prepared non-infringement/invalidity opinions and procured patents worldwide for numerous corporations, including Advanced Micro Devices, Compaq Computer Corp., Sun Microsystems, Veritas Software Corp., and National Instruments Corp. Mr. Kowert recently gave a presentation to the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association titled Impact of Patent Statute and Rule Changes on Prosecution Practice.
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Mr. Rankin specializes in intellectual property matters with an emphasis on patent procurement and the counseling and is ranked in the top 1% in terms of quality and performance among intellectual property attorneys practicing in the high-tech patent area according to the 2024 Patexia Patent Prosecution report. Mr. Rankin has extensive experience in the computing and electrical arts, including computer network hardware and software, artificial intelligence and machine learning, graphics processors and processing, video and image encoding/decoding and processing, data compression, hardware and software security, network security, wireless communication and protocols, video distribution systems including television and Internet based, streaming media, multimedia content management, data backup and protection, cloud-based systems, application software and compiler technologies, middleware and operating systems, power management and low power systems, storage system hardware and software, virtual memory systems, computer system architecture and design, microprocessor architecture, network and communication systems and protocols, integrated circuits, distributed computing, and parallel processing.
Prior to his work as an attorney, Mr. Rankin was employed as an engineer and worked for IBM in the Personal Systems Division Network Software, and for Motorola at the Somerset Design Center - the IBM, Motorola, and Apple Alliance - where he worked on integrated processor development and chip set design. Mr. Rankin has counseled on the procurement and protection of both patents and trademarks in numerous countries around the world.
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Sammy Epstein practices intellectual property law with an emphasis on patent preparation and prosecution. He has written and prosecuted patents in the fields of microprocessor architecture, microprocessor power management, computer software, computer security, telecommunications, solid state memory, data storage and management, mobile devices, applied optics, ultrasonics, and applied physics.
Prior to joining Meyertons, Hood, Kivlin, Kowert & Goetzel, Dr. Epstein practiced patent law at Toler Law Group, Austin Texas, and at Trop, Pruner and Hu, Austin Texas.
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Santiago Delgado serves as a Technical Advisor specializing in patent preparation, prosecution, and analysis in the fields of computer software and hardware technologies His expertise extends to electronics engineering, programming, algorithm development, CAD, solid modeling, and product engineering. Santiago earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in 2023. During his time at Northeastern, he engaged in cooperative experiences with various institutions and companies, including the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, NY, and Hologic Inc. in Marlborough, MA. Additionally, Santiago contributed his skills to Nereus Power, a startup focused on developing renewable energy sources.
While at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Santiago worked in the Superconducting Quantum Laboratory, where he contributed to the design of a measuring apparatus for superconducting qubits. His contributions included designing circuit boards, developing distributed computing applications, and creating mechanical shields for the qubits. At Hologic, Santiago joined the sustaining team of the surgical division, where his projects included conducting failure analysis of products failing in the field, debugging and troubleshooting a manufacturing program, and revising and updating the DFMEA of another product. Santiago was then transferred to the R&D team of the surgical division at Hologic. In this role, he led and developed a robotic system used by the R&D team to test an upcoming medical product. The robotic system was validated by the FDA, ensuring the data it produced was recognized as accurate and reliable.
At Nereus Power, Santiago led meetings with marine engineers and engineered the minimum viable product for a new renewable energy source. His notable projects include creating a mathematical script for 3D helices, developing a CAD model used for the first prototype, and optimizing performance with a CFD model.
Santiago enjoys spending time outside in parks, running, surfing and longboarding, and discovering new places.
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Sarah Starks is an attorney who has prepared patent applications for biometric technologies, cloud security, and machine learning. She has patent prosecution experience with additional fields, including data center technologies, cameras, and computer software and hardware. She is admitted to practice law in the state of Texas.
Ms. Starks received her Juris Doctorate from Baylor Law School in 2023. While attending law school, she was a Baylor Law Review editor in addition to completing Baylor's nationally ranked practice court program. She is also a 2020 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where she obtained a degree in biomedical engineering. While at the University of Oklahoma, she worked with medically-applied bacteriophage nanotechnology, virtual reality technologies, and robotics.
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Mr. Foster specializes in patent prosecution and infringement counseling. Working in the computer and electronic arts, Mr. Foster has prepared and prosecuted patents in a wide variety of technology areas, including software as a service, infrastructure as a service, serverless computing and other cloud-based technologies, mobile applications and services, Big Data processing, digital signal processing, sensor systems, networking devices, and distribution control systems, among others.
Prior to beginning his legal career, Mr. Foster worked in the defense industry in the hardware and software engineering departments at Raytheon Company. There he performed product development and manufacturing support for a diverse set of product lines.
While attending law school Mr. Foster was involved in various organizations, including time spent serving as the Executive Editor of the William & Mary Business Law Review. His student note, Breaking the Transsubstantive Pleading Mold: Public Interest Environmental Litigation After Ashcroft v. Iqbal was published in Volume 35 of the William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review. Mr. Foster served as a judicial intern in the chambers of the Honorable Paul D. Stickney, United States District Court of the Northern District of Texas and the Honorable James A. Moseley, Court of Appeals Fifth District of Texas.
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Scott Pape serves as a patent agent specializing in microcontroller architecture, systems-on-a-chip, mixed signal circuits, and nonvolatile memories.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Pape worked for Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector as a product/test engineer, product manager, program manager and systems engineer. After the Semiconductor Products Sector was spun-off from Motorola as Freescale Semiconductor, Mr. Pape continued his systems engineering work at Freescale and later managed the systems engineering team for the Industrial and Multi-Market Group. In this role, Mr. Pape led the definition of the highly successful ARM Cortex M4 based Kinetis family of microcontrollers.
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Mr. Waite specializes in patent prosecution and counseling. His practice draws heavily on his time as in-house patent counsel for a licensing entity and as Examiner for the United States Patent & Trademark Office.
Mr. Waite has a diverse technical practice that includes a focus in computer hardware and software. He procures patents for clients in numerous areas of computer technology, including smart phones, cloud computing, digital storage, e-commerce and mobile computing. Mr. Waite has also provided technical litigation support for MPEG, 802.11, DRAM, flash memory, semiconductor and MEMS-related technologies.
Mr. Waite began his career as an engineer for a defense contractor where he designed and implemented telecommunication signal interception software. He subsequently joined the USPTO in the Digital Communications Technology Center before attending law school.
As in-house patent counsel for a Xerox PARC spinoff, Mr. Waite provided comprehensive product, infringement, pre-litigation and licensing analysis of licensing targets, and executed patent prosecution strategies with both domestic and foreign outside counsel in technical areas of digital rights management, security, mobile telecommunication systems, software design and implementation, networking, business methods and cloud computing systems.
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Steve Hatala specializes in computer systems, particularly microprocessor architecture and integrated circuits. He serves as a Technical Advisor.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Hatala co-designed the clock methodology and the clock system on an embedded microprocessor for Texas Instruments, Inc. Also he performed logic design and co-defined the RTL-style C coding methodology on a network processor for Clearwater Networks, Inc. Before these responsibilities, Mr. Hatala worked as a custom circuit designer on memory arrays on microprocessors for Intel Corp. and for Sun Microsystems Corp.
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Steve Rosser serves as a Technical Advisor.
Mr. Rosser received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Information Systems, cum laude, from The University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1988.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Rosser worked as a programmer/analyst with Martin-Marietta at NASA's Johnson Space Center. While there he was the lead developer on the MIRAGE project, a data acquisition and analysis system used in support of Spacelab human physiology experiments. Mr. Rosser received several awards for the MIRAGE project, including a NASA Public Service Group Achievement award in 1991 and a Space Act Award presented by the NASA Inventions and Contributions Board in 1996. In 1992, he co-wrote and presented a paper on MIRAGE at the Technology 2002 Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. After working at NASA, Mr. Rosser worked as a research engineer for Perceptive Scientific Instruments in League City, Texas, where he developed hardware and software systems in support of numerous federally funded research projects in the area of digital imaging and applications in molecular biology and genetics. After PSI, Mr. Rosser worked as a software engineer at TEAM Development in Austin, Texas, where he worked on a variety of projects on several computer platforms.
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