Susan Crouse, founder of the şů«ÍŢĘÓƵ toy company Traxart, knew her vision for a new product. But she needed patent help along the way. Crouse turned to the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic (ELC) at Colorado Law for assistance. With the help of ELC student attorneys, Traxart filed a provisional patent application.
Intellectual property counseling is an area of need in the Front Range startup community. Colorado Law’s Entrepreneurial Law Clinic joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Law School Clinic Certification Program five years ago.
Intellectual property counseling is an area of need in the Front Range startup community. Colorado Law’s ELC joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Law School Clinic Certification Program five years ago. Area practitioners Ben Fernandez (’04) and Danny Sherwinter (’07) serve as advisors for the ELC and provide critical support for the clinic’s patent work.
Crouse was inspired by şů«ÍŢĘÓƵ-based robotic toy startup Sphero. Crouse’s vision was to allow users to construct obstacle courses for smart toys—like Sphero’s products—that are operated by internet-connected devices. The obstacle courses facilitate interaction with Sphero robots and similar smart toys. The modular design of the toy allows for many different uses, including competitive games.
Crouse enlisted the help of her son, University of Colorado engineering graduate Adam Kemp, and three of his fellow engineers to develop a prototype of their first product, Kinazium. The ELC’s 2016–17 patent team prepared and filed a provisional patent on Traxart’s behalf. The ELC’s 2017–18 patent team—Trevor Bervik (’19), Rachel Hammond (’19), Karyn Kesselring (’18), and Russell Wagstaff (’18)—are now working to file a nonprovisional patent application. When the patent is granted, Traxart plans to license its intellectual property to a toy manufacturer.
“The team continues to exceed our expectations and has an impressive depth of understanding about patent law and engineering concepts,” Crouse said.
Under the USPTO’s patent program, the ELC drafts and files patent applications. Clients pay only for filing fees. This allows the ELC to provide high-value assistance for clients at a stage at which their company is unable to cover market-level costs associated with patent prosecution.
Clients like Traxart are starting to see the fruit of the ELC’s labors. Over the past year, the ELC has secured three granted patents on behalf of its clients with at least two additional patents expected to be granted in the near future.
Learn more about the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic
Pictured, L-R: (back row) Russell Wagstaff (’18), Susan Crouse, Hunter Reid, Trevor Bervik (’19), Rachel Hammond (’19), Karyn Kesselring (’18), Ben Fernandez (’04); (front row): Taylor Scott, Danny Sherwinter (’07)