According to a Notice of Final Rulemaking and Patent and Trademark Fee Revisions from Edward Kazenske, Acting Associate Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office amended the rules of practice in patent and trademark cases (parts 1 and 2 of title 37, Code of Federal Regulations) to adjust certain patent fee and trademark service fee amounts. The new fee schedule became effective on October 1, 1997. The fee schedule and the final rule notice can be accessed at the PTO homepage at : www.uspto.gov or you can call the General Information Services Division at 703 308-4357, 800 PTO-9199 or by fax at 703 305-7786.

A new program developed to preserve significant invention records and artifacts was launched this summer by The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and the Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of American History (NMAH) Archives Center. The program, named MIND (Modern Inventors Documentation), is aimed at ; advancing and diffusing knowledge about American invention; finding, acquiring and preserving the records of living inventors; serving as a clearing house for inventors seeking to preserve and donate their papers; increasing access to and promoting the use of those records by scholars, students and the general public; and identifying inventors whose records and artifacts support and enhance the research and educational goals of the National Museum of American History. For more information, contact Alison Oswald, MIND archivist or John Fleckner, Chief Arhivist and Lemelson Center Associate Director at The Lemelson Center, Room 1016, MRC 604 National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20560 or call 202 357-1593 or fax 202 357-4517.

Joanne Hayes-Rines, publisher and editor of Inventors Digest Magazine and President of the United Inventors Association of the United States of America was awarded the special Inventors Voice[tm] Eagle Award by Stephen Paul Gnass on August 30, 1997 at the 10th annual Inventors Voice Round Table Dinner for her contributions in protecting the rights of independent inventors. Hayes-Rines has been informing the invention community about proposed changes in the U.S. patent system and has been instrumental in rallying inventors to speak up and make their voices heard in Congress. For information about current inventor rights issues, contact Joanne Hayes-Rines by e-mail: inventorsd@aol.com

A Springtime 12th Invention Convention® trade show is set for April 17, 18, 29, 1998 at the Queen Mary 3-Level Exhibition Hall in Long Beach, California. Traditionally held yearly over Labor Day Weekend at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, the spring show represents an expansion to two shows per year. The Invention Convention® is the official trade show of NCIO, and is the largest legitimate invention trade show in the U.S. A seminar program featuring up to 50 experts and some of the greatest inventors of our time takes place concurrently with the trade show in addition to the Bulbie[tm]/Invention Convention Awards Ceremony and Inventors Voice[tm]Round Table Dinner. For exhibiting, attending or general information, call "The People That Put On The Invention Convention" at 800 458-5624 or by e-mail: inventionconvention@inventionconvention.com and visit the Invention Convention® Web Site. Be sure to ask about details of the "I Want My WebTV FREE" program.

Hedy Lamarr, 1940's film goddess who in 1942 patented the basis for Spread Spectrum Technology now used in cellular phones; Dr. Robert Rines, founder of the Franklin Pierce Law School and inventor of high-resolution image-scanning radar and sonar; Dr. Raymond Damadian, inventor of Magnetic Resonance Scanning; and Robert Lougher, founder of the Inventors Awareness Group which has reached thousands of inventors and saved them over $100 million dollars: these were the 1997 recipients of the 1997 BULBIE[tm], Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award held on August 31 at the 11th annual INVENTION CONVENTION® trade show. Thirty-three Invention Convention® awards recognized inventors for their inventions in a diverse range of categories.

NCIO opened it's new world wide web site in October which features free articles, information, resources, and America's Inventor[tm] newsletter. NCIO's president Stephen Paul Gnass feels that the internet provides great opportunity for ongoing communication, education, and exchange with individuals and professionals in the invention community both in the U.S. and around the world. He invites individuals to send any special questions or comments about what they would like to see on the web site in the future. NCIO's website is donated and hosted by the Invention Convention®. NCIO can be reached at 323 878-6952, e-mail: ncio@inventionconvention.com or by snail mail at P.O. Box 931881, Los Angeles, CA 90093-1881.

Each year, companies, research institutions, and individuals are invited to nominate innovations in nine categories for the annual Discover Magazine Awards Program. This year's winning innovations and their inventors will be featured in a special July 1998 Discover Awards issue. One entrant receives a $100,000 prize presented by the Christoper Columbus Fellowship Foundation. December is the deadline for entries. Be sure to mark your calendar for the next year. To receive a nomination package, call 215 579-8590 or fax 215 579-8589.