Rick Sutton is a registered patent attorney at Patterson Thuente IP. Rick’s practice includes patent prosecution in several technical fields relating to his background in electrical engineering.
Prior to joining Patterson Thuente, Rick spent three years as an Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. There, he examined patent applications claimed under art unit 2137 relating to data processing, memory access and control of electronics.
As an Examiner, Rick was tasked with performing both scientific and legal evaluations of patent applications. Those evaluations included conducting novelty research and analysis regarding earlier publications and technical literature to determine patentability of an application.
Rick participated in Patterson Thuente IP’s intellectual property law clerk program during and after law school. As a law clerk, Rick drafted office action responses, patent applications and claim sets. He also performed research regarding both litigation and prosecution.
TECHNOLOGY AREAS
Outside the office, Rick is an avid Minnesota sports fan with his favorite teams being the Vikings and Wild. He also enjoys the outdoors — particularly, jet skiing and four wheeling. He also has a motorcycle that he enjoys taking out for long rides.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota
Iowa State University