Pilot Program
One of the consistent challenges faced by club members is to gather the resources to file an application for a US patent. Members are often constrained by finances or confusion about how to find legal assistance. In order to help independent inventors who struggle to find the necessary resources for filing, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) started a pilot program called the Pro Se Assistance Program. The USPTO website describes the program thusly:
The Pro Se Assistance Program is the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s comprehensive pilot to expand outreach to inventors who file patent applications without the assistance of a registered patent attorney or agent (also known as “pro se” filing).