Can Salesforce Apps Be Patented? Answering The Billion Dollar Question!
Salesforce.com is an enterprise cloud computing solutions company that works in segments such as:
• sales force automation
• customer service and support
• community building
• marketing automation and analytics
Every year the application created by Salesforce are becoming more and more popular in the market. Moreover, for developers, they are highly attractive. Why? Because using the tools provided by Salesforce like the Salesforce1 development of apps through API can be accelerated. They are able to offer mobile apps to consumers via Salesforce service clouds.
These advantages have made the Patent filing of Salesforce apps a hot topic for many clients. After all, a Salesforce app is like any other software, which means it is eligible for patents. Right now, there are two types of Salesforce.com patents:
1. Patent Applications
2. Patents Granted
The first consist of all Salesforce patent applications that are pending and the latter includes all patents that have been granted. Both are under the purview of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Here are two examples of patents, one that has been granted and the other under the application. (Please note both have been sited word-to-word from official sites.)
• Patent number: 10296440 filed on June 24, 2015 and granted till May 21, 2019
1. Name: Debugging methods and systems aware of multi-tenant
2. Inventors:
- Christopher David Gamble
- Jonathan Widjaja
- Josh Kaplan
- Kevin Carr
- Michael Boilen
- Nathan Edward Lipke
- Nicholas Chun Yuan Chen
- Steven Tamm
3. Abstract of the patent: Methods for debugging application code in a multi-tenant system.
4. Example: an application server receiving a demand related with application code in a database from a client device through a network.
- It verifies that debugging linked with the request does not violate a debugging utilization criterion.
- Once verified it accesses the application code in the database in conjunction with the request.
• Publication number: 20190173765 with application Filed on January 22, 2018 and published on June 6, 2019
1. Name: Methods For Capacity Remediation in an cloud environment with Multi-Tenant
2. Inventors:
- Ana Bertran
- Carl Morgenstern
- Daisuke Kawamoto
- Nicholas Roan
- Steve Bobrowski
- Sudhish Iyer
- Chin Lee
- Kunal Vashi
- Zahid Rahman
3. Abstract of application: The metrics and workload compositions of a multitier, multitenant architecture of pods that has multiple stacks change over time, constantly. The technology identifies the overall TTL using the altering workloads and metrics. The time to live forecast can avoid adverse impact on the performance of the pod and thus the customer experience. It also identifies the right remediation needed by each pod.
These were just two patents; there are hundreds more that have been granted or filed. If you are one of the software developers need aid with the patent filing of a Salesforce App, Vakil Search is a platform that will prove to be an immense help. If you are wondering why patent a Salesforce app. Here are some benefits you gain:
• With strategies like a provisional utility patent application, a developer can safeguard their work when the app is launched.
• After this application is filed, a developer has one year to understand if there is a market demand for the app or not. If there is a demand, the developer can then move towards a non-provisional patent application.
• Using the ‘patent pending’ status and tactic, you can reduce the initial investment needed to file a patent. Yet, you gain access to all the protection a patent grants an invention!
There is no better way to explore the market for a salesforce app than patenting it provisionally. A provisional application hardly weighs much on the pocket because as developers, you already have all the documents that prove the invention at the ready! Furthermore, when wireframes and screenshots are readily available, the process of preparing the provisional application is expedited!
Our advice is to do always make the smartest decision. Rope in professionals who can support you with filing a patent for an innovative and brand-new salesforce app you have developed in recent time!
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