[INDUSTRY]Energy and clean technology
We protect the cell, the system and the software that runs it, filed before a pilot or an award announcement makes them public. One flat fee for each step.
Your attorneys
Andrew RapackeManaging Partner · Registered Patent AttorneyElectrical and computer engineering. Former Naval Engineering Officer.
Ken BrooksRegistered Patent AttorneySoftware, AI and machine learning, electrical and mechanical systems.[01]Who it's for
From a battery startup with its first cells to a developer improving how the grid is run, the work starts the same way. Find out what is new, then protect it before a pilot, a grant announcement or a paper.
Panels, trackers, turbines and the materials and controls that raise output or cut cost.
Cell chemistries, electrodes, packs and storage systems, from new materials to grid-scale installations.
Chargers, connectors and the networks and software that run them, many built around shared standards.
Forecasting, demand response and grid management, claimed as technical improvements to how the system runs.
[02]What's protectable
Most energy products carry more than one kind of protection. A patent on the hardware or material, a patent on the control method, a design patent on how it looks and a trademark on its name each stop a different kind of copy.
01Utility patent
New chemistries, electrodes, panel structures, turbine parts and the methods that make them. Claims are written around a measurable advantage over what is installed today, such as more energy per kilogram, longer life or lower cost.
02Utility patent
Storage systems, charging networks and grid software, claimed as a specific technical process tied to how the equipment behaves, such as how a battery is charged or how a load is balanced.
03Design patent
The ornamental design of a charger, a home battery, a panel or a control app screen, protected for 15 years from grant.
04Trademark
Clear and file the name before it goes on installations, chargers and the product itself, so the name installers and customers ask for is one you can keep.
Some things stay secret
Electrode recipes, coating methods and manufacturing settings no one can learn from the finished product may be worth more as trade secrets than as published patents. Your attorney tells you which on your first call.
[03]The flat-fee path
Every step is quoted before any work begins, and the search fee is credited when you file. Most energy founders file a provisional before a field pilot, a grant announcement or a conference paper, then the full application within 12 months.
01Start here
$999
Patentable or your money back. Credited when you file
Report in about 5 days
Not patentable, full refund*02Then
$2.5k–3.5k
Patent pending the day it is filed
Patentability issues, full refund*03Within 12 months
$7k–12k
Drawings and USPTO filing fees included
Filed before your 12-month deadline
Flat fee, not covered by the guaranteeAlongside the patent
*Refunds subject to the RLG Guarantee Policy in your engagement letter. Utility (non-provisional) patents are quoted flat and are not covered by the guarantee. How The RLG Guarantee works
[04]Pilots, funding and fast tracks
A patent decides who can make and sell the technology. Field pilots, award announcements and standards work decide when others first see it, and public funding can come with its own patent terms. The timing of each shapes the others.
PatentWho can make and sell it
ProjectWhen others see it
File before the pilot goes public
A field pilot in public view, a conference paper, a press release or a public summary of a funded project can make an invention public. The US gives you one year after your own disclosure, but most other countries do not. File at least a provisional first.
The USPTO ended its Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program in 2025, and the petition to make special for energy and environmental inventions went with its Accelerated Examination program the same year. Track One prioritized examination is open to any invention, for an extra USPTO fee that is lower for small and micro entities.
How long a patent takesFederally funded research comes with a patent rights clause. Small businesses, universities and nonprofits can usually keep ownership if they disclose the invention and elect title on time, and the government gets a paid-up license to use it. Read the award's clause before the work starts.
How funding clauses work in defenseChargers, connectors and grid equipment often follow shared standards. Until June 3, 2027 or its first 200 grants, the USPTO's SPARK pilot speeds up examination, with no petition fee, for small US companies, universities and nonprofits that take part in standards development.
Power electronics and charging hardwareGeneral information, not legal advice. USPTO programs, award terms and standards policies change, and the ones that apply depend on your funding, your technology and your market.
[05]Related services
One firm for the patent, the brand and the agreements around them.
[06]Questions
Still deciding? Your first call is free and comes with a straight answer on whether to file.
Book A Free Strategy CallYes. Batteries, solar cells, turbines, hydrogen systems, chargers and grid software are examined under the same rules as any other invention. A new material, structure, system or control method can be patented when it is new and not obvious, and crowded fields like lithium-ion cells make a search the right first step.
Not a green-specific one today. The USPTO ended its Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program in 2025 and removed the petition to make special for energy and environmental inventions the same year. Any utility application can request Track One prioritized examination, which the USPTO says aims for a final decision in about 12 months, for an extra fee that is lower for small and micro entities.
If competitors cannot learn the process from the finished cell or panel and you could not tell when they use it, a trade secret can last as long as it stays secret. If the process leaves evidence in the product, a patent is often the better fit. Your attorney weighs it with you on the first call.
It depends on the award's patent rights clause. Under the Bayh-Dole Act, small businesses, universities and nonprofits can usually keep title if they disclose the invention and elect ownership on time, and the government receives a nonexclusive, paid-up license to use it. Other recipients can face different terms, so read the clause before work starts.
Before a field pilot, a press release, a conference paper or a public summary of a funded project. The US gives inventors one year after their own disclosure, but most other countries require filing first, so a provisional keeps both options open.
Flat fees at every step. A $999 patentability search, a provisional application at $2,500 to $3,500 depending on the invention, and a non-provisional application at $7,000 to $12,000 with drawings and USPTO filing fees included. A design patent is $3,200. Every fee is quoted before work begins, and the search fee is credited toward your application.
The patentability search, the provisional application, design patents and trademarks. If the search finds your invention is not novel, you get a full refund or another search. If patentability issues come up on your provisional, a full refund or more searches. If the USPTO denies your design application, you get a full refund. If it refuses your trademark, you get a refund or a new mark. Non-provisional applications are not covered. Refunds are subject to the RLG Guarantee Policy in your engagement letter.
[07]Learning Center
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Learn what a patent licensing agreement grants, how exclusive and non-exclusive terms differ, and which clauses protect you. Book a free IP strategy call.
A provisional patent application is your gateway to the coveted ‘patent pending’ status, offering a crucial head start in the competitive world of innovation. By filing…
[08]Client reviews
4.7 across 614 public reviews on Google, Trustpilot and Avvo.
#1Top reviewed IP law firm*
Read client reviews“It gave us peace of mind knowing the total cost for this service was included in their flat-fee proposal.”
“Their writing allowed for protection of my invention's most important aspects, as well as giving me room to modify and adapt my product.”
“I am now patent pending and patiently awaiting approval on my patent application.”
Reviews reflect individual client experiences. Quotes are excerpts. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. *#1 top reviewed means the most public client reviews on Google, Trustpilot and Avvo of any US patent or trademark firm.
Talk through your technology with a registered patent attorney. The call is free, with no obligation.
