urning an invention into an asset takes more than bright ideas. It requires protecting that invention with commercially-relevant patent cliams of the broadest coverage possible.  A significant aspect of Wong Cabello’s practice involves the procurement of patents through the drafting and prosecution of patent applications. As part of this practice, our practitioners represent clients in a wide range of industries and technology areas. We have extensive experience in counseling clients in the protection of new products and processes, the creation of barriers-to- entry through the use of patents, and more generally to the development of intellectual assets. We even recognize that sometimes the answer for a particular client or technology is not a patent, but to protect inventions by trade secret, contract, or other means, issues on which we counsel clients as well.  We bring to our patent procurement practice an understanding of what it takes to protect an invention in the abstract manner the law permits. Contrary to popular belief, an invention in the eyes of the law is not the device the inventor built, or the process the inventor implemented. Instead, protected inventions are defined by “claims”-words used to define the parameters of the invention. This process of abstraction of an invention to words is challenging, but crucial to the ultimate worth of a patent. As we draft, file, and prosecute hundreds of patent applications annually, we well understand this skill of abstraction, and how to define inventions in a manner to distinguish from earlier ideas.  Unlike many firms our size, our patent procurement practitioners do not focus solely on patent procurement. We also have experience in the enforcements of patents, which brings to our procurement practice a practical understanding of how to obtain patents best suited for enforcement. We recognize that one unnecessary word in the patent claims, or one misstep before the patent office, can place an otherwise commercially valuable idea at risk. Almost all patent attorneys will have schooling in a technical field. However, at Wong Cabello, we pride ourselves in also bringing significant technical work experience to our patent prosecution work. Most of us have worked for years as engineers or scientists, and thus have a heightened ability to quickly understand the technical aspect of an invention and the technology area in which it resides. Our cumulative technical work experience also provides a good perspective into the needs of inventors and the companies for which they work.  Finally, we understand that patent procurement is a skill premised on efficiency and control of client costs. To control costs, we draw upon the expertise of patent agents and associates, and have affiliations with counsel in foreign jurisdictions specializing in the laws of their respective countries when international patenting is warranted.