Mistissini History and Culture

Mistissini History and Culture The Crees of Mistissini have resided in the Mistassini Lake area since time immemorial. In the early 1800's, the community of Mistissini's actual location was just a summer encampment due to the establishment of the Hudson Bay Company fur trading post on sight. The North West Company and other fur traders were also in the vicinity and can be considered contenders in the fur trade with the Hudson Bay Company in those days.Apart from Mistissini Crees there were neighbouring Cree hunting groups such as the Nitchigoun, Neoweskaau, and even some Nemaska people whom eventually came together to make up the Mistissini population in the 1930's. The government assistance began in the early 1940's providing food rations and eventually clothing allowance. It wasn't until the early 1960's that the government assistance was fully in place for the Mistissini Crees.The James Bay Agreement was signed on November 11, 1975 giving the Crees of the region opportunity of further development in their respe ctive communities.The Hudson's Bay Company building in Montreal.Progressing over the years in many ways the community of Mistissini has developed to what it is today.Some important dates in the history of Mistissini7200 - 6700 years ago - Deglaciation of the Mistissini area.6000 - 4500 years ago - The initial First Nation occupation of the Mistissini area probably occured during this period. The Mistissini area has probably been occupied continuously from at least 4500 to the present. Some Mistissine Innu dispute these dates, suggesting that their ancestors have always lived here.4500-4000 years ago - Colline Blanche, located on the Temiscamie River, began to be used as a source of stone for the manufacture of stone tools. Archeologists found this high quality stone in sites located in many parts of Quebec and into northern New England.early 1600s AD - Having long...

How to Apply for a Patent for Your Invention

How to Apply for a Patent for Your Invention Inventors who have created a new product or process can apply for a patent by filling out a patent application, paying a fee, and submitting it to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Patents are meant to protect creations that solve a specific technological problem - be it a product or process - by assuring that no one else can produce and sell a product or process similar to the one patented. Because the patent application is a legal document, inventors hoping to complete the forms need to have a certain level of expertise and preciseness when filling out the proper paperwork - the better written the patent, the better the protection the patent will produce. The patent application itself has no fill-in forms available on the most complex parts of the paperwork, and instead, you will be asked to submit  drawings  of your invention and fill out a series of technical specs that make it different and unique from all other inventions that have already been patented. Undertaking a non-provisional utility patent application without a  patent attorney or agent  is very difficult and not recommended for beginners to patent law. Although only  the inventor may apply for a patent, with certain  exceptions, and two or more persons making  an invention  jointly must apply for a patent as joint inventors, all inventors must be listed on the patent applications. Getting Started With Filing Your Patent It is highly recommended that you draft a first copy of the patent application and do a preliminary search for prior art yourself before bringing the paperwork to the patent agent you hire for a final proof. If you must self-patent for financial reasons please read a book such as, Patent It Yourself and understand the risks of self-patenting. Another alternative - which comes with its own set of  drawbacks  - is to file a provisional patent application, which provides one year of protection, allows patent pending status, and does not require writing claims. However, before one year expires you must file a non-provisional patent application for your invention, and during this year, you can promote and sell your product and hopefully raise the money for a non-provisional patent. Many successful experts advocate provisional patents and other alternatives as a better path to follow. Essentials of Non-Provisional Utility Patent Applications All non-provisional  utility  patent applications must include a written document which comprises a specification (description and claims) and an Oath or Declaration; a drawing  in those cases in which a drawing  is necessary; and the filing fee at the time of application, which is the fee when the patent is issued, as well as an  Application Data Sheet. The descriptions and claims are very important to a patent application as they are what the patent examiner will look at to determine if your invention is novel, useful, nonobvious, and correctly reduced to practice as it relates to whether or not the invention is  patentable  in the first place. It takes up to three years for a patent application to be granted, and because applications are often rejected the first time, you may need to amend the claims and appeal. Make sure that you meet all  drawing standards  and follow all patent laws that apply to design patent applications in order to avoid further delay. It will be a lot easier for you to understand how to apply for a design patent if you look over a few issued design patents first - check out  Design Patent D436,119  as an example before proceeding, which includes the front page and three pages of drawing sheets. Optional Preamble and Mandatory Single Claim A preamble (if included) should state the name of the inventor, the title of the design, and a brief description of  the nature  and intended use of the invention that the design is connected to, and all the information contained in the preamble will be printed on the patent if it is granted. Using an Optional Preamble: I, John Doe, have invented a new design for a jewelry cabinet, as set forth in the following specification. The claimed jewelry cabinet is used to store jewelry and could sit on a bureau. You may choose not to write a detailed preamble in your design patent application;  however, you must write one  claim  like  Design Patent D436,119  uses. You will submit all bibliographic information such as the inventors name by using an  application data sheet  or ADS. Using a Single Claim: The ornamental design for eyeglasses, as shown and described. All design patent application may only include a single claim that defines the design which the applicant wishes to patent, and the claim must be written in formal terms, where as shown relates to drawing standards included in the application while as described means that the application includes special descriptions of the design, a proper showing of modified forms of the design, or other descriptive matter. Design Patent Title and Additional Details The title of the design must identify the invention that the design is connected to by its most common name used by the public, but marketing designations (like Coca-Cola instead of soda) are improper as titles and should not be used. A title descriptive of the actual article is recommended. A good title helps the person that is examining your patent know where to or not to search for prior art and helps with the proper classification of the design patent if it is granted; it also helps the understanding of the nature and use of your invention that will  embody the design. Examples of good titles include jewelry cabinet, concealed jewelry cabinet, or panel for a jewelry accessory cabinet, each of which gives specifications to items already known colloquially, which could increase your chances of getting your patent approved. Any cross-references to related  patent applications  should be stated (unless already included in the application data sheet), and you should also include a statement regarding any federally sponsored research or development if any. Figure and Special Descriptions (Optional) The figure descriptions of the drawings included with the application tell what each view represents, and should be noted as FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, etc. These items are meant to instruct the agent reviewing your application to what is being presented in each drawing, which can be demonstrated as such: FIG.1 is a perspective view of eyeglasses showing my new design;FIG.2 is a front elevational view thereof;FIG.3 is a rear elevational view thereof;FIG.4 is a side elevational view, the opposite side being a mirror image thereof;FIG.5 is a top view thereof; and,FIG.6 is a bottom view thereof. Any description of the design in the specification, other than a brief description of the drawing, is generally not necessary since, as a general rule, the drawing is the designs best description. However, while not required, a special description is not prohibited. In addition to the figure descriptions, there are many types of special descriptions that are permissible in the specification, which include: A description of the appearance of portions of the claimed design which are not illustrated in the drawing disclosure; a description  disclaiming portions of the article not shown, that form no part of the claimed design; a statement indicating that any broken line illustration of environmental structure in the drawing is not part of the design sought to be patented; and a description denoting the nature and environmental use of the claimed design, if not included in the preamble.