Copper

The Challenge

Copper Inc. is a technology startup that provides a hardware solution that can be used to upgrade legacy point-of-sale (POS) systems to allow for payment via a mobile device, and to also track detailed sales data in ways that aren’t possible using most legacy POS systems. Copper’s innovative “pay-at-the-table” solution is quick to set up, inexpensive to use, and pairs with any POS system without the need for technology changes or upgrades to the POS system itself.

As a recently launched startup in 2020, Copper sought to protect several core unique aspects of its system. Following a recommendation from an attorney from a large “Amlaw 100” law firm, Copper turned to Brient IP for help.

The Solution

We started our engagement by conducting a “patent mining” session with Copper’s senior executives and engineering team.  In this meeting, we worked collaboratively to identify a long list of technical concepts that distinguished Copper’s technology from competing products. We then put together a detailed plan for using patents to protect those concepts. The plan involved pursuing patent applications for several of the identified unique concepts in the near term, while also securing the option to protect the other identified concepts in the future as time and budget permitted. 

Because we expedited processing of Copper’s initial patent applications, and because Copper’s technology was so unique, all of the applications were allowed within a year of filing. The patent family, which continues to grow, includes multiple issued patents providing Copper with a diverse scope of protection.

“Even restaurants with the most rudimentary systems and tiniest of budgets are able to gain access to and then make sense of their own data when using Copper, which is one factor that makes its solution so compelling,” says Scott Brient, Managing Attorney at Brient IP Law, who managed Copper’s patent applications. “It’s this type of advantage, along with a solid underlying patent strategy, that helped us obtain patent protection for Copper so quickly.”

The Results

The following issued patents are the result of our work with Copper:

U.S. Patent 11,126,991 (US00000011126991B220210921 (storage.googleapis.com));

U.S. Patent 11,132,667 (US00000011132667B120210928 (storage.googleapis.com)):

U.S. Patent 11,321,261 (US00000011321261B120220503 (storage.googleapis.com));

U.S. Patent 11,321,693 (US00000011321693B120220503 (storage.googleapis.com));

U.S. Patent 11,436,181 (US00000011436181B220220906 (storage.googleapis.com)).

Learn more about Copper at The Smart Upgrade for your POS | Copper (usecopper.com).

Read about Copper’s patent success at Two patents awarded to restaurant tech provider Copper for its ability to simplify access to data, streamline pay-at-the-table systems (prnewswire.com).

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