Preston Kent

Preston brings a breadth of practical experience to the table when he is helping clients meet and define their goals. Preston uses that experience with his business acumen to add value to clients’ intellectual property portfolios and to assist those clients in meeting their business goals. Included in that experience are projects designing medical equipment, manufacturing tools, and specialized tools used by astronauts working on the International Space Station. Preston also has experience designing and writing software, as well as supporting enterprise software installations for a Fortune 500 corporation.

Preston received his bachelor’s degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas. After several years in the workforce as a mechanical design engineer and as an information technology specialist, he attended the University of Houston Law Center on a part-time basis while continuing in a full-time employment as an IT support specialist. While at the University of Houston Law Center, he also was an associate editor of the Houston Law Review. He graduated cum laude and joined another law firm. While at that law firm, he passed the Patent Bar and was admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Preston has drafted and prosecuted more than 250 patent applications in the United States and foreign jurisdictions. As part of this work, Preston advises inventors and clients regarding patentability of inventions. Some of the drafted patents are standards-essential patents that provide a significant revenue stream of licensing fees.

Preston’s practice emphasizes the mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, and software arts. He has drafted patent applications in diverse fields including: down-hole sensing utilizing fiber-optic instruments; cellular communications, including 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies; wireless networking, including Wi-Fi and Wi-Max; tools for vacuum deposition, including chemical vapor deposition and plasma-enhanced vapor deposition; security software; integrated circuit packaging technologies; virtual reality (VR) headset displays; and down-hole mechanical tools. Preston has also drafted and prosecuted trademark applications, drafted and negotiated contracts not to oppose trademark registration, and advised clients regarding copyright and fair use exceptions.