Scott Hicks

Experience

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  Ericsson

  Apr 1994 - Oct 2001

  Software / Systems / Standards Engineer

  Both in Research Triangle Park, NC, and in Stockholm, Sweden.• Formulated white papers and software requirements specifications for a variety of complex features and functions.• Developed and presented an assortment of training presentations tailored to an array of audiences for topics such as messaging protocols and smart cards.• Created, presented, and defended technical contributions to standards organizations.• Wrote firmware that was commercialized in: cellular base stations and dozens of mobile phone models, accounting for millions of units.• Designed, developed, inspected, and host tested digital control channel data link, network, and transport layers of base station software features including dynamic broadcast channel slot allocation, message format conversion, control channel load measurement, burst management, over-the-air time and date adjustment, page handling, and automatic retransmission control. • Designed, developed, inspected, and unit tested mobile station aspects of digital channel software features including call processing, control channel scanning and locking, private and residential system handling, and registrations.• Led the successful verification of the first digital TDMA IS-136 mobile station platform, performed interoperability testing with base station and switch developers, and led verification field trips for the last Ericsson digital TDMA IS-54B mobile station platform from before its commercial release through its final software release. Show less

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  Sony Ericsson

  Oct 2001 - Aug 2003

  Systems / Standards Engineer

  Sony Ericsson was formed as a joint venture between Sony and Ericsson for the mobile phone sides of their respective businesses.• Acted as direct interface to mobile telecom customers to drive successful completion of design, implementation, and commercialization of communications features and improvements.• Gathered, clarified, negotiated, and disseminated CDMA customer requirements and expectations for such features as Presence and Instant Messaging (P&IM), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Short Message Service (SMS), Mobile IP (MIP), Network Access Identifier (NAI) data user interface, and IP-based Over-The-Air (IOTA) provisioning. • Performed interoperability testing in customer labs, implemented some aspects of MIP and NAI to expedite product delivery, and assisted test team with verification of some of above features. Show less

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  HKS Studios

  Aug 2003 - Aug 2006

  Owner & Lead Systems/Software Consultant

  • Provided embedded and BREW software design and development for CDMA and GSM wireless features.• Developed an XML-based automatic HTML Help generation solution to document C source code comments• Created public websites utilizing HTML, Flash, XML, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, and CSS.

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  OZ Communications

  Jan 2005 - Nov 2008

  Sr Technical Advisor (Patents) / Systems Engineer / Software Development & Test Manager

  • Coordinated all patent-related activities for the company, reporting directly to General Counsel.• Prepared and filed patent applications for those inventions for which protection was desired.• Liaised between several internal teams, including C-level management, engineering, standards, legal, project/product management, and human factors to identify new concepts and ideas for which patent protection should be sought, and ensured that new products or enhancements to products could be freely offered.• Conducted patentability searches to identify prior art relevant to OZ’s products and patent applications.• Performed freedom to operate (FTO) assessments.• Coordinated with various patent attorneys at multiple external intellectual property firms.• Monitored standards groups' activities and IPR policies.• Provided internal corporate training on patent processes.• Managed annual patent budget. Show less

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  Nokia

  Nov 2008 - Feb 2009

  Sr Technical Advisor (Patents)

  (Nokia acquired OZ Communications)• Assisted in the successful completion of Nokia's patent-related due diligence process during their analysis prior to acquiring OZ Communications.• Transferred the OZ patent portfolio to Nokia ownership and docketing.

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  Scenera Research

  Feb 2009 - Sept 2009

  Patent Analyst

  • Performed analysis of Scenera patents and portfolios.• Analyzed third party products to determine and document potential licensing opportunities.

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  Wolf Mountain IP

  Sept 2009 - Jun 2021

  Patent Analyst and Software Consultant

  • Analyzed patents and provided detailed feedback for a variety of scenarios including acquisition and licensing, helping with transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars.• Created claim charts with detailed element-by-element mapping.• Reverse engineered solutions to determine the potential for patent use.• Performed various types of patent searches including patentability, freedom to operate (clearance), validity/invalidity, mining, and state-of-the-art searches, and deliver detailed reports.• Reviewed inventions and provided consultation.• Provided expert witness testimony for patent litigation cases.• Connected patent owners with brokerage opportunities.• Designed and developed mobile device and web-based software solutions, including the Patent Claims Analyzer. Show less

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  Anaqua

  Sept 2010 - May 2013

  Sales Engineer and US Patent Agent

  • Implemented proofs of concepts for new intellectual asset management (IAM) software integration features and functionality such as dashboard reports, data collection tools, and Android mobile applications.• Led pre-sales solution demonstrations for prospective customers, including both corporate and IP law firm prospects.• Answered technical and functional questions for RFPs, RFIs, and IT questionnaires.• Enhanced and maintained intellectual asset management software web application sales environments.• Managed patent portfolio. Show less

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  CELL COMMAND, INC. (formerly Try Safety First, Inc.)

  Aug 2013 - Aug 2022

  Advisory Board Member

  Assisted Cell Command (formerly Try Safety First) with its patent portfolio covering solutions to societal problems caused by mobile communication devices. Cell Command has invented a unique set of safety protocols to increase the functionality of mobile communication devices in protocol-specific environments.

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  Freelance

  Jun 2022 - now

  Patent and Software Consultant