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Patent Application to Curb Teen Drunk Driving Poised to Become Most Discussed Innovation in History of Peer-to-Patent Website

SoberTeen(TM) Insurance Product Generates Dozens of Discussions; Kent State MBA Class gives it a "thumbs up" for marketability

STAMFORD, Conn., May 20 -- A patent application authored by intellectual property expert Mark Nowotarski, President of Markets, Patents & Alliances L.L.C., and auto insurance expert, Donald Bashline FCAS, is on track to become the most discussed applications in the history of the website PeerToPatent.com. Peer-to-Patent is a portal for inventors, technical experts, lawyers, and educators to read and review patent applications to help make sure that only worthy inventions are granted full patent status.

Nowotarski and Bashline's patent application would create a new automobile insurance product, SoberTeen(TM) Driving Insurance, which would help teens improve their driving habits. A black box is placed in the car to monitor braking force, speed, and proximity to other cars, among other data, to identify risky driving behaviors. These risky behaviors can include drunk driving, texting while driving, cell phone use and driving while drowsy or emotionally distressed. Teens and their parents get "Safe Driver" reports detailing the observed risky behaviors.

The application has been the subject of 32 discussions on www.PeerToPatent.org, a site that allows patent experts, examiners and others to read, review, and comment on pending patent applications. A Kent State University MBA program has chosen Nowotarski's innovation for review as part of an academic project. "We picked it because it was the most interesting patent application on the site," said Gwen Haney, a student in the program. "Our entire team thought it had great market potential."

"The attention given to the SoberTeen(TM) insurance product proves the power of transparency and openness in the social media approach to patent examination," Nowotarski said. "Real time interaction with the reviewers has been very valuable. I personally have enjoyed discussing the pros and cons of our invention with the peer review community."