How To Describe Your
Invention
There are several ways you
can tell people about your invention; verbally, as sketches,
computer drawings,
3D
computer models, as a physical prototype, or as
photos of
your prototype. Which method is most
efficient?
The clarity with which you
describe your invention will dictate how quickly
potential customers, your attorney and your patent
drafts person understand your invention.
Read this if you are
filing a design patent.
All patent authorities around the world
require patent drawings. Patent
drawings are required because words are never enough
to describe a new and novel invention that has never seen before.
Describing your invention
clearly and quickly can save a lot of time, money and
get your invention to market faster.
| Description |
How these materials will
be used. |
| Verbal or written description of your idea. |
A great patent and drawings can be made from
a verbal description of your idea, but it will take an
enormous amount of time and effort to convert a verbal idea to
a usable patent,
patent drawings or manufacturable product. |
| Sketches of your idea. |
If you have a rough sketch of your idea
it will be necessary to work out the
details of how your idea works. This
may require considerable time, especially if
trial and error is the main method of
determining the correct design for your
needs. If your sketches are more detailed
and complete, the patent illustrator spends
less time and money figuring out how your
invention works. Frequently however,
there are details missing from the sketches
and some creativity is required of the
illustrator. |
| Photos of a working prototype.
How To take photos of your invention. |
Photos of a working prototype can be
useful if there are enough photos to show
all the aspects of the invention. It's
especially important to include photos that
show the internal workings of your
invention.
If your prototype includes
parts that will be combined, replaced or
excluded from your patent drawings be sure
to tell your patent attorney and illustrator
so they represent the preferred embodiment
of your invention correctly and with fewer
revisions.
In addition to the multiple views of your
invention, indicate which photos represent
the views you want shown in your patent
drawing figures. |
| CAD models of your invention.
Free
software.
How to
save files for patent drawings. |
Accurate 3D CAD models of your invention
are the best raw materials for creating
patent drawings. 3D CAD models can be
rotated, assembled, disassembled and
manipulated in countless ways. With a
3D CAD model it is extremely fast and
affordable to create any number of patent
figures, all of which perfectly represent
your invention.
If you do not currently have 3D CAD models
of your invention, look for a product design
or patent drawing service that can create
them. When completed, 3D CAD models are
extremely useful in the product development
cycle. 3D CAD models can
be used to create prototypes, marketing
materials, usage instructions or tools for
mass production. |
| Non-formal patent drawings.
Read this if you are
applying for a design patent -->
|
Non-formal patent drawings are those
submitted with a provisional patent
application or a non-provisional application
that do not meet the requirements of the
USPTO or other authority from which you
desire patent protection. Non-formal
patent drawings can be the least expensive
to formalize
but the most expensive in terms
of your patent assets.
Formalized
drawings may not contain new
matter. This can make it impossible to
correct omissions and inaccuracies in the
non-formal patent drawings, and that may have a serious
impact on the scope and value of your
intellectual property. Many inventors and
attorneys try to save money by waiting until
the non-formal drawings are rejected to
order formal patent drawings.
In the
end, the same money is spent on formal
patent drawings and often, the scope and
accuracy of the issued patent is adversely
affected by inaccuracies introduced in the
non-formal drawings. The USPTO prefers formal
drawings with provisional and
non-provisional patent applications to speed
examination, reduce drawing inaccuracies and
problems related to the introduction of new
matter. If you are applying for a design
patent:
File formal patent drawings with your design
patent application. Because the
drawings are effectively the claims in
design patents it is extremely difficult to
formalize design patent drawings in response
to an examiner's rejection of the non-formal
drawings.
How To take photos of your invention. |
Examples |
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) |
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