When you hire a patent attorney to prepare a patent application for your invention, you will often receive what is called an “invention disclosure form.” Different attorneys have different names for this. But in general, patent attorneys use the invention disclosure form to capture all of the important details of your invention. This way, your patent attorney can be sure that nothing is left out of the patent application when they write it up for you.
Before filling out the invention disclosure form, try the following exercises to help make sure you don’t leave out any important aspects of your invention:
Start by making a feature list. What is new about your invention over what has been done before. Include any many features as possible.
Think about all of the advantages of your invention. Try to describe your invention in terms of actual use. What works and what doesn’t work? What works better. Why is your invention better than anything else out there?
Try to describe your invention as a method. Illustrate your invention as a method using block diagrams and flow charts.
Brainstorm some alternatives for every feature of your invention. Consider how someone else might design around your invention and then describe those as alternatives of your own invention, even if you don’t plan to implement your invention that way.
Double check – are there any features you left out? Think of features that customers purchasing your invention might like to see in the future even if these features aren’t going to be available with your invention initially. Include these as alternatives to your own invention.
Remember, it is important that you describe every aspect of your invention to your patent attorney using the invention disclosure form. Try to provide as much detail as possible and describe your invention in such a manner as to enable each feature of your invention. If you don’t tell your patent attorney everything about your invention, your patent attorney has no way of figuring it out, and the patent application he or she writes for your invention may be deficient.
And remember, filling out the invention disclosure form is not the same as filing a patent application for your invention. Therefore, you should continue to maintain your invention in strict confidence at least until your patent attorney notifies you that he or she has filed a patent application for you.
