Before turning your unique ideas into reality, you must get patents for your original invention. The US Patent & Trademark Office issues patents for useful, innovative designs to change the way folks do things. You will follow the requirements of national stage entry from a PCT application. Applying for patents can be an expensive and tedious procedure. After understanding the needs of the application, you can apply for patents even without professional assistance. Follow this guide to find out the way to refine your creation and apply for a patent.
Understand the Nature of Patent
Always remember that patent is necessary to reward an inventor with exclusive legal rights, for a particular time. After obtaining a patent, you have to disclose your invention for the public. You will get a document by a state government, after proper application and examination, to represent patents. The patent documents may include one or even more claims of one invention.
To get patents, you have to disclose your patentable invention in the application process. Keep it in mind that you can’t claim a creation that you didn’t invent. The patent authorized owners to prevent others from selling, importing, using and making the invention, inside his/her jurisdiction. The patents can expire or lapse. The unlawful acts with patents are known as patent infringement.
Patent claims require you to include slight changes. A new feature in your creation is patentable. Some patents can be valuable, but you could be the exclusion. You have to pursue the protection of patents or manage your invention as a trade secret. In case of an infringement, you have to take legal action immediately against infringers.
Write Down Ideas
The writing act makes it obligatory to define your invention, break down its elements and describe the variations of your creation. Written materials will be helpful for the preparation of your patent application. Before writing an application, you should pay attention to these areas:
• Benefits of your invention
• How does your invention work?
• Define your target audience
• Can you define your potential investors?
• Is your invention “non-obvious” and “new” in the present state of the art?
• How is your invention different from other similar inventions?
• How much finance will you need to work on your invention?
The actual inventor can apply for the patent. You may apply for patents as a part of a research group or individually. An employer can also file for a patent in the name of his/her former employees.
Types of Inventions for Patents
Three main kinds of patents are plant, design, and utility. These patents are granted for different inventions. A utility patent is available for a manufactured article, the machine and a procedure, composition of matters (drugs) or any improvement in current inventions.
Special patents are available for ornamental design of a manufactured article or a reproduced variety of plant. Moreover, your invention should provide some value to society. The public should not find it offensive to their morality standards.
Things That Can’t be Patented
Several products or ideas can’t be patented. Many products may get protection through other channels like copyright. It is not possible to patent artistic works, musical, dramatic, literary works, abstract ideas, physical phenomena and laws of nature.
Determine the Patent Types for Protection of Invention
Apply for a design and utility patent for a product or invention. In your application, you should clearly define the benefits of your products for your society. You may get patents for a design for almost 14 years. Patents for a plant are available for 20 years. If you find it difficult to write a patent application, feel free to consult professionals in your area.
