5 Tips for Successfully Patenting Your Idea

patenting your idea

Patents are the most popular intellectual property right amongst the technology and startup communities. Here are five top tips to keep in mind when patenting your idea.

Before patenting your idea

You should check that your idea is not excluded from being patentable subject matter. Otherwise you risk spending more time and money on the patent application than you would like.  It is also prudent to conduct a ‘prior art search’ to check that there are no previous patents for your idea which would be novelty destroying for your application.

Describe your idea

As part of any patent process, you will have to describe your idea. You should therefore provide your intellectual property professional with a detailed written description of your idea in order to check properly that it is a new idea.  Drawings will also help understand your idea and will be required as part of the patent process.

Potential applications of your idea

From the very start of the patent process you should consider the potential applications of your idea, perhaps in different industries to ones you are already familiar with. To ensure your patent provides as broad a scope of legal protection as possible, you will want to ensure that all potential applications of your idea are taken into account.

Keep your idea confidential

When you are looking to protect your idea with a patent, it is vital that you do not disclose the details of your idea publicly before you file your patent application. Keeping your idea secret is important to ensure your idea is novel, one of the patent application requirements.

Seek professional advice

The patent application process is complex. In order to obtain a broad scope of protection for your innovation, technical drafting skills are essential. Seeking professional advice early and before making a non-confidential disclosure avoids diverting time, money and resources trying to accomplish everything on your own, not to mention the risk of missing a non-extendable deadline!

For further information and advice on how you can secure a patent for your novel innovation, contact us today.