Guide to Patent Drawings for New Prototypes
Patents are legal arrangements that annotate and describe a new invention or a prototype. Essentially, these inventions are unprecedented in the marketplace, meaning they are the first of their kind. They only exist in papers, precisely as a design idea. Inventors secure this design idea with a patent to ensure that no one can use it except for them. With that said, patents are filed at the patent office, where you need to provide relevant supporting documents, including patent drawings, to prove to the officials that the design and prototype belong to you.
People may see a patent as a legal document, a white paper for educational purposes, or a valuable asset that can be sold for profit. However, it is a technical document. For an engineer, a patent holds all the information and guidance to build machines. For a chemist, a patent teaches how to synthesize a compound. And for a programmer, a patent teaches how to design a system.
If you have come up with a design idea, it is important to have patent drawings in place that depicts the accuracy and emphasize the nature of the invention, explaining how it operates and functions in the real world.
This post discusses everything you need to know about patent drawings for new prototypes.
Why Have Patent Drawings?
The purpose of a provisional patent drawing is to explain the prototype to the patent officials so that at least one version of your invention could be used or made. Drawings are included in the patent application because they help achieve the goal of explaining the invention.
A patent diagram gives the inventor the opportunity to explain the invention without words. As you show the drawing, you can discuss it in words to support it. There are several benefits to having a patent drawing. For starters, you can grow a patent portfolio and file child patents claiming the priority back to the parent patent.
That is, if you file the patent application and then find that there is a new improvement that works better than the parent invention, you would want to file a patent application for the improved prototype. If your parent application discussed these improvements or mentioned them, then you can claim the priority date for the child patent application.
Therefore, it is vital to include the best patent drawings in your patent applications because it improves your odds of claiming the priority back to the parent application and building a portfolio.
Simply put, patent drawings contain more information than written applications. So, if a patent is ever put into a dispute at a trial, the illustrations will be the most easily understood part of the application to the jury and general public. Thus, if it is very well constructed and designed, it can help the jury members and judge get the correct verdict, especially in case of infringement.
Types of Patent Drafting
There are several different types of patents available for filing. It is important that you understand each type carefully before proceeding with the drawings.
Provisional Patents: Provisional patents are the most common type of patents that are temporary in nature. Once filed, they are valid for one year only. Provisional patents enable you to file a more straightforward request to the patent office.
Design Patent: Design patents are a kind of patent application that consists of drawings or a series of drawings. While it only contains illustrations, you can add some explanatory phrases, labels, or sentences, dictating how the design works, looks, what its applications are, and explain its material basis.
Utility Patent: Utility patents are also drawings that are precise and explain the illustrations very well in a conceivable manner.
Patent Drawing Basics to Keep in Mind
Before filing for a patent, you need to learn how to draw a patent. There are some basic guidelines that you should follow at the time of drawing your patent. They are:
- The paper used for drawing should be matte in appearance and white in color. Most importantly, it should be robust. You cannot draw on both sides of the paper
- The margin requirements are – 2.5cm from the top, 2.5cm from the left side, 1.0cm across the bottom, and 1.5cm along the right side
- No color is allowed
- The drawings should be drawn vertically
- Shading is encouraged to highlight the prototype
- You can use both numbers and letters
How Pentadesk Can Help
Pentadesk can help you with product designing services and patent drafting services to ensure that your patent drawings are approved in the first go. We use patent CAD modeling to create accurate depictions of the prototype. So, if you are looking for experienced product designers, Pentadesk will provide you with the best solution.