HOW TO REGISTER A PATENT

How to register a patent – suppose you have an excellent idea for an invention.

If it is marketed properly, it might be in high demand and can bring profits.

Naturally, someone might want to claim that idea as their own.

Obtaining a patent on an invention is a way to secure your rights.

If you are looking for the process of how to
register a patent, you are in the right place.

Steps to a Patent Registration

The USPTO has some specific rules, which you have
to follow, however complex and hard they might be.

1. Keep a Written Record of Your Invention

Record every step of the invention process in a notebook
with adequate details and diagrams of every aspect.

Every modification at any step of the invention, including how you
envisioned the idea initially should be clearly depicted.

Document all of the efforts with the sign and date of each
entry and produce two reliable witnesses to verify the same.

2. Make Sure Your Proposition Qualifies for Patent Registration Protection

You cannot register a patent just on the basis of an idea.

Your patent must be different in some significant
way from all previous inventions in the same field.

USPTO will immediately reject your patent
if it bears resemblance to any similar patent.

3. Assess the Commercial Potential of Your Invention

Applying for a patent is basically a business venture of sorts.

Hence, before making this investment, research the market trends that
you wish to enter and decide whether your patent
is commercially viable or not.

4. Conduct a Thorough Patent Register Search

To make sure that your invention is new, you must investigate
all the earlier developments in your field.

This involves researching international patents and publications
like scientific and technical journals,
to mark your invention truly unique.

Throw light on how your invention improves upon or
is different from these previous developments.

5. File a Patent Registration Application With the USPTO

When you approach the USPTO to register your patent,
you are provided a choice.

You can file either a Regular Patent Application
(RPA) or a Provisional Patent Application (PPA).

A PPA is not an actual application and filing a PPA simply
allows you to claim the “patent pending” status for the invention.

This process involves only a small
fraction of the work and cost of an RPA.

A PPA filing requires $65 for micro-entities,
$130 for small entities and, $260 for large companies.

Along with the requisite fee, you need to produce
a detailed description of the invention and an informal drawing.

Within a year of filing the PPA, you must file an RPA,
failing to do which, you can no longer claim the PPA filing date.