Patent application for a design or device having visual depiction requires drawings of its concepts and functions. Every inventor needs to submit good patent drawings to allow patent examiners to understand your invention quickly. The quality of your patent drawings determines whether you?re granted a patent or not. However, some jurisdictions allow a patentable invention to be accompanied with sufficient explanation in writing alone.
Patent examiners check the fundamentals of your patent illustration including appropriate steps you had to follow to come up with the drawings for your invention before submission for patent application. The patent examiner usually focuses on checking general examples regarding how to use your patent drawings. So, having a professional team to handle your patent illustration is very important.
Understanding patent illustrations
Various items are categorized as patent illustrations apart from drawings of your invention that need a patent. Other items that are considered part of patent illustrations include sectional and cross-sectional views, flow charts, and diagrams. A combination of these brings out the assembly steps of the various parts of your invention in more detail. Any two-dimensional visual illustration of your invention for a patent is part of a patent illustration.
Photographs as part of patent illustrations
Photographs are also included as patent illustrations although with various caveats. Patent examiners only see photographs when there?s no better way to present a visual impression of your invention. When presenting photographs as part of your patent illustration, the images have to be black and white. This is what most jurisdictions such as the World Intellectual Property Organization prefer.
However, some agencies accept photos in color but with some limitations. In the US, the patent office requires submitting a petition not part of your application to explain the use of colored photos. This assumes color in the photos is part of the features for your invention that requires a patent. So, a disclaimer is necessary to avoid this. A professional patent illustration company. will guide you on the most relevant colors for your drawings.?
Features for patent drawings
Paper size
Many patent offices across the world insist on the drawings to be on A4 paper while the American patent office standard is 8 ? by 11 inches. Additionally, margin requirements are equally important with the US patent office requiring pages with diagrams and drawings to follow minimum margins. The left and top should be at least 2.5 cm and the right and bottom margins are 1.5 cm and 1 cm respectively.
Spatial orientation
Most patent offices require drawings in an upright vertical position but not landscape orientation. The drawings should be in black and white on regular while paper – not glossy. You can only use colored drawings with valid reasons why color is essential in your application. There?s a chance of getting permission to use colored drawings but it should be worth the effort and not delay your patent application filing date.
Image views
Requirements for depicting your invention require offering as many perspective views as possible. Doing this allows portraying all surfaces of the invention that requires a patent. Every figure portraying every particular sectional view should connect and face a similar direction. For cross-section illustrations, oblique hatching is necessary to avoid occluding of separate depictions that lead to reference signs or leading lines all over the illustration.
Reference characters
Since the drawings depict just about 2/3 of the original size of your invention during the examination, the size reduction should not inhibit discerning the details of the invention. Numbers make great reference characters. If you use letters, use an alphabet appropriate to the particular region. Equally important is to avoid using words in the illustrations. Where necessary, the words should be in the language of appropriate jurisdiction.
How to boost the effectiveness of your patent drawings
Work with a professional team
You have to tailor your patent application to the appropriate patent office to increase the chances of getting a patent for your invention. Keep in mind that patent offices are very busy with backlogs. So, any minor issue regarding noncompliance might cause a rejection of your application. Working with a professional team is very important. The experts will search prior art before filing to determine the novelty of your idea.
Clarity is key
Apart from satisfying all requirements for the appropriate patent office, you have to ensure clarity for all your patent drawings. Additionally, your patent application should have an abstract description of claims regarding your invention. This is very important since the details availed here and how you present them to have a significant impact on the success of your patent application.
Bottom line
Preparing patent illustrations involves various intricacies. Enlisting the services of a professional team will allow submitting your patent application without errors to increase the chances of getting a patent for your invention. A reputable patent illustration team understands all jurisdictions for the appropriate patent office.
