Invention Process – Key Points To Note When Submitting Your Invention
Many companies will show off an impressive list of patents, often claiming to be an innovator in the area of invention. However, patents are merely proof of ideas, of having conceived something first, and then documenting the new invention in a legal manner. Therefore, the usefulness of these new inventions isn’t proven, and patents don’t always mean innovating. Companies that file for patents should carefully consider whether or not they truly innovative in their own ways.
Many people believe that an invention is a new idea that is a great invention. Others think that all new inventions are inventive. Still others base their ideas on prior art. While each of these views is valid, it can be difficult to determine whether a new invention is truly a “pure” invention or a mixture of ideas gleaned from prior art.
Davison & Associates have created an easy scoring system to help determine if an invention meets the definition of a patent. The D & A patent scoring system is based on two factors. One is the amount of time and resources that went into coming up with the invention. This is a numerical value, usually in minutes or hours, but may be as short as a day. The second factor is to look at how many people may have thought of or have independently come up with the invention.
There are some very common inventions. For instance, someone else may have invented the electric shaver over the counter hair dryer. Alexander Smith’s electric shaver may also be considered an invention. But the real inventions are those that are considered ground breaking, which are generally much harder to obtain a patent for. D & A Patent databases provide information about hundreds of important inventions since they were first introduced into the marketplace.
D & A patent applications are examined by what is called an examiner. The patent examiner is an individual who has been trained to search for inventions that meet the US Patent Application’s definition. The patent examiner will examine the invention concept, the claims, the modifications, the marketing and service strategies and the merits of the invention. The patent examiner will then assign points based on the strength of the patent point of view and will assign a patent number. The patent application is then reviewed by the examiner who will make a decision whether the invention is eligible for a patent or not.
If the patent examiner decides that the invention meets the legal requirement for patent then the patent will be issued. The patent will then give the inventor a limited right to use the invention for a set period of time. This limited right of use will typically allow the inventor to commercialize his invention during the designated period. There are additional remedies available to an inventor if his invention would violate any public policy. These remedies would vary from those described above and would need to be taken into consideration when filing for an innovation patent.