About Patent Drawings
Patent drawings are an integral part of submitting a idea for patent. Usually, patent drawings are done by artists trained in drafting, though sometimes they are done by the patent submitter. Each patent application can include several drawings, either in black and white or, in special instances that must be approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, color.
Here is more in-depth information about the history of patent drawings and what makes them unique.
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History
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The very first official patent was awarded in Italy in 1421, though there is evidence that the Greeks used patents as early as 500 BC.
In the United States, patents were not used until the 1700s when The Patent and Copyright Clause of the U.S. Constitution was proposed in 1787. Even after this clause was in place, the first U.S. patent was not granted until July 31, 1790.
Patent drawings were not commonly used in the patent process until 1793, when the Secretary of State decided that a working model of inventions was no longer required and drawings could be sent to the patent office, instead.
Significance
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Patent drawings must be submitted with any patent application that is complex. For example, if a product or idea is complicated, has many moving parts or incorporates many ideas, it would need a patent drawing. A patent drawing makes the idea clear to the people who are evaluating the patent.
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Considerations
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Patent drawings can cost as much as $75 to $150 per sheet, and most applications require two or more sheets of drawings. Many inventors decide to draw their own to save money using the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rules and guidelines.
Identification
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A quality patent drawing conforms to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rules. For instance, the drawing must be done in black ink or India ink. The drawing(s) must show every feature of the item to be patented and no form of identification should be on the drawing's "sight" area. Outside of the sight area (on the back), the artist may add identification in the form of the inventor's name or docket number, an attorney's name, the application number and sheet number.
Types
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Most accepted patent drawings are done on smooth, white, non-shiny paper that is 21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm or size A4, or 8 1/2 by 11 inches. The paper is required to be in pristine condition, with no tears or folds. The drawing must not have any changes such as mark-throughs.
The drawings should include various views of the invention including the "exploded" view, where the parts seem to have floated outward and hover on the page, a view of the invention from all sides and partial views where only parts of a large invention are shown in detail.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Alfonso Diaz
