How to Format a Patent Application

Patents protect inventions with industrial applications.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recommends hiring a patent attorney or agent to represent the inventor in a patent application, due to the application process's complexity. Many small inventors do not have money to pay for attorneys and opt to file themselves. Patent applications consist of a title, abstract, background information section, description, claims and drawings.

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Instructions

Preparation
- 1
  
  Read "Guide to Filing a Utility Patent," which is available on the USPTO website under the "Brochure" section of the "Inventors' Resources" page (see Resources).
- 2
  
  Review and consider the "Do It Yourself Patents" product and information offered through the magazine IP Watchdog (see Resources).
- 3
  
  Create an electronic filing system (EFS-Web) account through the USPTO's website. Practically all patents are filed through EFS-Web, and the system uses a program that formats the application for you and takes you through the process step-by-step (see Resources).
Application Format
- 4
  
  Fill out the personal information and invention information pages. EFS-Web asks for the inventor's personal information, the title of the invention, what type of application is being filed and when the invention was created.
- 5
  
  Write an abstract for the invention. An abstract is a paragraph summarizing what the invention is and does.
- 6
  
  Write a technical description of the invention. The description should be as detailed as possible and demonstrate that the invention can do what the claims list.
- 7
  
  Write the invention's claims. The claims explain in excruciating technical detail exactly what the invention does that is novel and deserving of patent protection. If the USPTO issues a patent, the patent protects only what is described in the claims.
- 8
  
  Include any technical drawings visually demonstrating the description section.

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How to Format a Patent Application

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