Patent drawing is one of the most important elements of a patent application as it streamlines the whole patent granting process. With an aesthetic patent drawing, we can speak a lot about our invention without writing a whole bunch of text.
A patent illustration is all about ensuring this. So, even though, a patent drawing is not mandatory, including the same can be of immense use and thus every application should include a drawing that can let examiners understand each of your claims.
So, we now have an understanding that there should be a patent drawing included in your patent application that described your patent application in a more better way and improve the scope of approving the patent application.
However, applicants should know the proper way of formatting a drawing otherwise it may objection outright by the patent office as they are very selective about the formatting of a drawing that is accompanying a patent application. Below mentioned are some of the rules that a draftsperson should take into consideration while formatting details of utility patent drawings.
Also read: Why Patent Drawings are Accepted in one Country and Rejected in Another?
Formatting Details of Utility Patent Drawings
- Avoid Unnecessary Texts- Most of the time we see draftsperson use extra text/texts to indicate a certain event in a drawing. Some examples of such drawings are Open, Closed, Partially Closed etc. While the intention could be good such as extra added texts can jeopardize your overall goal as these are not allowed in a drawing created for patents. Formatting Details of Utility Patent Drawings
- Avoid Coloring your Patent Drawing- Some draftspersons that are new to the domain of patent drawing use various color combinations to make their drawing creative and appealing. While it is true that coloring can liven up your creative work, however, there is no permission to use colors in drawings that are for inventions. While some patent offices like the USPTO allow shading patent drawings, there are many patent offices like SIPO (State Intellectual Property Office) for People’s Republic of China doesn’t allow shading in patent drawings.
- Lines should be dark, uniformly thick, and well-defined- Lines are drawn in a patent drawing should be given extra consideration as these are one of the most important components of a patent drawing. There are myriad of lines that are used in a patent drawing and each has its own definition and meaning. For example, a dotted line has a different meaning while the dashed and continuous line has a different meaning. Such things must be in consideration while creating a patent drawing as they can either make or break your whole attempt. (Find out more on the line styles and conventions followed for patent drawings here)
- Maintain the Proportion– It is very important for a draftsperson to maintain proportions of every element used in a drawing. In other words, we can say is that each element of the drawing should be in the proper proportion to the drawing as a whole and to other elements. The exception is when an element expands to provide clarity about certain details. Formatting Details of Utility Patent Drawings
- Mind the size of the text- Patents are structural documents and every element it contains should be in line with the respective patent office. Same goes for Numbers and letters those are used in a patent drawing. Usually, size of the text should be 0.32 cm for United States Patent office.
- Carrying multiple drawings- As per the USPTO, a Single sheet can have multiple drawings, however, draftspersons need to ensure that the cleanliness of the drawing is not compromised.
Also read: When is a Patent Drawing Needed?
Overview
The above formatting rules are mainly for the USPTO and except for some minor changes, it remains almost the same for most of the countries. Viewing the complexities in creating drawings for patents it could be overwhelming for people who are new to this domain and thus should take help of experienced patent illustrators who have been working in this field for a long time. These patent illustrators help the applicant to draw perfect patent drawings for their patent applications abiding to the guidelines of the patent offices.
How can we help you?
For more information on our company and the services provided by us please visit our website where you will get to know how we execute the work and also have a look at our sample drawings. Our experienced team at PatSketch holds the capability of delivering your work promptly without compromising on the quality. Nevertheless, if you need any iterations (seldom required) we do that till you get full assurance with the output. Our services are designed to cater to all customer needs and provide satisfaction which is why we also provide any number of iterations. Visit us to know more about our services or contact us.
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