It is important to know that patent drawings play a very important role in a patent application. Effective patent drawings are the key to getting the patent application in the right way. They are the virtual illustration of the invention in the form of drawings, flow charts, chemical reactions, etc. The applicant needs to give the best representation of the invention to the examiner so that there is no confusion and you can easily get the grant.
The written text sometimes may not be the best possible way to explain your invention at the patent office and therefore, it becomes necessary to add illustrations to the application.
Also read: Three Things to Know Before Creating Patent Drawings
What are effective patent drawings?
Patent Drawings are the pictorial forms of the inventions that can be presented in various ways to give an insight into the invention to the patent examiner. Effective patent drawings should be created with the help of an expert patent illustrator. These illustrations can be created by the applicant but there is a prescribed set of rules and guidelines by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and therefore it is prescribed to seek a professional’s help.
Before making the patent drawings, it is very important to know the do’s and don’ts, so that the illustrations work rather than hindering your application. We are going to learn further how to create them so that the application looks more presentable and clear to the examiner.
Also read: A Short Guide to Office Actions in Utility Patent Drawings
Rules by the USPTO
USPTO gives an idea of how these drawings should be created so that there is symmetry in all the applications presented to them. We will now look into these rules and have an ideal representation of the patent drawings:
- The sheets to be used in preparing illustrations should be A4-sized (21 cm x 29.7 cm) until and unless there is an exception.
- There is a standard margin that should be left on the sheet, that is, top and left side 2.5 cm, right side 1.5 cm, and on bottom 1 cm.
- The drawings are usually created using black ink and in case of exception colors can be used, but there should be a standard reason to do so.
- It is advisable to make the drawings in a vertical position instead of a horizontal position, as it becomes convenient for the examiner to look at the drawings.
- It is always good to present the invention from all possible angles through drawings.
- The height of the letters should not be less than 0.32 cm.
- Each figure should be consecutively numbered in Arabic numerals.
- There can be more than one drawing on a single sheet and there should be no unnecessary space left on the sheet.
- The text on the drawings should not be long and instead, it should be one or two words long.
Following these rules are the key to making the patent drawings effective and worth your time and money. Making even minor mistakes in the application can lead to wasted efforts, time and money. It is thus very important to make drawings that are worth your time.
It is also advised to check the prior-arts before pitching in the application so that there is no confusion created and you can easily prove the novelty of the invention.
Also read: How to Make Perfect Patent Drawings: Everything You Need to Know
Benefits of Patent Drawings
The importance of effective patent illustrations can’t be underestimated as they can get approval or rejection of the patent application. Clear patent drawing in a language easily understood by the patent examiner is a plus.
Patent drawings can save you a lot of costs because it is not that expensive as other things involved in the patent filing.
As it is easy for the patent examiner to understand the invention, the cost of refiling the patent can also be saved as there are higher chances to get the patent approval.
Virtual illustrations play an even major role in design patent applications as one can not understand the design pattern with just the text and it is very important to add drawings in a design patent application so that the examiner understands the complex designs which are difficult to explain otherwise.
Overview
In this, we discussed how effective patent drawings can get your application approval and save you a lot of cost and time. There is a general set of guidelines that USPTO prescribes for the patent drawings so that all the standard is maintained by all the patent applications and there is no untidiness. The patent drawings have a lot of benefits and optimum use is important, adding a lot of them will create confusion and insufficient drawings can lead to rejection as the examiner may not clearly understand the invention.
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