Patent drawings are very structured documents and thus care should be given to each element of the drawing. A single mistake can make or break your overall objective.
Patent drawings also called as patent illustrations are one of the most important elements of a patent draft. If made prudently, it can help you a lot in expediting the overall patent granting process. Not only it makes your idea clear and easy to understand but also helps owner put their points firmly in case of undesired patent litigations.
Creating drawings for patents demands an understanding of patent drawing rules, acquaintance with the patent regulatory framework and an artistic approach towards invention. There are many rules and regulations those a draft person should follow while creating illustrations for inventions and with this article, we are going to shed lights on one of them.
Line types and line weights are two important elements which every draftsperson should give utmost care while creating drawings for patents. In this article, we will be discussing some important points pertaining to line types and line weights used in multi-view patent drawings.
What are multi-view drawings?
Generally, a 3D view cannot show the viewer all the sides of an object with true proportions and hence comes the importance of multiview drawing that enables a draft person to show all the sides of a drawing and that too in true proportions. When the Multiview drawing of an object is created the front or principal view is drawn first. The top, bottom, right and left side views are drawn by rotating the object at 90-degree intervals relative to the principal view.
Selecting the principal view
A principal view is the main view and rest of the drawings are drawn in relation to it. Though draft persons have the liberty to choose the principal view of their own choice, still, it should be the one that provides the viewer with the most information about the shape of the object.
Line types used in multi-view patent drawings
When we talk about line types used in patent drawings there are mainly 6 types of lines we use, these are as follows
Visible Lines- It represents the object’s visible edges and features.
Center Lines- Represent the centers of circles, arcs and other features.
Extension Lines- These are used in placement of dimensions.
Leader Lines- These are used to show notes.
Hidden Lines- Represents an object’s invisible feature.
Dimension Lines-Used to define the size and location of an object’s features.
Line weights used in multi-view patent drawings
As we mentioned earlier patent drawings are very structured documents and everything has to be done as per the specified regulatory norms. Same goes with line weights those are used in multi-view patent drawings. The standard line weights specified are mentioned in the below table:
| Line Type | Line Weights/Thickness in Milli Meters |
| Visible Line | 0.6 mm |
| Hidden Line | 0.3 mm |
| Center Line | 0.3 mm |
| Dimension Line | 0.3 mm |
| Extension Line | 0.3 mm |
| Cutting Plane Line | 0.6 mm |
| Section Line | 0.3 mm |
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