Are you currently working on a patent application? IPWatchdog offers some advice that can help you make the most of your invention description.
What is the structure of the components? What is the overall structure of the unit? How are things connected? How do they interact? How would they be made? How are the pieces assembled? What are the alternatives for making, connection, interaction? What materials can be used? What optional features are present? What could be present? These and other descriptive questions need to be answered in order to particularly define the invention.
Failure to consider the various combinations and alternatives that make up an invention is a fairly common mistake, but one that cannot be made without severe consequences. If you do not fully describe the invention the patent application you file will will wind up be worth little.
Even if you never embark upon drafting your own patent application the better you can describe your invention the better the resulting patent application. As the inventor you are the one who has the most information about the invention. You know your invention best. If you are going to hire a patent attorney to represent you the more you give them to work with the better the resulting patent application will be, which will undoubtedly make the patent ultimately obtained as strong and useful as possible.
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