Category: Patent Drawing

Illustrations demonstrating the invention, some of its applications (specific implementations or techniques of carrying out the invention), or the prior art may be included in a patent application or patent. The drawings may be required by law to be in a specific format, and the regulations may vary by province.

Examples of utility and layout patents are included in the drawings. The designs may be required by legislation to be in a specific format, with the criteria varying by province. The patent sketch serves as a visual aid to the invention. Tables, chemical or numerical methods, graphs, waves of electrical impulses, and symbols can all be used based on patent innovation.

The following are the types of patent drawings:

• Utility
• Electronic
• Mechanical
• Flowcharts and diagrams
• Drawing-exploded
• Drawing-graph

A design patent example is documentation you can review before submitting the application form for a design patent. They use words and graphics to show how a design for a produced object is unique and non-obvious. These examples can assist you in completing your application.

A design patent covers the ornamental features of an item’s look. It does not, however, include the product’s functionality or usability. This form of patent offers 14 years of support vs. two decades for the more typical utility patent.

Why are patent drawing examples important?

Examining a design patent sample might assist you in determining what you need to do before filing your patent application. You can also check out designs that have been granted design patents. This will give you a better picture of what a design patent entails.

Before filing applications, every inventor should evaluate design patent examples. It’s critical to finish your design before looking at other design patents. If you merely have a concept, what you learn in other patents may unintentionally influence you. Allowing design patent samples to control what you want to achieve with your design is not a good idea.

To examine the design patent example, run a quick search on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Full-Text Database. In the Term 1 box, type a single letter. Then, in Field 1, choose Patent Number. This quick search will provide design patents approved by the USPTO. It lists the patents in chronological order of when they were issued.

Is there any deadline for submitting the Patent Drawing illustration?

There is no set timeline for assessing design patent examples. However, there is a deadline for submitting a provisional design patent. You will have a 12-month window to apply if you make your design accessible. You will lose the opportunity to file for a design patent if you do not point out that application before the deadline.

Demonstrating the item at a trade show or even another industry event and releasing information about it in print are examples of the public release of a design.

Mistakes made while filing patent drawing

While applying for a patent filing, new inventors may make the following mistakes: 

There aren’t enough design patent examples to look at. You won’t get the information you need if you only look at one or two. If a few have some similarities to your concept, it won’t take long to go over them. Even if there are thousands more, you must set aside time to look over them all. Examining these examples can help determine whether your concept is unique enough to warrant a patent application.

Steps of filing a patent drawing

All the patent office websites, including the United States Patent and Trademark Office, provide provisional patent samples and instructions.

It’s always a good idea to check your design idea against, at minimum, one design patent example to see if it’s previously been done. By studying the material included in other innovators’ design patent applications, you can indeed learn from them.

The current design patent filing fee is $390, which includes no accompanying legal fees. Illustrations that depict the unique design for which you are requesting patent protection must be included in your application. It is not permitted to utilize reference numbers. Unlike a utility patent, a design patent covers only one assertion (the product’s design).

Are you working on your patent drawing project but finding a way to save your time and money?

Then, you should follow some tips in order to save time and money while working on a patent drawing project.

A series of images demonstrating the finely specified details of an invention presented during the patent application method is known as a patent drawing. A patent drawing generally represents the concept and idea through visualization in the form of patent drawings and illustrations. It helps the legal jurisdiction to understand the idea better. Patent drawing should depict every feature of the innovation, and it is important to put your invention objective into the drawing.

Take Professional help

If you are not aware of the technicalities and methods of drawing patent illustrations, then you should avoid doing it yourself as patent drawing requires adding every feature of invention and description and statements to be mentioned in illustrations and drawings. If you take professional help, then it will make things easier, and it will also save you time and money. Also, professional help will make things better, and understanding, you can explain things better, and the outcome will be much more effective.

Develop an intelligent IP strategy

There are various ways to save time and lower down the cost. One of the most effective ways is to plan your strategy to get things in the right way. You should prepare the right IP strategy to manage your budget.

If you require a patent in multiple countries, for instance, you can file a PCT registration, which allows you to postpone payments to national patent offices for 30 months. You would not have to file versions for the purpose of search or publishing if you choose the correct filing language, so you may save money in this way as well. Direct national petitions are also often less expensive if only a few countries are considered, and there is adequate time.

Do well research on prior art

Researching before moving to a conclusion is one of the important things as previously existing sources will help in understanding the process of creating things better, and it will make the process of drawing illustrations a lot easier.

Prior art is defined as all experiences related accessible to the public in any manner before a given date that may be relevant to a patent’s claims of uniqueness throughout most systems of patent rights.

The prior art research might help clarify the level of protection in patent lawsuits by identifying the nearest prior arts. Due to the necessity for fewer office actions and claim changes, this could potentially result in a reduction in litigation time.

Look for difficult fee reduction options

Take help of tools

Taking the help of various tools and software will help in designing the illustration better. If you are aware of various tools and software, then you can understand and create your ideas and description better into drawings. There are various options available in the market, such as software by Adobe which includes designing software such as illustrator and photoshop. There is also dimensional-based software such as 2D and 3D tools, which are designed according to the surface and shapes. These kinds of tools will make things easier, and the process of patent drawings becomes affordable and accessible.

Using all the mentioned above points, one can save time and can reduce the costs. But most efficiently, it is necessary to write down the process and plan before execution. You can also take expert help to do things in a better way. While doing all the things, it is necessary to follow the guidelines of patent illustrations. To get a better option, you can use various tools and instruments available easily online to do things faster.

Patent drawings are one of the crucial parts of a patent application. People who are related to the industry or have filed a patent application earlier know the importance of patent drawings in the patent application. We have already covered the topic where we have explained the importance of patent drawings for the approval of the patent application. You can check the same in the resources section on the Patent Drawing Experts. When you already know the same, it becomes tough sometimes to find the right patent drawing firm for your application sometimes. The Patent Drawing Experts can be an ideal choice for the same reason, and in this article, we have mentioned some of the reasons why you can consider us for your patent drawing needs. 

Transparency in the services

The Patent Drawing Experts always believe in building a long-term relationship with our clients. It is not possible to lay the foundation of a strong relationship without strong fundamentals. We address the same issue by keeping the complete process completely transparent. Every single team involved in your project at the Patent Drawing Experts makes sure to deliver everything they promise you at any cost. We also provide you with only the right information. 

The litigation industry, including the IP litigation industry, is known for complex processes and opaque information. The Patent Drawing Experts tend to break that code by making the complete information accessible to you. The transparency in the services makes everything predictable to you, and you are never at risk of last-minute changes in the plans. 

Only expert illustrators

When you choose the Patent Drawing Experts, you only hire expert patent illustrators for your patent drawing project. All the patent illustrators working with us are trained, skilled, and experienced patent drawing experts. Our illustrators have worked on hundreds of successful patent drawing projects. They know everything that it takes to make the patent drawings that the patent offices require. 

There are strict rules for patent drawings by the USPTO or equivalent patent offices in other countries. Our expert patent illustrators have an understanding of every small rule of the respective patent drawings. You do not need to worry about the complex guidelines for the patent drawings when your project is in our hands. Our illustrators take care of every single rule, and they ensure that the drawings meet the criteria set by the patent offices.

Save your money

Do you remember the transparent services at the Patent Drawing Experts? We know you do, as we just reminded you of the same in the previous paragraph. 

One of the advantages of the transparent services by the Patent Drawing Experts is the cost associated with your project. We tell you about the cost of your project in advance, and even if it requires any extra effort to complete your project, we make sure that you pay only what we have promised you. It changes only if you change the project requirements yourself. The pricing is already pretty affordable at the Patent Drawing Experts, where the cost of drawing starts at only $29 per sheet. 

Patent drawings are a crucial part of the patent application, and if you don’t know why they are so important, you can consider checking out our article on the same topic by clicking here. Many applicants ignore the importance of patent drawings in their application and end up paying the extra charges after the rejection of the drawings to submit them again. But why do you need to pay that extra charge? You can avoid such an event by avoiding the rejection of your patent drawings. That’s the only approach smart people will take as it does not only save you money, but you also save the most precious thing in the world, which is time. 

There is no single way that can avoid the rejection of patent drawings in the first place as there is no shortcut to it. When you are filing a patent, your expectations from the patent are for the long term, and the shortcuts are not the right approach here. You must give proper attention to all the aspects of your patent application. Even a small mistake can lead to misinterpretation, which can give the competitors a chance to use loopholes in your patents. The same applies to your patent drawings as it is a source to visualize your invention. You can be as detailed and as accurate as it can get to avoid any unfavourable situation. 

Follow the USPTO guidelines

The first thing that you can never miss while filing a patent application in the United States is following all the rules stated by the USPTO for patent drawings. The USPTO and all other patent offices around the globe have already released a set of rules that you need to follow while making the patent drawings. These rules are very detailed and cover various aspects if you follow them properly. Even missing out on a small detail can lead to rejection of the drawing. You can find the complete USPTO patent drawing guideline by visiting the official USPTO website. You can also download our free eBook that compiles all the rules related to patent drawings by the USPTO, which makes your job even easier. 

Follow the deadlines

Not following the deadlines is another obvious reason for rejection. But following the deadlines do not only mean that you need to submit the drawings on the date. You need to have some time in hand when you are done with the drawing process. You can try to get the drawing done at least 2 to 3 days prior to the deadline so that you have enough time to examine it with the guidelines and other factors. You should also not wait for the last day to submit the drawings and try submitting a couple of days prior to the final date if you can. 

Hire a professional patent drawing expert

You can avoid all these hassles and get everything done with the utmost efficiency by simply hiring a professional illustrator. You can contact a reliable firm like the Patent Drawing Experts to get the patent drawings done. It will save you all the stress and money that you would have to spend if the drawing gets rejected. The professional illustrators already understand the updated rules and guidelines by the USPTO and other respective patent offices. They know what to include and what not to include in your patent application. They also know all the different views that are required in case of your invention.  

Professional patent drawing is not that expensive, considering the time and money they save for you. The patent drawing prices start from as low as $29 per sheet when you buy patent drawing services from the Patent Drawing Experts. We take care of every single aspect that it takes to get your patent drawings approved. Our expert illustrators work to coordinate with you to understand your invention and make drawings that do not only just follow the USPTO guidelines but is also competent in other aspects. 

The people who are in the process of filing a patent application or are continuously following our articles already understand the importance of patent drawings in the application. Patent drawings might play a crucial role in the approval or rejection of your patent application. And when something has the potential to make or break the game, you have got to take that factor seriously. It might not be the case if you do not care about time, money, or success at all, but in any case, other than that, you need to be careful of such factors. We have already created an article around the importance of patent drawing in your patent application, so you can check it for better information on that topic by clicking here. Let’s keep this article limited to today’s topic. 

There are many reasons why you should consider hiring a professional to make patent drawings for your applications. So much so that there are more reasons why you should hire a professional than why you should not hire a professional patent drawing expert. Well, let’s dive deeper to understand some of the crucial points in favor of the topic that might help save you a lot of time and money. 

Time and efficiency

The most valuable thing in today’s world is time for any person who is on a mission to do something big. No one likes to waste their time on things that will not be an advantage for them at all. The biggest advantage of hiring professionals for your patent drawing needs is they can save you a lot of time. You may have to go through multiple rulebooks as the requirements for the patent drawings require proper attention to even the finest detail. Even one small mistake can lead to the rejection of your patent application. 

The second thing is that you can never be as efficient as a professional who does a job daily if you are just trying to learn that thing. The professionals understand what it takes to get the drawings approved as part of their daily job. And at the end of the day, at least you have someone to go to, in case your drawings are rejected. 

Cost-effectiveness

It may sound silly, but you can save a lot of money by hiring professional patent drawing experts instead of doing everything on your own. Since patent drawings are one of the last parts of the patent application, they need to be a true representation of what your application says. If your patent drawing does not match what is there in the application, it might get rejected. You require to pay extra for submitting the drawing again to the patent application, which might increase the overall cost of your patent application. The time that you lose during this period is another loss. 

Patent drawings are not usually that expensive, and spending on professional drawing services can help you save all the extra costs associated with the latter stages. The prices for patent drawings are relatively lower, and they can start at as low as $29/sheet with the Patent Drawing Experts. 

Accuracy and Perfection

The only thing that we ever need from any project is the best accuracy and perfection in the result. The prime reason why you need a patent drawing is to get your patent application approved. The patent drawing experts know that pretty well. They have all the experience that it takes to get your application approved. They understand what all views are required in case of your invention for a better representation of your application. Their imagination of a product is way better than any amateur trying to do the same job. That is why we always recommend hiring a professional patent illustrator to save your time and money and achieve the best accuracy. 

We discussed the importance of patent drawings in your patent application and why you need to include patent drawings in your application in our previous article. If you missed that article, you could check that one by clicking here to get a better understanding of this article. There are many rules that you need to follow when it comes to patent drawings. USPTO and other patent offices globally have their own set of guidelines for patent drawings. We already have published eBooks covering the patent drawing rulebooks by major patent offices globally, including USPTO, EPO, and PCT rulebooks. 

In this article, we will understand the difference between formal and informal patent drawing in detail. By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of which type of drawing you should use in your patent application and why. Let’s dive deeper into the topic to understand the difference one by one.

Informal Patent Drawing

When you are done with your invention and want to share the design with your patent attorney, you usually share the rough sketches of your invention. That drawing is known as informal patent drawing. It does not necessarily need to follow the USPTO drawing guidelines. The only limitation with the informal patent drawings is that they can only be used in the case of a provisional patent application. You can not include informal patent drawing with a non-provisional patent application. 

The only sense here is to explain everything about your invention to the patent office. The more sketches you include in this case, the better it works in your favor. You will understand why when we share the following article on the provisional and non-provisional patent application. It would be best to use every detail about your invention in the form of an easy-to-understand informal drawing. The last thing you want to do in this case is to give a wrong representation of your invention. It will make the whole idea of provisional application useless in that case. It would be a better idea to get it reviewed by a professional patent attorney before you submit these drawings. 

Formal Patent Drawing

Formal patent drawings are quite obviously the exact opposite of informal patent drawings. They are not as easy to draw as the informal ones. You need to follow the complete guidelines by the USPTO in case of formal patent drawings. In the case of formal drawings, you need to be precise in the drawing, or you will need to hire professional patent drawing experts. The formal patent drawings can be further divided into other types depending on the invention. 

Utility Patent Drawing

The utility patent drawings are mandatory in case of a utility patent application. We have explained them in detail in our previous article. You will need to create drawings for your invention with various fields of view to give complete representation to the patent application examiner in case of a utility patent application. It can be a set of 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional drawings. They are the types of drawing that need one of the highest levels of precision after the design patent drawings. A small error in your drawing might impact your patent application and not in a positive way. Even if it gets approved, there are high chances that competitors can find loopholes in your design to use it against you.

Design Patent Drawings

Drawings are the most crucial part of a design patent application. All you need is the most precise drawing of your design to make your case stronger and to avoid giving any chances to your competitors. It is pretty evident by now that they need to comply with the patent drawing rules by the USPTO or respective patent office. It is strictly suggested to involve a patent attorney in case of design patent drawings, as they can save you a lot in the long run. 

It happens a lot with new inventors that they do not understand the importance of patent drawing in their patent application. If you know anything about patent applications, you already understand that you can not send the application for a utility or design patent without drawings. But that is not the only scenario where you require patent drawings. People who have spent some time working in the IP industry and the IP docketing experts already know that drawing is necessary for almost every application. It is not a written rule to include a drawing for all applications, but it plays a crucial role in your patent application. No need to get confused; you will understand everything by the end of this article. 

Although there are various types of patent applications, we will be discussing them in three different sets to understand the importance of patent drawings. You can get more ideas on patent drawing rules by downloading the patent drawing rulebook eBooks on our website for free. 

Design Patents

Design patents rank at the top when you rank them based on the necessity of patent drawings. That doesn’t make sense that you get a design patent without showing the actual design, does it? The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) suggests that the drawing is the most vital element for a design patent. You can not afford any mistake when it comes to the drawing for a design patent, as the patent will be approved based on the drawing. Most countries around the world have similar rules when it comes to patent drawings except for some small changes. 

We suggest going with professional and trained patent drawing experts in this case who understand the requirement of the patent office very well. It will surely cost you some amount upfront but will save a lot of hassle in the long run. The design patents need drawing for all the surfaces of your invention in the case of a three-dimensional object. The rules for the USPTO for patent drawings are much stricter compared to most other countries around the globe. That is why it needs even extra expertise while making the patent drawing for patent filing in the United States. 

The rules by the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) are followed in most other countries as the treaty is valid in 142 nations around the world. The PCT also has similar rules, and you must submit the patent drawing in case of a design patent. In most countries, you can even use black and white line art to make the patent drawings that are enough to present the visual representation of your invention. You can also support photographs for the application that shows the complete design of your invention. All the drawings submitted must follow the rules stated under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. You can find the rulebook for the same on our website in the form of an eBook.

Utility Patent

You must follow the guidelines set by the USPTO for submitting the drawings for a Utility patent application. And did not we tell you that utility drawings are compulsory in case of a utility patent application? One more thing that is compulsory is that the drawings must follow the rules set for the utility drawing by the USPTO in case of filing in the United States. The same implies to any other country, but rules change depending on the requirement for the specific country or the PCT. In the case of European nations, you can follow the patent drawing rules by the EPO. 

You need to represent all the aspects of your invention through the various field of view using the patent drawings. It will help the examiner better understand your patent application. The role of the patent drawing expert increases based on the complexity of the invention. The job of your patent drawing expert is to make it as easy as possible for the examiner using a detailed drawing of every aspect of the invention. 

Other Patent Applications

Even in the case where patent drawing is not required as stated in the rules by the patent offices, the drawing plays a critical role in your application. The examiners at the patent office expect you to submit drawings so that they get a clear idea of your invention. The patent drawing makes the whole process much easier for you as well. When you give a visual representation of your invention that shows every aspect of it, no one can even dare to copy your patent. If you do not consider it important, you always have various stories on patent and copyright disputes all around the globe that are still unresolved. Do not forget that a picture is worth a thousand words. 

Patent illustrations are a fundamental part of any patent application. Consequently, you should know how much the Patent Drawings Cost. The inaccurate patent drawings cost you more for improvements. If you don’t know the basics of patent drawings, you may suffer patent rights as well. Patent drawings are multiple views of innovation. These views help the USPTO examiner comprehend the innovation thoroughly. Usually, candidates add as many views as they can in their patent applications. The patent drawings include every claim which you have specified in your patent application. Moreover, the cost of patent drawings solely depends on innovation. If innovation isn’t complex, it may not cost much. However, if an innovation has various functionalities, it may cost much. 

Make The Patent Drawings that Cost You, Less

Patent drawings help in understanding innovations better. Hence, you need to cover various views of your innovation in your patent application. An expert patent illustrator can make your rough sketch into a detailed patent illustration. No matter how complicated your innovation is, you can always rely on a good patent illustrator. Nevertheless, it’s not mandatory to hire a patent illustrator. You can also create patent drawings on your own. Hence, your patent drawings cost you zero. The following are the ways that may reduce the price of the patent drawings:

1. Creating patent drawings by yourself 

You can create your patent drawings if you know the USPTO’s policies, patent drawing rules, and specifications. You can get the following advantages if you make your patent drawings:

• More accurate presentation of patent drawings than hired experts as you know what you want to depict better than anyone else.
• Save time in explaining to someone else about the innovation, or sending patent drawings back and forth for corrections.
• Save money by cutting all the charges of any hired professional.

While this option might save financial advantages for you, however sometimes cutting your pocket by not hiring a professional draftsperson is an unnecessary step. It is even possible that the innovator holds insignificant knowledge about the specifications which deteriorate its quality and delay its submission.

Some candidates may want to be included in the complete process of patent filing. As a result, they may prefer a patent drawing the views of the innovation on their own. It’s not impossible to draw patent illustrations. However, this approach isn’t recommended unless you’re good at patent drawings. If you’re not good at creating patent drawings, you can learn. Check out the list of some software that you can use to create patent drawings.

• SmartDraw
• CorelDraw
• LibreOffice Draw
• DraftSight
• Adobe Illustrator
• FreeCAD
• Microsoft Visio
• AutoCAD

2. Hiring a professional patent illustrator

Hiring an expert patent illustrator signifies that you are required to pay for the service. Therefore, do your research before hiring one. There are various patent firms that provide samples of their work beforehand. You can see their samples and judge whether to hire a patent firm or not. Nevertheless, you can decrease the cost of your patent drawings even if you hire someone. For this, you should consider the following things:

1. Provide the complete information of your invention beforehand.

2. Provide the prototype of your invention (if possible).

3. Hire an illustrator only when all the changes in the invention are completed.

Learning to make patent drawings from scratch is a lengthy process. You may want to hire experienced patent illustrators that work in compliance with the USPTO guidelines. The USPTO takes patent drawing guidelines or rules strictly. If your patent drawing doesn’t follow the rules, the USPTO may reject your application.

Rather than creating self-explanatory drawings by yourself and putting your drawings at risk by leaving quality issues behind, it’s better to think of some other ways of cost-cutting. 

Various Factors that can influence the cost of patent drawings

For instance, you want a patent drawing as quickly as time permits. Accordingly, you need to pay extra to get the patent drawing fast. However, you can keep away from these factors if you have in-depth knowledge of patent drawings. Major factors that may increase the cost are:

1. The complexity of patent drawings

This factor plays a significant role in determining the cost of patent drawings. If an innovation has several functionalities, a patent illustrator is required to comprehend all functionalities. Therefore, it may increase the cost of patent drawings since it may take time to comprehend the innovation.

2. Fast or Express Service

In a rush to get a patent, numerous candidates wish to utilize express assistance. A patent illustrator may provide you fast assistance. Nonetheless, he may charge you extra for this. Hence, it’s more beneficial to get the patent drawings earlier. Else, you need to pay more for fast assistance.

3. Revisions or iterations

Sometimes, you’re not satisfied with patent drawings and need to add some more details. Accordingly, you need to pay more. The patent illustrator will do all the referenced changes. Any extremely late changes can make you pay more. Consequently, provide the complete details of the innovation to the illustrator.

What Do the Patent Drawings Cost You?

The average value of each patent drawing is between $60 and $90. Additionally, the cost of the drawings of utility or design patents relies on the complexity of the patent drawings. The simple patent drawings charge you around $45 per figure. However, the cost may rise above $100 per figure if the drawing is complicated.

Conclusion

Preparing patent drawings as per USPTO specifications and the innovation requirements is an intimidating and nerve-wracking task. Well, it is okay to believe some third-party patent illustrator to create patent drawings for your patent that could do full justification for what you want. You can also create your patent drawings. Moreover, cutting out costs by doing the patent drawings yourself, is a good option through which you can save much money on patent drawings without deteriorating their quality.