How to Develop Impactful Patent Drawings for Design Patents?

Patent drawing is one of the crucial and fundamental steps in patenting your invention. Without submitting an accurate drawing, one cannot apply for patents. Let us find out some of the important points while generating a drawing for a design patent.

Types of Patent Drawing

Before diving into the subject matter, let us first discover types of patent drawings. There are two types of patent drawings. One is Utility patent drawing and another is design patent drawing. While the former drawing represents the functionalities of the article, the latter represents the ornamental or surface design of the article. Design patent drawings are the drawing of the appearance of the article. 

Requirements by USPTO

Patent drawing is essential for the application and thus, paying attention to its accuracy and preciseness is imperative. USPTO (United States Patent Office) has given its parameters that the inventors should keep in mind before submitting any application regarding patents. Here are some of the conditions required by USPTO: 

• The design should be new and novel. It should not be counterfeited or forged
• The design should be authentic and original.
• It should be ornamental

Also Read How patent drawings are reviewed at USPTO?

Design patent drawings have to obey all of the standard rules demanded of all patent drawings, i.e., black and white, India ink or equivalent black lines, particular sizes of paper, and margins.

Hereabouts Is the Conventional Method of Patenting Your Invention

• Having a precise subject matter is essential 

A design patent guards the way a product seems. The United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) requires that a product have a unique or notable appearance or form that is not prescribed by its function. For a design to be patentable, it should be unique. Designs that incite typically transpiring or well-known designs are not original enough to pass for a design patent. Ultimately, subject matter that is objectionable to nationality, ethnic group, sex, religion, or race will not fit for a design patent.

• Components of a Design Patent Application

Following are the requisite elements for design patents by USPTO:

 (1) Preamble, declaring the name of the applicant, headline of the design, and a brief explanation of nature and proposed usage of the article in which the design is represented;

(2) Cross-reference to associated applications (unless included in the application datasheet).

(3) Statement concerning federally sponsored research or development.

(4) Summary of the figure(s) of the drawing;

(5) Feature description;

(6) A single claim;

(7) Drawings or photographs;

(8) Executed oath or declaration.

• Direct Your Drawings on the Unique Piece of Your Design

When proffering a design patent application, drawings should concentrate on the unique features of your design. If the overall product design is unique, then the drawings should exhibit the overall design of the product. Arrange the pictures for your design patent application at the finish of the product development cycle. 

• Apply Unique Drawings When Registering Utility and Design Patent Applications Together

If you intend on registering a design patent application and a utility patent for the corresponding product, it is sensible to present diverse drawings for each application in many cases. While practicing the same drawings for both applications can conserve money, employing the equivalent drawings may raise the likelihood of USPTO rejection of one or both applications. 

• React Swiftly to Your Patent Analyst

After the USPTO collects your design patent application, they will grant you a notification that affirms your filing date. If the patent examiner attached to your application permits your application, he or she will give you directions for finishing the application process. When you reach your designated patent examiner, be certain to have your filing date, the application number, group art number, and invention title ready. If the examiner demands additional information, be sure to respond promptly, precisely, and completely, so you do not delay the process down. 

When do you need a drawing for the design patent application?

 The drawings for the design patent application must outline the unique piece of what one requires to preserve. In this spirit, the drawings for the design patent application should be developed after you are concluded with the design. The drawings for the design patent application should not be made early in the product development cycle. The idea is that the design might be modified at any time before product launch. If so, the drawings might not help in applying.

Bottom Line

Protecting your inventions becomes vital if you want no one else in the world to come up with the same article. And to guard it, getting it patented is crucial. But protecting your invention through the patent is not a piece of cake. You need to go through various legal procedures and if everything is fine and correct, then only your inventions can reap the benefits of patents.