Overview of the Patent Process

• Author: Dylan O. Adams
• Profession: Seattle-based patent attorney
• Pages: 39-46

39

3

Overview of the

Patent Process

“Strategic planning is worthless—unless

there is rst a strategic vision.”

—John Naisbitt

Before discussing the pieces of the patent process in-depth, it helps to

get an idea of how the patent process looks as a whole. is chapter

introduces a skeleton of a general timeline and steps in getting a pat-

ent on which the following chapters build and expand in generally t he

sam e order.

INVENTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Once the spark of invention occurs, a clock begins to tick. e United

States now gives priority to the rst inventor to le a patent application

and patent rights can be lost completely if an inventor is not careful

about making public disclosures, public uses, and oers for sale of an

invention. erefore, a patent application should be led as soon as pos-

sible aer an invention is conceived so that patent rights are not lost to

PatentsDemystified-F-10012015.indd 39 10/1/15 4:09 PM