The Joy of Inventing
Inventing can be fun. You come up with wild ideas, figure out how to solve a problem, or create a need… but then it comes time to work on a patent for your idea. And that’s where you can run into problems. Perhaps someone, even someone you know, is trying to patent the same thing. Do you have a way of showing that you are the one that has actually been going through the process of trial and error, conception and invention? Your inventor’s notebook would show just that very thing. It’s important to remember, however, that this is not a guarantee that you will be granted an exclusive patent—but it can help.
So, what is an invention notebook?
Your Invention’s (Almost Daily) Record
The United States is a “first to file” country when it comes to patents and inventions, but there is some leeway. For instance, an inventor has 12 months from the time they show or use their invention in public to file a patent application for that invention. After this grace period ends, however, all bets are off—and even your well-documented notebook may not be any help. But what about before that grace period ends?
If you can produce your invention notebook, show the wear and tear on it that comes from daily use (and that doesn’t appear when everything is written in it the week or the day before) then you and your patent attorney may have options.
A Record of What and How
Sometimes there are inventions within inventions. For instance, if you invent one widget and, in the process, discover that with a simple adjustment it can also be used as something else, you have a sort of invention within an invention. Your inventor’s notebook is one of the ways you have of proving your work, and your discoveries. It, again, is not a guaranteed ticket to fame and fortune—but you and your patent attorney are more likely to be able to prove your claim with the notebook, than without.
Contact your Patent Attorney to learn more.
