Patents

You have a new invention, but how do you protect it? How do you patent an invention? You apply for a patent by filing a patent application at the patent office. The main part of a patent application is the description of your new invention. This should include any drawings or figures, and one or more claims. Claims are one-sentence clauses that define the new invention and which provide the legal monopoly should your patent be granted.

At the patent office, an examiner will review the patent application and conduct a search of the invention claimed to see whether the invention meets the criteria for grant. A patent can only be granted for inventions which are new, inventive and industrially applicable (useful).

Certain types of invention are not patentable at all, but a good patent attorney can explain this. A patent attorney can also give details of the procedures and costs involved. More information is also available from the UK Intellectual Property Office

Filing a patent application is easy – and anyone can do it. But will the patent application provide adequate protection for the invention? Drafting claims – and the description of a patent application – is not as easy as it might seem. Unfortunately some patent applicants have found out the hard way that the document they have filed is not enough to cover them commercially. Ouzman IP are UK patent attorneys and have significant experience at patent drafting; we would be delighted to see how we can assist you to patent your invention.

Watch our video on how to get a patent.