A customer with a product or invention that they wish to patent may contact us to secure our help in the patent application process. The actual patent application is a partly technical and partly legal document describing the invention to be patented.

The patent application must adhere to a number of formal standards to its structure and format in order to be valid. But that is not all; in order to be a good, strong patent application there are a number of more informal tips and tricks which are almost impossible to know for the layman. Typical pitfalls are:

• defining the invention too narrowly, thereby allowing others to make something similar to the invention without actually violating the patent
• writing words or phrases that can be interpreted to contradict or limit the scope of the patent, or the invention
• using words or phrases which are unclear and which can lead to problems in court cases

Upon recieving the patent application, the patent authorities assess the patentability of the new invention. If they have objections the patent authorities will allow us to argue our stance.

It typically takes 3 to 5 years to secure a patent, but in certain cases it can take longer og go quicker.