Patent Claim Drafting 101: The Basics

"You won't die if you screw up a patent application, which is virtually inevitable, but you will not likely be pleased with the outcome. If you do achieve rights they will be far more narrow than necessary and you will have created an unnavigable prosecution history that will almost certainly make the claims you do have rather useless."

"The cost of hiring an attorney to draft a patent application can price some inventors out of the market, so they are left with the choice of doing nothing to pursue their invention and dreams or trying to do something on their own. Inventors who are going to attempt to draft their own patent applications need to go into the process with their eyes wide open."

Self-filing patent applications is discouraged due to the high likelihood of costly mistakes. While inventors may attempt this to avoid attorney fees, the resulting patents are typically narrower in scope than necessary and create problematic prosecution histories that undermine claim value. The process resembles performing surgery on oneself—survival is possible but outcomes are rarely satisfactory. Inventors unable to afford professional representation must thoroughly educate themselves about patent law and procedures to have any reasonable chance of obtaining a modestly successful patent. Professional involvement significantly improves application quality and resulting patent strength.

Read at IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law