Ideas make the world go round. New ideas, in particular, shape the way we live and work. Unfortunately, as thrilling and fantastical as the notion of creating something from nothing may be, an idea isn’t enough. Someone else can claim the concept, leaving you to argue with the newcomer over the validity of your claim. Avoid this frustrating scenario by filing a claim at a patent office, a governmental body that has a lawfully recorded copy of your invention, thus validating you as the intellectual owner of the invention.
Let’s establish the timeline for a hypothetical new product or process. You’ve invented a new way of lifting a load, one that simplifies the transportation of heavy materials from one end of the warehouse to the other. You’ve refined the idea and prepared your claim. The claim, in turn, details the technical specifications of the invention and provides a hard copy of the technology, thus turning the abstract idea into a fully realized invention with you, the creator, lawfully identified as the originating inventor. You now gain exclusive rights over the production of the patented product or process and the legitimate license to enforce this judgment. In essence, you’re now legitimately recognized as the sole proprietor of this new product, meaning, in the case of a crane or hoist, you can prosecute a competing agency if you believe the company is infringing on your patent.
Taking legislation out of the story for a moment, the moral of the story is to develop the invention, to create illustrations and three-dimensional concept artwork, and file the work with a local patent office. When this methodology was adopted at Global Track, the culmination of the filing process was our patented manual bridge cranes, state-of-the-art apparatus that embodies an engineer’s dream of providing a lifting and conveying mechanism that truly increases bridge crane productivity and operator safety.
The Stages Involved in Filing a Patent Application
This list is meant for the Australian business market, so take a hop over to your own national patent page for details that are relevant in your country:
- Start with the seed of an idea
- Flesh out the idea with detailed drawings and refine the concept with technical specifications
- Apply for provisional product protection at a patent office
- Obtain patent pending status while refining the product
- Complete the patent process and begin your 20 year exclusive rights claim
Finally, let’s wash away the jargon and techno-speak by defining a patent within the engineering realm. The patent will protect your commercial ownership rights when you develop your new crane or hoist, enabling you to exploit the invention for profit while simultaneously arming you with the ability to enforce this right should a competitor place a false claim on the product.
