Invention Disclosure Form

Brown and Michaels, PC

Invention Disclosure Form Instructions

This form is provided to help you organize your thoughts about your invention. There's nothing

clear to one who is not familiar with it.

?

Be careful to describe what, specifically, makes your invention

different from what has gone

before.

Avoid general statements that your invention is

it better?

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If you use any unusual terms, or ordinary terms in an unusual way, explain them.

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In addition to describing all the parts, describe

how the parts work together

.

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Why did you do things the way you did them, and not some other way? How else could you

have accomplished the same end?

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In answering the questions, do not limit yourself to exactly the prototype you have in front of

you, or to the very best way you might think your invention might be built. Allow your

imagination to run - how else might this invention work? How far would it need to be changed

before you say,

ways of making the invention work?

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It's as important to point out what is

not

part of your invention (that is, what is

carefully explain what is new. Has the design, or part of the design, been used before, even if

for a different purpose? How else have people accomplished the same function as your

invention in the past?

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What are the possible problems? Under what circumstances might your invention

not

work?

Are there critical parts, dimensions, ingredients?

?

Drawings are always helpful, and if you are e-mailing this form you can include them

electronically in one of the standard graphic formats (PCX, GIF, JPG) or as a drawing file in

AutoCAD DXF or DWG formats.

This form is copyright ? 1992,1997 by Brown and Michaels, PC. Feel free to use it, and pass it along to others. If you do distribute this

form, however, our name and address and this copyright notice must be included.

B

ROWN

&

M

ICH AELS

,

PC ·

400 M&T Bank Building-118 N. Tioga St, Ithaca, NY 14850

(607) 256-

2000 ? fax (607) 273

-

2609 ? email: bpm@

Invention Disclosure Form

Name of Inventor(s):

Address:

Telephone:

Fax:

E-mail:

Name of Invention:

Brief Description

Describe the invention in general terms: What does it do? How does it do it?

Details of the Invention:

?

What parts (steps, if a method) make up the invention, in its best (preferred) form?

?

What does each contribute to the invention?

?

Which parts are new to this invention (in form or usage), which are old (conventional, used in the

expected way)?

?

In what way do the parts interact to make the invention work?

B

ROWN

&

M

ICH AELS

,

PC ·

400 M&T Bank Building-118 N. Tioga St, Ithaca, NY 14850

(607) 256-

2000 ? fax (607) 273

-

2609 ? email: bpm@

?

For each part, indicate if the part (or its form or interconnection) is

ESSENTIAL

to the invention -

that is, for each part, ask,

my invention?

?

If possible, use labeled sketches to detail your invention. Be sure all essential parts are shown on

the sketch, and try not to include extraneous details. Measurements are not required, unless they are

essential to the operation of the invention.

Alternatives

You have described the best way to build (perform) your invention. Now consider the

alternatives.

Structural Alternatives:

?

In what ways could the parts (steps) be changed or equivalent parts substituted without changing

the basic invention?

?

Is there a generic description for any of the parts you listed (i.e.

Screw

?

Could the functions of any of the parts be changed, combined, eliminated?

?

What could be added to make the invention work better?

?

What could be left out?

Alternate Use:

Can your invention be used for anything other than its preferred use?

B

ROWN

&

M

ICH AELS

,

PC ·

400 M&T Bank Building-118 N. Tioga St, Ithaca, NY 14850

(607) 256-

2000 ? fax (607) 273

-

2609 ? email: bpm@