Have you recently submitted your application for a patent? If so, is this your first time applying for a patent? If it is, you may be wondering exactly how everything will work. If that is the case, you will want to learn more about the patent approval process. Essentially, the patent approval process is time from when you submit your application until you hear a response back from the patent office. If you are like most hopeful patent holders, you may be wondering about what goes on during that time period.
Although different countries may have different ways of handling the patent approval process, everything is about the same. The process typically begins with your application being assigned to a patent expert or an employee of the patent office in question. There are patenting agencies such as InventHelp that could help you on this.
The job of the individual that is assigned to your application will include a number of important tasks. One of those tasks is taking the time to fully examine and understand your patent request. This also involves determining whether or not the information you provided was enough. If you did not provide enough detailed information, on your new invention, the patent approval process may end right there. That is why it is important that you go into great detail when describing your new invention.
In addition to making sure your patent application describes your invention, in great detail, you patent approval specialist, will also make sure that your patent is a unique idea; one that has not already been used. This part of the patent process involves the use of a patent record search. A patent record search will help to make sure that your patent is really one of a kind. In the event that your patent is similar to an existing patent, your request for a patent will likely be denied. That is why it is important, before the patent approval process even begins, to make sure that your idea is truly unique. You can easily do this online by performing your own patent search or by browsing through a collection of patent listings.
Although the overall patent process works the same, the time it takes to receive a response tends to vary. With a denial, you could receive a response in as little as a few months, but there are no guarantees. However, should your application for a patent be approved, the process will likely get started right away. Your patent, until it is granted, will likely be classified as a patent pending. That patent pending status is typically in place for about two or three months; the average amount of time that it takes for most patents to be issued.
Essentially, once you have submitted your application to the appropriate patent office, the patent approval process is really out of your hands; therefore, in all honestly, you just need to sit back and wait. Should your patent application be denied, there are steps that you can take to reapply; however, you are urged to use your best judgment because the patent approval process can get quite costly. If in doubt, about what to do next, you can always try and contact a representative in your patent office or you could seek professional assistance from a patent attorney or an agency like Invent Help.
