Invention: Conceptualize An Idea For Patent

Over the course of this class, you will be writing a provisional utility patent on a novel invention of your choosing that is relevant to your dissertation research. You will not be graded on the design, practicality, or marketability of the patent. You will be graded on if you followed the proper steps for researching, writing, and filing the patent.

For this assignment, come up with three ideas for a patentable product that is relevant to your dissertation research. If you have not finalized your dissertation topic, pick an idea closely associated with your research interest. You do not need to worry about how exactly it is made or if it can be manufactured, but the invention must be realistic. Apply the four requirements listed in this weeks introduction to test if your idea is patentable.

“Determining if an invention is patentable starts by examining if it meets four requirements.

1. The invention must fall under one of the five classes established by the U.S. Patent Office (process, machine, article of manufacture, composition, or new use).
2. The invention must be deemed useful (for example, drug patents must prove they are safe and useful in treating a condition).
3. The invention must be novel (it has a feature or features that make it different from other inventions).
4. The invention cannot be obvious to one skilled in the art.

If an invention can meet all of these requirements, then it may be eligible for patenting.”

Ideas should be your own, not an existing product. For example, an invention could be a bracelet that vibrates when cookies are perfectly cooked, hand soap that changes color after your hands are sanitized, or a coffee pot that displays how much caffeine is in each cup. Remember that you will be writing a patent application for one of these ideas, so pick something you are interested in, that's relevant to your research, and for which you have some ideas on how the invention could work.

Please also provide a few sentences on how the invention could work. For example, if you selected the coffee pot invention you could say the coffee pot has a sensor in the base that evaluates the concentration of caffeine and displays it as grams of caffeine per cup on a screen. You don't have to understand how such a sensor could work, as long as the invention could be patentable. Be sure to identify the topic of your dissertation. If you do not have a topic yet, please suggest a topic you are interested in pursuing research in. Remember, you will be focused on this topic for the entire course, and this research could prove very beneficial for your final dissertation.

Length: 1-2 pages