Drafting Patent Drawings

When an individual or business submits a patent application, he or she must include a ‘patent drawing.’  Basically, a patent drawing is usually three sets of blueprints of the invention, allowing representatives of the patent office to determine the exact purpose and look of the invention.  There are many different methods of drafting patent drawings and certain things which should be included with them.  Below is some more information regarding drafting patent drawings.

What Should the Drawing Be Rendered With?

Patent drawings should be done on paper that is strong and sturdy – as well as non-glossy.  The paper should not be folded or creased in any way and it should clearly represent the invention without multiple erase marks or jumbled drawings.  The drawing should be composed in black ink – preferably India ink or another strong ink that will not smudge or fade.

The drawing should be done in black and white, unless color is needed to illustrate specifics of the invention or idea.  However, the applicant must first file a patent petition fee which explains exactly why color drawings are needed and what areas of the invention they would be needed to illustrate the direct concept.

How Many Views Should Be Drawn?

There should be as many views drawn as needed to clearly illustrate the invention and its purpose.  Whether it’s 3 or 30, the representatives at the patent office should be able to easily recognize what the invention is for and what it is designed to do – as well as exactly what it should look like.  Some individuals hire a patent drawing artist to do this work as it can be difficult to do for those who are not experienced with scaled drawings and multiple views.

Reference Charts and Lead Lines

It’s preferred if the drawings contain a reference chart so that each specific part of the invention can be clearly labeled.  Also, individuals should use numbers to label each parts of the drawing.  If a number is not able to be placed on top of the exact part it correlates to, lead lines may be drawn so that each part can be clearly identified.  Lead lines should be as short as possible and should sit as closely as possible to the exact part it describes so that individuals are not confused as to which part of the invention is being labeled.

Also, when using words to describe the different illustrations or reference chart, the writing should all be done in the same direction – eliminating the need for the reviewer to turn the paper in order to read the writing.

When drafting a patent drawing, it is very important that each individual rule is followed to avoid being turned down because the drawing was not in the correct format.

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