Book Review: Patent It Yourself

 

The process to get a patent in the US is very long and very expensive if you use a patent attorney or a patent agent. And, the process of writing a patent is complicated and it really takes years of practice to get comfortable with it and good at it. But, for anyone who does want to try writing their own patent, this is probably the best guide out there. At least the best I have come across. I have seen others that are, frankly, not worth the paper they are written on, but this is head and shoulders in quality above those.

This is a comprehensive guide that explains the patenting process, breaks down the different parts of a patent, describes the various ways to write patent claims (which is the most important part of the patent), and actually has the text of a sample patent so you can see how one should be laid out. And, it explains some of the basics of patent law, which you will need to understand during the prosecution of the patent (the back-and-forth with the patent and trademark office that occurs after the patent is filed) that will be helpful after the patent is written. Ultimately, it goes through all of the basics that you will need to know when it comes to how to write the patent. It has some discussion about patent drawings, but that is not comprehensive. Nolo has a patent drawings guide that can be used as a supplement to this guide that will give you details about how to deal with patent drawings.

I used this guide as I was finishing my engineering degree to learn the basics of patent law before I took the more comprehensive patent bar prep course. This will not get you the skill equivalent to a patent agent or attorney with years of experience, but it will give you the understanding you need to either try to write your own patent or figure out that you want no part in trying to do it yourself. I would not blame anyone for making either decision, but even if you do decide you do not want to write one yourself, this will help you when working with a patent attorney or a patent agent because the better you understand the process, the better communication you will have and ultimately, the more money it will save you.