Optimising Patent Expenses for Smaller Corporates – A Case Study
The cost of building and maintaining a patent portfolio is a concern for corporates in general. The challenge is even more significant for smaller corporates as they have a limited budget. With the technicalities involved in filing a patent application in the right manner, it is only prudent that corporates seek assistance from companies specializing in patent drafting support.
The following case study narrates how Sagacious IP helped a small corporate build and optimise their patent portfolio and align its technological design and development activities with its overall patent strategy.
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The Challenge
A small corporate was struggling with its patent strategy and wanted to develop and maintain a patent portfolio without establishing an in-house patent department. It also wanted to manage costs and keep the patent expenses in check.
Sagacious IP Solution
Our team offered a 5-point method to address the above challenge:
1) Segregation of product development cycle: By understanding and analyzing the product development cycle of the client, the team at Sagacious IP segregated it into three phases:
a) Design development phase, which included the developmental stage of design.
b) Testing phase, which focused on testing of the product. It also included understanding the ease of manufacturing.
c) Making modifications in the design based on the outcome of the testing phase.
2) Filing provisional application: Once a design was finalized (after the design phase), a proposition was made to file a provisional application in place of a regular one. It was done for two reasons. First, the client could secure a priority date for later use. Second, the unnecessary costs of regular patent applications could be saved.
3) Filing regular application: Based on the positive outcome in the testing phase, we proposed to file a regular application. And this was to be done within one year of the provisional application.
4) Abandoning provisional application: The team also propositioned abandoning the provisional application of the design if proved unsuccessful during the testing phase.
5) Filing complete non-provisional application: After the testing phase was successfully executed, the team suggested filing a non-provisional application.
Result
The client benefitted from this thoughtful approach to problem-solving. They were able to build a patent portfolio without incurring huge patent drafting and filing costs. It also managed to cut expenses of hiring an in-house patent attorney and saved infrastructural costs, insurance costs, etc. In addition, the client now has access to expertise on technology and has resources of varied capabilities.
The client was delighted with this meticulous approach to patent drafting. They were particularly impressed with Sagacious IP’s strategy of aligning the product with the patent process. Expressing admiration for the work, the client considered us for its future projects. We are in the process of filing several provisional and non-provisional applications for the client, and he is overall pleased with the deliverables.
As one of the global IP research and consulting leaders, Sagacious IP has successfully delivered many drafting projects. We have a team of over 300 researchers who specialize in various domains. The objective of our services is to offer our clients the best solution to help overcome challenges. Click here to explore more about this service.
-Yojit Bhugra (Engineering Drafting) and the Editorial Team
