How to Patent Product Enhancements

Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Patent Law and other Invention topics.

Is it necessary to file for a new patent when product enhancements have been made?

How to Patent Product Enhancements

When a company desires to patent inventions that are not wholly new, but enhancements to an original invention or product, it is not necessary to file for a new patent. A continuation, continuation-in-part or divisional applications are options your patent attorney may choose to pursue.

A continuation application is a patent application filed when there are additional claims to an invention whose patent has not yet been issued or abandoned. This type of application is most useful when a patent applicant hasn't exhausted all of the useful ways of claiming a product's uses.

A continuation-in-part is an application in which the applicant adds matter not disclosed in the original parent patent. It repeats much of the original patent's specifications and is a more convenient way to claim enhancements that were developed after the parent application was filed.

A divisional application claims a distinct invention based on important parts taken from the parent application's specifications. A divisional application is sometimes necessary when a patent's claims are too broad to defend it as a single invention.

   

Comments

Nobody has commented on this tip yet. Be the first.



Name:


URL: (optional)


Comment:


Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Invention Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
Sherril Steele-Carlin