By J.D. Houvener
Patent Attorney and Founder

Hi, I’m J.D. Houvener, and welcome to the Bold Today Show where you, the inventor and entrepreneur, get your daily inspiration for how to make the world a better place. Let’s go to today’s challenge. Your challenge today is to think about your product, that innovative idea you’ve come up with. Fast-forward to a time when your product is on the market. Where are consumers currently buying similar products today? That is your competition. Spend 15 minutes researching that competition and understand their products. Visit their websites and, if you have the courage, do some mystery shopping to see how they sell their products. Down the line, for today’s invention and patent topic, we’re going to focus on what makes you different from your competition.

That’s the key when writing a patent application. Doing a thorough patentability search helps you understand exactly what makes your invention different from what’s already out there. This is what you need to focus on in the specification of your patent application. Going into the legal section, today it’s 35 USC 112, this is the written description requirement. The main part of this is about the spec. What’s required for you to have an enabled application is to touch on what makes the invention work and describe it in such a way that someone like you could go make it and build it. That’s the bottom line when it comes down to enablement; that’s the law.

Now, here’s the challenge on the back end. After doing the research, take your invention to someone, a friend, or anyone in society. Describe your invention to them in confidence and have them give you a list of how they view all the differences. How does your invention separate itself from what’s already out there? Compile that list and use it to your advantage.

Thanks for listening to the Bold Today Show. I’m your host, J.D. Houvener. Have a great day. Go big, go bold!

So, again, thanks for listening and being a part of the Bold Today’s Show. I’m your host, J.D. Houvener. Be bold today at boldip.com.

About the Author

J.D. Houvener is a Registered USPTO Patent Attorney who has a strong interest in helping entrepreneurs and businesses thrive. J.D. leverages his technical background in engineering and experience in the aerospace industry to provide businesses with a unique perspective on their patent needs. He works with clients who are serious about investing in their intellectual assets and provides counsel on how to capitalize their patents in the market. If you have any questions regarding this article or patents in general, consider contacting J.D. Houvener at https://boldip.com/contact/