Patent Attorney and Founder
Hi, I’m J.D. Houvener, and welcome to The Bold Today’s Show, where you, the entrepreneur, business owner, or inventor, get your daily inspiration on how to make the world a better place. Alright, welcome to part two of this three-part challenge on business planning. This is simple, right? This is all about what we wrote down yesterday, thinking about what your product or service is and who you’re serving. We’re gonna take who you’re serving to the next level, thinking more about that customer and making them come to life. This section is gonna take you probably out of your comfort zone too, and that’s why we call it a challenge. You’re gonna have to put a face to this customer, yeah, a real face, just like mine, right, and a name. I need you to actually think about what they might really look like. Think of a perfect client, also called an avatar. This is a prototypical, a perfect client that’s gonna be the one that really wants your product or service. So, you’ve got to put a name down, think of one, and you guessed it, you need to draw your avatar by tomorrow. I want to see not just stick figures, but I want to see some detailed customers.
For our patent law session today, I want to talk about more about what it means to file that application. Yesterday we talked about who gets the rights, is it the first to invent or the first to file? We found out it’s first to file. Now, what’s actually required to submit the application and get that filing date? There are 12 separate documents that need to be submitted for a non-provisional and utility application, but it’s interesting that only two need to be submitted to get that all-important filing date, and that’s the specification and the claims. So, a specification is a fancy word for the details, right? The description. What is your invention all about? How does it work? It describes the meets and bounds, describes the nuts and bolts, right, the actual description of what it is. Claims are the legal definition of what you’re alleging is yours. While you might describe an entire robotic arm, you might be only claiming the actuator that moves it from left to right. Those are the two things required to get that filing date. The legal definition and requirements for submitting and what’s required to get that filing date can be found in Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 1.53, and you’ll find it mentioned in that regulation. The specification, claims, and only if it’s needed, drawings, is all you need to get that filing date.
So, get with your business partner, mentor, significant other, and bounce off your avatar, bring it to life. Make them ask you questions like where does your customer go to the movies? What do they read? Where do they go for fun? What hobbies do they have? What books do they read? These are the kind of questions that’ll get you to really understand your customer, who’s gonna want to purchase your product or service. 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.