Before the next disclosure
Patent planning before you pitch, publish, or launch.
For inventors and small businesses preparing a demonstration, publication, code release, or product launch, a clear record helps a patent attorney evaluate the next step. Use this checklist to organize the facts before discussing U.S. patent options with Parti & Oliveira PLLC.
Print this guide from your browser menu and keep your completed notes privately. If an event has already happened, record it accurately and raise the timing promptly.
01 · Keep an event log
What has been shared, and what is planned?
Create a separate entry for each pitch, demonstration, publication, repository release, customer offer, sale, or launch. Include:
- Date and status: the actual date or planned date; label estimates and distinguish completed events from plans.
- Material: what was shown, said, sent, offered, or released, including the product or document version.
- Audience and access: who received it, where it appeared, and whether access was restricted or open.
- Confidentiality: any agreement, restriction, or understanding and when it applied. Retain the actual terms.
- Records: preserve the relevant deck, message, agreement, screenshot, release record, or transaction document.
02 · Gather the background
Keep a short technical and filing inventory.
Prepare these materials privately for an appropriate discussion after engagement.
The technology
Summarize the problem, your approach, alternatives, development stage, and what has changed since any earlier filing. Locate diagrams and development notes.
Software and AI invention preparationThe people and records
List contributors and where development occurred. Locate relevant employment, contractor, and assignment agreements. Identify questions about contributions or ownership for review.
Patentability search and assessmentThe filing history
List application numbers, dates, countries, current counsel, and known deadlines. Keep copies of what was actually filed, including drawings.
Preparing a U.S. patent applicationAn earlier provisional filing does not automatically cover later improvements. Later claims need support in that original disclosure to receive its filing-date benefit; new material cannot simply be added to the provisional. See the USPTO’s provisional application guidance.
03 · Focus the conversation
Four questions to ask patent counsel.
What needs attention before the next event?
Review the planned date, past events, and any filing or disclosure issues requiring a decision.
What does an existing application actually support?
Compare the filed disclosure with the version you intend to demonstrate or release.
Which countries and filing routes matter?
Discuss development locations, earlier filings, intended markets, and coordination with foreign counsel. Ask whether first-filing or foreign-filing permissions need review.
What work and cost should we authorize now?
Define the immediate task, deliverables, timing, attorney fees, and separate government or outside expenses.
04 · Start with a general message
Keep the first inquiry nonconfidential.
You can identify the technology category, country, requested help, and relevant date without explaining the invention’s mechanism. Keep the event log, source code, drawings, and private attachments for an appropriate arrangement.
Your next decision
Discuss the timing with U.S. patent counsel.
Vik Parti leads the firm’s patent practice. This checklist is general information. An inquiry does not establish representation, preserve a filing date, or mean the firm is monitoring a deadline.