At HLK we understand that in certain circumstances it is not possible to spend a long time drafting a patent application for an invention. Perhaps the invention has only come to light just days before public disclosure, a product launch, a discussion with a buyer or client, or you are working in a fast-moving field and need to stay ahead of your competitors.
Often these circumstances lead to ‘rush’ patent applications being filed that simply contain the inventor’s own description of their invention, be that from a slide deck, the content of a technical paper, or the back of an envelope. These rush patent applications typically provide very poor basis for broad patent claims in follow-up patent applications filed within the priority year. For patent jurisdictions in Europe and Asia, however, having support for the claims in the priority founding application is often vital.
Whatever the motivation for filing a rush patent application, at HLK we have considerable experience in drafting patent applications quickly, often within only one or two days. Our aim is to provide applications that can be relied upon for later filings. By focussing on broad claim language and ensuring support for this is included, we endeavour to provide a strong priority claim for the broadest scope of your invention.
Of course, we do the best we can with the time available. If a priority founding application is drafted quickly, it may well need alterations before filing as a follow up application – there is no escaping this reality. However, focussed effort at this early stage in the process has proven to be extremely valuable to our clients.
We are proud of the value we can provide in these urgent circumstances, and therefore do not wish to discourage the use of our services by stipulating urgency surcharges – if we have the capacity and ability to help you in the time available, we will.
If you’d like to find out more information about our urgent drafting service, please contact Olivia Crawford (ocrawford@hlk-ip.com).