Some common perceptions:
- The journey to a patent starts from an invention
- Getting strong patent protection for an invention is about drafting iron-tight claims (with complex legal language)
However, patent claims are typically only as strong as the underlying invention itself! Strong inventions invariably lead to strong patents.
Is there a process to create strong inventions?
All inventions begin from seed ideas or novel concepts. Only truly novel, non-obvious ideas that bridge the gap between fantasy and reality get transformed into inventions. A single idea can lead to multiple inventions. Just as easily, multiple ideas can combine into one invention.
The journey to a strong patent actually starts from the seed idea or concept. Exploring the depth and breadth of an idea up-front during the “inventing” phase is much more productive as compared to doing the same at the “drafting” phase. The latter approach is a conscious effort to expand the solution space whereas the later approach serves a much narrower purpose of expanding the protection space of a narrowed down idea.
Crafitti brings a powerful framework to craft strong inventions from seed ideas or concepts:
- Study the Concept –its Context, Function and Prior Art
- Analyze the Concept/Idea using TRIZ
- Preliminary Ideation using TRIZ and inventive triggers from other disciplines
- Collective brainstorm with domain experts – into the nitty-gritty
- Choice of possible solution directions using AHP or other suitable decision crafting methods
