Chapter 2: Can You Get a Patent?

After you’ve resolved the question of why you want a patent, the next big question is: can you get a patent? Perhaps you’ve decided that you want to get one, but now we need to figure out if it’s possible to patent your invention.

There are many principles that will shape our approach in applying for a patent. We will talk about a lot of those in detail in the chapters that follow.

What we want to talk about now, however, are the threshold questions. The threshold questions help us decide whether, overall, it is a go or a no-go for applying for a patent.

Before we get too deep into the patent process, then, let’s take a look at how your patent application will be judged at the United States Patent Office, so that you know whether you should even try to get a patent…

Here’s What You’ll Learn In This Chapter:

The Questions to Resolve First

There are three main threshold questions you should consider before trying to patent your invention:

1. Does it have patentable subject matter?
2. Is it distinctive enough from previous inventions? (Technically, is it novel and non-obvious?)
3. Can its operation be explained? (Technically, can you provide an enabling disclosure?)

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