A design patent application contains a number of required elements. The bulk of the application preparation time is generally centered on the drawings section. The application elements include:
- Preamble: Information on the applicant, design title, and the design’s nature and purpose.
- Feature description: A brief summary of the design’s features.
- Claim: A single claim in a standard language format.
- Drawings: Enough views to illustrate all external features.
- Description of the drawings’ figures.
- Oath or declaration of the applicant.
- Filing fees.
- Information Disclosure Statement: a cross-reference to any related applications and/or a statement of any federal research sponsorship of the design (if applicable).
If you’re not sure where to begin, it’s typically useful to start by having your drawings prepared. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office considers the drawings to be the most important element of the application. If you file your application through LegalZoom, we can help you obtain drawings for your patent application from professional draftspersons.