District Heights, MD asked in Patents (Intellectual Property) for Maryland

Q: How important are number of pictures for patent? I have three for a gaming table

1 Lawyer Answer
Kevin E. Flynn
PREMIUM
Kevin E. Flynn
Answered
  • Patents Lawyer
  • Pittsboro, NC

A: You need to have enough detail so that others can make and use your idea. Some patents have no drawings at all. Some have three or less. Some have dozens of drawings -- especially if they are showing many different variations on the idea or if there are many flow charts on processes.

I suggest that you read some issued patents on gaming tables to get a better feel on the level of detail that is normal for this type of invention. Keep track of the patents you review as you will need to provide a list of relevant prior art you have viewed to the patent examiner in an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS).

You can see slides to teach you how to search for prior art at http://bit.ly/Patent_Searching.

Note -- if you are seeking the more narrow design patent on the ornamental appearance of your table, then you need to have drawings adequate to clearly show the ornamental features. This would normally include at least one view of each decorated surface top, front, right, back, left, bottom, and some perspective images. It may include cross sections to show the depth of certain features. See https://www.flynniplaw.com/services/legal-services/united-states-design-patents for some additional information on design patents.

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