Inventor's Notebook

Completely and correctly documenting your inventive efforts is crucial in preserving you patent rights to your invention. You should maintain a bounded inventor's notebook, which clearly shows someone how to make and use your invention and documents each step of the invention conception and development process performed right up to filing an application (e.g., any tests, test equipment, test results, what and why changes were made, etc.), and sets forth the contributions made by yourself and any other people that had a part in conceiving of or developing the invention.

Each page should be written in permanent ink and signed by two other witnesses that have read and understood what they are attesting to, or, alternatively a Notary Public. The notebook is evidence of conception, and can help avoid problems that typically arise with those who build prototypes for you, do consulting, or were "just trying to help" you with your idea by documenting contributions by others. Unless otherwise proven to the satisfaction of the USPTO, the date of invention is assumed to be the filing date of the provisional or utility patent application. A provisional application and the USPTO disclosure document are additional, and often more effective, ways to prove an earlier date of invention.