Patent It Yourself - PDF Archive

ChaPter 10 | FINALING and MAILING Your APPLICATION | 263
Summary of PTO Drawing Rules (continued)
view of your carburetor and Fig. 2 shows a crosssectional
front of the back half of the carburetor on a
plane vertically bisecting the carburetor into front and
back halves. In this case, Fig. 1 should contain a broken
vertical line spaced halfway from left to right with
arrows pointing to the right at the top and bottom
of this line; the arrows should each be labeled “2” to
indicate the section is shown in Fig. 2. To show an area
of a main figure in an enlarged view, encircle the area in
the main figure and indicate the circled area with the
number of the figure of the enlarged view—that is, if
your main figure is Fig. 1 and the enlarged view is to be
Fig. 1A, designate the circled area of Fig. 1 with a lead
line numbered “1A”
23. Moving Parts: To show two positions of a movable
part, show its main position in full lines and its
secondary position in phantom lines, provided this
can be done clearly. If not, use a separate view for the
secondary position. (See Item 7, above, for how to do a
phantom line.)
24. Modifications: Show modifications in separate figures,
not in broken lines.
25. No Construction Lines: Construction lines, center
lines, and projection lines connecting separate figures
are forbidden. However, projection lines to show the
assembly of parts in an exploded view in one figure are
permitted. (See Fig. 8D.)
26. Position of Sheet: All views (figures) on a sheet
must have the same orientation, preferably so that
they can be read with the sheet upright (that is, in
portrait orientation with its short side at the top) so
the examiner won’t have to turn the sheets or the file
to read the drawing. However, if views longer than
the width of the sheet are necessary for the clearest
illustration of the invention, the sheet can be turned
to a landscape orientation, that is, on its side so that
its short side and the appropriate top margin is on the
right-hand side. The orientation of any lettering on a
sheet must conform with the orientation of the sheet,
except that the sheet number and number of sheets
separated by a slash (1/2) must always be at the top.
(See Fig. 10B.)
27. OG Figure: One figure should be a comprehensive view
of the invention for inclusion in the Official Gazette,
a week ly publication of the PTO that shows the main
claim and drawing figure of every patent issued that
week.
28. No Extraneous Matter: No extraneous matter—that
is, matter that is not part of the claimed invention or
its supporting or related structures—is permitted on
the drawings. However, you can (and should) place
additional matter, such as a hand on a special pistol
grip, if necessary to show use or an advantage of the
invention. Also, you should put the sheet number
and total number of sheets (“1/4, 2/4,” etc.) below the
top margin, in centered numerals that are larger than
the regular reference numerals. If the center space is
occupied, the sheet number should be placed to the
right.
29. No Wrinkled Sheets: If you’re filing by mail, the sheets
should be sent to the PTO with adequate protection
so that they will arrive without wrinkles or tears. You
should send the sheets flat, between two pieces of
corrugated cardboard within a large envelope, but they
can also be rolled and sent in a mailing tube, provided
they don’t wrinkle. Never fold patent drawing sheets or
typed sheets of the specification.
30. Phantom Lines: Parts that are hidden, but that you
want to show, for example, the inside of a computer,
should be shown in phantom lines—that is, broken
lines. (See Rule 7 above.) Reference numeral lead lines
that refer to phantom parts should also be broken, in
accordance with standard drafting practice. Broken
lines must never be used to designate a part of the
actual invention, unless to illustrate a phantom part
or a moved position of a part.
31. Identification on Back: So that the PTO can identify
and utilize the drawings in case they get separated from
the file, you should include the title of the invention,
and the first inventor’s name and telephone number
on the back of each sheet, at least 1 cm down from the
top. Use a label or sticker if necessary to prevent this
information from showing through to the front.