ABSTRACT
Therearetwostageswhichyougothroughintheprocessofmakingan invention.Thefirststage,oftenreferredtoasconception,istheperiod whenyouarecreatingtheinventioninyourmind,perhapswiththeaidof pencilandpaper.Theinventionmaybethesolutiontoaproblem,anew product,machine,process,chemicalcomposition,andsoon.Thesecond stageintheinventiveprocess,whichisknownasreductiontopractice,is theimplementationoftheinvention,whichyouhaveconceivedinyour mind,bythephysicalactofconstructinganoperativeprototypeofyour inventionanddemonstratingitsusefulnessforitsintendedpurpose.Evena relativelycrudephysicalimplementationoftheinventionissufficientto satisfythereductiontopracticerequirement.Itisnotnecessarythatthe equipmentyoubuildinthecourseofreducingtheinventiontopractice representanoptimaldesign,e.g.,isinastateinwhichitneedsnofurther improvementandisreadyforreleasetomanufacturing.Butinorderto constitutealegalreductiontopractice,itmustbetestedtodemonstrate thatitwillworkintheenvironmentforwhichitisintended.Thus,the firstphaseoftheinventiveprocess-conception-isamentalactorvision, whilethesecondstage-reductiontopractice-isaphysicalact.
