- The evolution of a patent

The evolution of a patent The evolution of a patent begins with invention. What follows is a process that involves a merging of technical and legal efforts, guided at key points by business considerations. The process is outlined in an idealized ´owchart in Figure 6.1. The chart is designed to illustrate a smooth path from conception to the granting of a patent, with no problems along the way. Each block highlights a signi‹cant event in the path, but it must be understood that, in the real world, each step could have multiple arrows representing possible pitfalls and alternate outcomes.