In broad terms, what are the essential steps of your (process) invention?
Provide a description of each step of the embodiment (version) of the invention described in the broadest (least limited) claim. The idea here is to give the inventor a chance to "pare down" a description to the bare minimum steps of the simplest form of the invention. The goal is to end up with a listing of invention steps that illustrates how the steps are related to one another and that contains no words that unnecessarily narrow the breadth of the invention.
Hint! Think like a competitor who wants to gain the benefits of your invention without paying your organization a royalty. What step(s) could he leave out and still have a fully functional invention? You should leave them out of this listing, too. Can you think of broader (less limiting) language with which to describe any step? If so, use it. This is one of two places in an invention disclosure (the other is in the claims) where less (words) is more.
The objective of this effort is to "distill" the "essence" of your invention. In later sections of the disclosure, you will be asked to add all the "bells and whistles" that make your invention even better than its absolutely required essence.
MPEP § 608.01(d) Brief Summary of the Invention
MPEP § 608.01(a) Arrangement of Application
MPEP § 2162 Policy Underlying 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
MPEP § 2163 The Written Description Requirement
MPEP § 2163.01 Support for the Claimed Subject Matter in Disclosure
MPEP § 2163.02 Standard for Determining Compliance With the Written Description Requirement
© 1998-2003 Robert M. Hunter PLLC