Patent, invent thyself

Many inventors find it hard to describe their ideas in a legally watertight way. To help them, James Petruzzi and Robert Mason have filed patents for their Windows-based PatentPro software, which helps inventors draft patent applications (WO 98/26343). The program asks structured questions about their inventions’ advantages over prior technology, and the primary and secondary elements of the invention. The software then drafts a document that should satisfy a patent examiner.