Design Patent Applications
Protect the innovative appearance of your product with a design patent
Send MPP Your Design
Design Review by Patent Agent
Draft Application for Client Review
File Application at USPTO
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Design Patent Application
Get Patent Pending Status
For the ornamental design (appearance) or your invention.7 Professional Patent Drawings
Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, and Perspective Views From your 3D model. (One embodiment only. A second embodiment will incur an additional cost to produce 7 drawings.)One Simple Claim
USPTO Fees Include: Basic Filing Fee, Search Fee, & Examination Fee
Design Patent Information
What is a Design Patent?
A Design Patent protects the way an invention looks. It will only protect the appearance of the invention. Inventions such as articles of manufacture, fabric patterns, clothing, the form of medical devices, the look of user interfaces for computer or smart phone applications, and decorative objects can qualify for a Design Patent Application.
How Long Does a Design Patent Last?
Design Patents have a term of 15 years unlike utility patents which have a term of 20 years.
No Maintenance Fees You Say?
The USPTO does not require maintenance fees for Design Patents.
What Is The Difference Between Design and Utility Patents?
Design Patents can't explain how the invention is assembled or stop someone from making the invention if they make it with a different exterior shape.
Avoid Additional Fees
Menlo Park Patents flat fee structure provides high quality patent preparation and prosecution at competitive pricing. However, we do charge for items not included in our standard packages. The additional charges for Design Patent Applications include preparing the figures of your invention when no 3D models are supplied. Follow our recommendations to avoid excess fees.
Design Application Additional Charges
Figure drafting: Call for pricing
All other additional work: Call for pricing
Recommendations
Supply your own drawings and 3D models of your invention to save time and money.
Steps to Apply for a Design Patent
Protect your ornamental design, or the way your invention looks, with a Design Patent by gathering the necessary materials, such as drawings or photographs of your design. The most important aspect of the application are the figures depicting the uniqueness of your invention different from others, making it an innovation qualifying for a patent.
Be sure to submit all the different angles of the design in your drawings. Solid lines and figures with no hidden lines are the way to go! You can even use broken lines to further aid the examiner in understanding the invention. Providing details in the correct format will ensure that you do not incur extra fees or delayed processing of the application at the USPTO.
What products can be protected with a design patent?
Design patents do not protect the functionality of your invention or product but they do protect the ornamental design of the invention. In more, non-legal and boring language: they protect the way an invention looks or the outer appearance. You can receive design patents to protect a large number of products such as: clothing, women’s accessories, men’s accessories, shoe designs, fabric patterns, product housing, furniture designs, jewelry, or the outer appearance of electronic products.
According to the USPTO you cannot patent a design for a naturally occurring object or anything that is considered offensive to people of any race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic group, or nationality.
Education to help you build and grow your business!
How can I know if my idea exists?
Before filing, patent searches gauge invention novelty. Menlo Park Patents offers affordable patent research!
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Check out 3 of our recommended strategies for making money from your patents
Should I do a prior art search?
A question that is often asked by inventors is: Should I do a prior art search before filing a patent application?
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