Invention Disclosure and the Provisional Patent
The first page in patenting at Montana Tech is to complete an Invention Disclosure. Send the completed form to patents@mtech.edu.
Guidance for completing the Invention Disclosure:
- Governing Policies. Continuation in this process implies you have read and understood these policies.
- Instructions for completing the Invention Disclosure
- Consider these additional tips to increase probability of a successful patent.
- Complete an optional Technology Viability Assessment to better understand how your invention will be commercialized. A TVA will help find licensees for your invention.
Under normal circumstances, the Research Office will proceed from an invention disclosure to a provisional patent application. The provisional patent application serves as a placeholder, establishing an early filing date for your invention. The additional tips will help to increase the probability of success and minimize later effort. Filing of a provisional patent is conducted at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor of Research without review by the Patent Management Committee (PMC).
Please note that filing of provisional patents may invoke University reporting requirements, and may only be completed by staff of the Research Office and/or University approved lawyers, per the University IP policies.
Next Steps after submission of your Invention Disclosure:
- The VCR will review the above information and notify you on provisional patenting status. The inventor is strongly encouraged to maintain filing dates, and records of any further development, improvements, or modifications to the invention.
- Continue to modify and upgrade your invention. After provisional filing, the University has 12 months to file a full (non-provisional) patent. Continue to move your invention toward marketability.
- The Director of Technology Transfer and/or the Vice Chancellor of Research will contact you within 5 months of submitting a provisional patent regarding next steps, which will include updates to your information for consideration and review by the Patent Management Committee (PMC).
- The Patent Management Committee (PMC) will make a recommendation to the VCR as to the marketability, viability, and likely return on investment of filing a non-provisional patent.