The heart of innovation often lies in the details. Our attorneys delve deep into the intricacies of your inventions, leaving no stone unturned, so it is not unusual for our team to identify more inventions than you realised you had!

At Acorn, our philosophy is that drafting is not simply about doing the minimum – describing the invention and writing a good set of claims. Our aim when drafting is to create a narrative that resonates with patent examiners, so that the application tells the story behind the invention. Our approach helps to secure the protection your invention deserves.

The Drafting Process

Before we put pen to paper, it’s important that we work together to identify what inventive concepts you have and determine which of these you want to protect with a patent. It is helpful for us to have an idea of what your product or service is in advance, but generally we prefer to work through this with you during a meeting. One of the reasons for having the meeting is that, in some cases, there might be reasons not to file a patent application – you can trust that Acorn will be honest with you if this is the case. During the drafting process, we might ask you to follow up with further technical information or drawings.

Some of our inventors prefer to capture information about the invention in an ‘invention disclosure form’ (IDF). These can be helpful for structuring thoughts around the invention, but they’re by no means essential. If you think it might be helpful for you, we can provide a template form which asks a few questions that aim to gather your thoughts.

Acorn will then begin preparing a draft version of the patent application. Sometimes we will start with just the claims and discuss these with you to make sure we’re all on the same page before continuing with the rest of the application. We then supply you with a full patent application for you to review and comment on, and we will action those changes in turn. This iterative feedback process typically takes 2-3 rounds of amendment before the application is signed off by you as ready to file.

Navigating the complexities of examination

Once filed, your application undergoes ‘patent prosecution’ – this means examination of the patent application. This involves shepherding your application through the complexities of the patent prosecution process.

During examination, we receive examination reports (sometime referred to as ‘office actions’) containing objections from the patent office and any prior art the examiner is relying on – having objections is not unusual! We review the examination report, provide our analysis to you, and then prepare a response which we send to the examiner to progress the application.

As Chartered UK and European Patent Attorneys, Acorn can represent you directly before the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO), the European Patent Office (EPO), and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO). This means we are able to secure patent protection in the UK and across Europe as well as handle international PCT applications before WIPO.

Acorn IP will also act as a strategic hub for your patent applications beyond the UK and Europe – we will coordinate filings internationally using local patent attorneys in the countries you want to secure protection in. We will work closely with you and the overseas counsel to provide a joined-up approach to patent prosecution across the globe, whilst making use of expertise in the relevant jurisdictions for any country-specific issues that arise. Acorn IP acts as your single point of contact so you don’t have to worry about orchestrating patent attorneys around the world – we do this for you.

We will work with you to determine the best strategy for dealing with objections to drive progress of your application forward, all the while keeping its commercial and strategic value at the heart of the process.

Tailored Precision

Our approach is not one-size-fits-all. Each patent application is a unique story, and we tailor our drafting and prosecution strategy to reflect your technical and commercial needs.

Industry Insight

We take the time to learn from you what the commercial realities of your industry are at the outset and use these insights, along with our own experience, to ensure that your patents are not only technically and legally sound but also strategically valuable business tools.

Collaborative Partnership

Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. We don't just work for you; we work with you.